Biocastanea
Biocastanea upcycles chestnut burr waste into certified eco‐cosmeceuticals via green extraction of antioxidants. Biocastanea promotes zero‐waste valorisation and scalable bioeconomy.
Biocastanea is a line of eco-sustainable dermofunctional biocosmeceuticals made from chestnut burr extract. This line is developed by the women-led start-up SienabioACTIVE, Siena University bioeconomy spin-off, holding international organic certification.
Chestnut burrs are usually burned, emitting CO₂. Biocastanea transforms this bio-waste into a valuable resource through an advanced bioeconomy research project, combining pharma academic excellence and local resources in a local value chain, ensuring quality, sustainability, and impact.
The Biocastanea team optimised green methods to extract antioxidants from the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) Monte Amiata chestnut burr, which possesses potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties (Patent). Biocastanea products are available in physical stores and on e-commerce sites. SienabioACTIVE’s commitment to zero-waste led to transforming residual burr biomass obtained from the process into paper and bioplastics, currently at TRL7.
Biocastanea’s prototype was achieved thanks to a Tuscany Rural Development Programme (RDP) grant of approximately €300,000. Rural Development Programmes (RDPs), like European Regional Development Funds (ERDF), are useful tools for initial stages, but present limitations in terms of scope, applicability and functioning to support the market uptake of the funded innovations.
The Biocastanea line is currently available in the local market, and the strategy is to scale it up at the regional and EU levels by establishing partnerships to implement a pilot plant, which will incorporate Biocastanea and other innovations. Amongst these, the patent developed on the chestnut burr extract’s bioactivity that lowers antibiotics posology managing antimicrobial resistance (Inpart Top 25 Innovations 2025). To scale up, the team is working to overcome the main challenges related to an often-inadequate EU funding/venture capital ecosystem and a regulatory framework for pharma and bioeconomy that is complex and sometimes contradictory.
Resources
- Biocastanea cosmetics for a better life
- Antioxidant Bio-Compounds from Chestnut Waste: A Value-Adding and Food Sustainability Strategy
- Repurposing Castanea sativa Spiny Burr By-Products Extract as a Potentially Effective Anti-Inflammatory Agent for Novel Future Biotechnological Applications
- Green Chemistry Within the Circular Bioeconomy to Harness Chestnut Burr Extract’s Synergistic Antimicrobial Activity Against Helicobacter pylori
- Chestnut Burrs as Natural Source of Antimicrobial Bioactive Compounds: A Valorisation of Agri-Food Waste
- A Drug Discovery Approach to a Reveal Novel Antioxidant Natural Source: The Case of Chestnut Burr Biomass
Contact information
Annalisa Santucci
Full Professor of Biochemistry, Università Degli Studi Di Siena
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