A pioneering collaboration between the CNR–INO and the Modica Chocolate Consortium is bringing together scientific research and the ancient craftsmanship of master chocolatiers. Together, they will explore innovative ways to transform fragile sensory experiences—such as scent, texture, and taste—into cultural assets that can be documented, preserved, and enhanced as part of our shared European and global heritage.

The international research project SCENTinel, co-funded by the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPI CH), with Italian partners the National Institute of Optics of the National Research Council (CNR–INO) and Venetian Cluster (VHC), has signed a collaboration agreement with the Consortium for the Protection of Modica Chocolate PGI to safeguard one of Italy’s most iconic cultural and gastronomic treasures: the aromas and flavors of Modica chocolate. Activities officially began on 13 October in Modica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, at the Grimaldi Foundation.

The collaboration, developed and coordinated by the National Institute of Optics of the National Research Council, bridges cutting-edge science and centuries-old tradition. While the Consortium ensures the authenticity and PGI certification of Modica chocolate—granted by the European Commission in 2018—CNR–INO and the SCENTinel project will employ advanced tools to capture, analyze, and preserve the olfactory and gustatory landscapes that define this exceptional product. Researchers will study the aromas of Modica chocolate throughout the entire production process—from cocoa beans to the finished bar—using advanced techniques to record volatile organic compounds. Alongside chemical characterization, the project will document the sensory identity of Modica chocolate through cultural research and interviews with producers, artisans, and consumers, ensuring that memory, tradition, and lived experience remain at the core.

This collaboration exemplifies how science can serve as a sentinel for intangible heritage, safeguarding scents increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Through advanced technologies and interdisciplinary approaches, the Modica Chocolate Consortium, CNR–INO, and SCENTinel are transforming the intangible into knowledge—ensuring that fragrances and flavors, fragile yet powerful carriers of memory, can be studied, protected, and passed on to future generations.

Beyond the local significance of Modica’s centuries-old chocolate-making tradition, the initiative highlights the universal importance of protecting Europe’s intangible heritage. Preserving scents and flavors means preserving collective memory, strengthening cultural identity, and ensuring that the richness of European traditions remains a living, shared legacy for all humanity.

SCENTinel, co-funded by the Joint Programming Initiative on Cultural Heritage and Global Change (JPI CH), is led by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and involves partners including Venetian Cluster (VCH), the National Institute of Optics of the National Research Council (CNR–INO), and the Czech Academy of Sciences (UTIA). In collaboration with the University of Ljubljana (UL), Furtwangen University (HFU), University College London (UCL), KU Leuven, and the Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), the project aims to capture, analyze, and preserve endangered scents—such as those threatened by climate change—so that Europe’s intangible heritage of aromas and flavors can be safeguarded and transmitted to future generations.
Website: https://jpi-climate.eu/project/scentinel/

CNR-INO researcher: Jana Striova, email: jana.striova@cnr.it