Our team at the meeting of Wheatbiome project partners in Vilnius
On November 26-27, 2024, Piasecka-Jóźwiak, PhD and R. Choińska, PhD (ZF) participated in the AgriFood Forum 24 “FIELD OF THE FUTURE: Rethinking AgriFood for Resilience and Sustainability” and the General Assembly Meeting of the Wheatbiome project (Horizon-CL6-2022-Farm2Fork-01-09). The events took place in Vilnius (Lithuania). AgriFood 2024 was organized to promote the Field of the Future initiative, i.e. activities aimed at developing solutions involving advanced technologies and innovations, including artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, IoT, digital tools, and new business models.
The above solutions are to enable the transformation process of the global agri-food sector in the face of current, unprecedented challenges, including climate change, geopolitical instability, and rising production costs while maintaining food security and ensuring sustainable resource management. The discussion panels considered how advanced technologies and innovative digital and non-digital approaches can make the agri-food sector more productive, resilient, and sustainable. The forum gathered participants representing: agri-food companies, start-ups, financial institutions, scientific institutions, and policy makers. The event created an opportunity to exchange observations, establish cooperation (B2B), and get to know the success stories of start-ups and innovation ecosystems in the development of the agri-food sector. A separate discussion panel was devoted to the presentation of innovations led by women in the agri-food sector, participants of the EIT FOOD EWA (Empowering Women in Agrifood) program, and the Grassceiling initiative. The General Assembly Meeting of the Wheatbiome project partners took place at the premises of Vilniaus Kolegija. During the meeting, the results of the research work conducted so far and the work plan for the next year were presented and discussed.
As part of their research task, the ZF team developed starter cultures for the fermentation of wheat waste, consisting of selected strains of microorganisms, and conducted preliminary fermentation tests on a laboratory scale. The obtained post-fermentation material was assessed in terms of quality (physicochemical and nutritional parameters) and microbiological safety. The meeting was accompanied by a lively discussion after each presentation, positively influencing the deepening of cooperation between the consortium partners.
