Following the great interest aroused in the 2024 edition, the collaboration between MIG – International Exhibition of Artisan Gelato in Longarone (30 November – 3 December 2025) and the National Research Council (CNR) is renewed this year with a qualified proposal of initiatives on the theme ‘Gelato for Wellbeing’.
The CNR, through its Institute for Biomedical Research and Innovation (CNR-IRIB) based in Palermo, is one of the promoters of a new and exciting branch of neuroscience: Neurogastronomy. The activities related to this discipline, coordinated by Dr Domenico Nuzzo, aim to study how sensory stimuli related to taste, sight and smell, combined with the use of functional foods, can positively influence brain health.
This paradigm shift leads us to consider food not only as nourishment, but as a powerful tool for multisensory neurostimulation with possible applications in the medical field, particularly in neurodevelopment and in promoting recovery in individuals suffering from age-related diseases.
This innovative approach can transform artisan ice cream from a simple pleasure into a health ally, which is sure to be of interest to ice cream makers, consumers and ice cream product companies that are always attentive to emerging trends that characterise consumer choices.
This innovative proposal, supported and promoted by a strong joint CNR-MIG communication campaign, includes the organisation of a scientific-educational workshop at MIG 2025 to inform the public and operators about the scientific rationale behind the project, as well as the creation of a dozen functional ice cream flavours, each formulated with raw materials selected for their nutraceutical properties. The ice creams prepared in collaboration with the GAT (Gelatieri Artigiani del Triveneto) ice cream makers will then be available for tasting by visitors to the fair.
All this will further deepen the already interesting results highlighted last year during the presentations, where, through wearable devices and guided tastings with scientifically validated procedures, it was possible to measure physiological parameters linked to the emotional state of the participants.
On these very issues, the CNR-IRIB organised the first national meeting dedicated to Neurogastronomy on 9 May in Palermo: a meeting that represented the first step towards the establishment of an interdisciplinary research network that will open new avenues in the prevention and treatment of neurological frailty.
