Carbon footprint of truffle sauce in central Italy by direct measurement of energy consumption of different olive harvesting techniques

The contribution of the European food sector to the total amount of greenhouse gases emissions is equal to 15%. The main environmental impact is due to the cultivation phase while the transformation has limited consequences. The sustainability of the food sector can be traced using an important indicator: Product Carbon Footprint. In this framework this paper presents the case of a traditional product: truffle sauce, which is a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and truffle. Its carbon footprint has been calculated based on ISO 14067, through the use of specific Product Category Rules, able to describe theoretical prerequisites and practical rules to be followed during the analysis in order to make results comparable with other studies. Different allocation techniques have been analyzed: system expansion has been compared with allocation based on mass and economical value. It was shown that 3% variation in the mass yield of olive oil implies 2% variation in the final carbon footprint. Different harvesting techniques were considered and their energy consumption was measured on site. Final carbon footprint for truffle sauce, assuming allocation based on system expansion, is equal to 1.93 kg CO2eq/kg. Truffle sauce has a lower impact compared to other similar commodities (extra virgin olive oil for example). The final result of the Product Carbon Footprint is not the only scientific value added by this paper, because Product Category Rules can be used by other researchers to calculate emissions released during truffle sauce or olive oil life cycle in other particular environments. Knowing the value of these emissions, reduction measures can be designed. The limits of this study are represented by the fact that these values are deeply influenced by seasonal variability, so this aspect should be evaluated by further studies.