The Institute G. Ronzoni participates as a scientific partner in SNIF, a research and experimental development project launched in September 2025.
Objective
SNIF – Safer and more Sustainable Natural Ingredients for Food Industry – aims to strengthen the safety, authenticity and sustainability of natural ingredients for the food industry, with a focus on high-value flavourings such as saffron, mint and vanilla.
Institute G. Ronzoni’s contribution
The Institute contributes to the scientific characterisation of natural flavourings using advanced analytical techniques — including NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) and metabolomic analysis — to verify botanical and geographical origin, detect adulterations, and establish certified chemical profiles. The Institute also coordinates inter-laboratory activities to ensure data uniformity and reliability across the project partnership. Additionally, Ronzoni together Politecnico di Milano and CNR are developing a public reference database of authenticated flavour profiles, built from samples collected and analysed according to standardised, jointly validated procedures.
Sustainability
In parallel, the project addresses the sustainability of production processes. The Institute contributes to the development of new taste enhancers for the food industry, identifying peptide sequences responsible for savouriness and organoleptic characteristics, with the goal of replacing traditional energy-intensive thermal processes with biotechnological and fermentative alternatives.
Partnership
SNIF brings together scientific and industrial expertise. On the scientific side: Institute G. Ronzoni, Politecnico di Milano and CNR. On the industrial side: Sacmar, Fratelli Branca Distillerie and GB Foods.
Duration: 27 months (from September 2025)
Funding: PR FESR 2021–2027 Regional Programme, Regione Lombardia, Azione 11.3 – Bando Collabora & Innova, with the support of the European Union, the Italian Republic and Regione Lombardia.
Total project value: €4,837,459.20.
