The eleventh annual conference of ERIAFF, the Network of European Regions for Innovation in Agriculture, Food, and Forestry—founded and coordinated by the Tuscany Region—was this year dedicated to the bioeconomy. It also served as an opportunity to present the Biocastanea project on an international stage. This project was developed through the research and innovation activities of Prof. Annalisa Santucci from the University of Siena, within the framework of two Rural Development Program (PSR) projects funded by the Tuscany Region.
The highly innovative pilot project makes use of the chestnut burrs from Monte Amiata—typically a waste product—to obtain substances with powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties through green processes. It led to the creation of the University of Siena’s spin-off company, SienabioACTIVE, which in turn developed the Biocastanea line: an eco-sustainable range of dermofunctional biocosmeceuticals, 100% Made in Tuscany, utilizing the chestnut burr extract and its beneficial properties.
The scientific research results have been published in international journals, and the antimicrobial activity has also been the subject of a patent. The British technology transfer platform Inpart recognized it as one of the 25 most significant innovations in the world for 2025—the only Italian example on the list.
Biocastanea is a rare case of a bioeconomy project that, even on a pilot scale, has achieved circularity, as the waste from the extraction process is reused for the production of paper and bioplastics.
The presentation at the ERIAFF conference was the perfect occasion to introduce the Tuscan Biocastanea project to an international audience, with the aim of continuing the dissemination of both scientific and entrepreneurial results and seeking real investors for industrial scaling-up.
Furthermore, the new ERIAFF working group on Health, Nutrition, and Food Innovation provided Annalisa Santucci with the opportunity to present another project carried out under the Nutraceutical Call of the Tuscany Region: Beerbone, aimed at producing a pro-functional Tuscan beer enriched with silicon to support joint health.