Research project Aroma-roots: aromatic root crops for the bio-economy

General introduction

Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana), angelica (Angelica archangelica) and lovage (Levisticum officinale) are three aromatic root crops. Both the fresh plant material and the extracted aromas of these crops can be incorporated into numerous food and non-food applications. However, only a few pioneers were iin 2020 active in growing these crops in Belgium. These pioneers indicated that there are still quite a few bottlenecks in the technical area of cultivation that hamper area expansion. Besides a solution for these bottlenecks, this project created more clarity about the sales possibilities and the researchers partnered with the farmers to find new crops that fit within their cultivation rotation.

Research approach

We optimized the cultivation of horseradish, angelica and lovage through better varietal knowledge, cultivation mechanization (including weed control, sowing and harvesting), increasing the quality of the harvested biomass and multi-valorization. Besides acreage expansion, the focus was also on a profitable chain between farmer, processor and consumer.

Relevance/Valorization

In the project, the grower's community of lovage, horseradish and angelica was enlarged, resulting in crop diversification on those farms. The application of the 3 aromatic roots was demonstrated in food and beverages, cosmetics and green chemistry.

Financing

VLAIO