Marsala Wine and Porto Wine, two Important Stories and two Great Wines in Comparison. The Current Market Situation and Opportunities

Introduction Marsala wine is the oldest of the Sicilian wines and it takes its name from the little town where it is produced. It is one of the most famous fortified wines in the world thanks to its organoleptic qualities and its incredible versatility. Despite its ancient origin and its fame, which led this wine to be known all over the world, Marsala wine is for several years in a decline phase. Porto wine, has always been a true symbol of Portugal, is also very famous worldwide for centuries, it is obtained from different varieties of grapes grown in the Douro Valley and then it is aged in wooden barrels at the cellars of the Oporto City where it was then shipped to be exported all over …

28. Ecosystem service for farm: a methodological evaluation proposal of the pollination ecosystem service

The Italian Consumers’ Preferences for Pasta: does Environment Matter?

Demand for food in developed countries is nowadays moving towards increasing contents of quality requisites. A large part of consumers lives in cities and demand for tasty and healthy food but pays also attention to environmental concerns and cultural references, to express their own lifestyles and ethical values. Agriculture can therefore increase income and employment through the supply of a wide range of valuable goods and services related with the countryside and the environment. As an effect of climate and environmental conditions, pasta made by Sicilian durum wheat, can be considered safer and healthier than standard pasta (alias common pasta) manufactured by major producing companies…

MutAzione: un approccio innovativo al turismo per lo sviluppo delle aree interne

Nell’era digitale l’assunto di mutazione e cambiamento sono amplificati dall’accessibilità tramite un click; ma come tramutare tutto ciò in Azione, in Atto che non permetta tanto il mutare quanto il mutarsi di un gesto in fatto reale? Qui l’urbanista diventa strumento di colui che attraverso la propria professionalità tramuta parole su carta in mutAzioni del territorio “a margine”; colui che riesce, pragmaticamente, a ricucire il rapporto fra l’ambiente urbano e quello rurale. Se la parola sopravvivenza, in questi territori, è l’humus da cui ripartire, il termine mutazione ne rappresenta i semi; ma per crescere occorre l’acqua che è rappresentata dallo sviluppo. Il caso studio, quindi, si a…

La filiera cerealicola siciliana

Study on consumer preferences for quality attributes of fig fruit after storage at room temperature

Fig (Ficus carica L.) is a nutritious fruit, rich in fiber, potassium, calcium, and iron. It is an important source of vitamins, amino acids, antioxidants and phenolic compounds that contribute to a healthy diet. In addition to Asian countries, fig is cultivated in the Mediterranean basin, where quality fruit has been produced since ancient times. Sicily in southern Italy traditionally cultivated ‘San Giovanni’ figs, but fig consumption has decreased. This cultivar is very interesting for its intrinsic qualities and its appreciation after storage by consumers could help its commercialization. The objective of this study is to know consumer preferences for quality attributes of ‘San Giovanni…

Conventions of Quality in Consumer Preference toward Local Honey in Southern Italy

During the last few decades consumer demand for local foods has increased around the world, particularly in the USA and Europe. Such consumer trend also contributes to redefine a new alternative geography of food; in which local foods are perceived to be of better quality and safer. Moreover, consumers frame local food quality not only in terms of general attributes, such as taste and price, but also in terms of more subjective attributes closely linked to social and environmental aspects of products. These attributes are recognised by consumers as a range of socially constructed food quality criteria, which play an important role in the creation of information about quality and consumer de…