In a bioeconomy context, sustainable exploitation of crops as renewable sources of raw materials for different industrial applications is profitable. In particular, low input crops can be grown in marginal areas and in stressful conditions (i.e. dryness, soil salinity). Cultivated cardoon, very suitable for the environmental conditions of the Mediterranean basin areas, produces high quantity of biomass rich in several biomolecules: aerial biomass, seeds and roots represent sources of fiber, oil and inulin, respectively. A breeding program for the development of improved genotypes is required for an efficient exploitation of this crop as new alternative feedstock in the biorefinery. Within the framework of COMETA project (Autoctone Mediterranean Crops and Their Valorization with Advanced Green Chemistry Technologies), research activities have been carried out by ENEA and Novamont in order to develop new cultivated cardoon genotypes suitable for the production of different bio-based products. Seeds and roots from seven genotypes, outputs of a breeding program aimed at obtaining genotypes with high biomass, have been chemically characterized by chromatographic technique to evaluate the content of fatty acids of the achenes, and inulin of the roots, respectively. The results obtained showed a high content of oleic acid in the seeds (about 45% of total fatty acids), and about 390 g kg-1 DW as inulin content in the roots, on average. The introduction of these new lines in cultivation agricultural system of Central and South Italy, as well as all over the Mediterranean basin, offers a real opportunity to create new supply chains for a sustainable development and territorial regeneration. © 2025 International Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.

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