Water use is an increasingly relevant environmental concern in the agri-food sector, although most Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies still focus on greenhouse gas emissions and Carbon Footprint indicators. Filled pasta has received limited attention in Water Footprint (WF) research despite involving multiple agricultural supply chains and water intensive ingredients. Furthermore, existing studies are restricted to meat filled products and do not investigate the influence of the filling-to-dough ratio on overall environmental performance. This study addresses these gaps by evaluating the WF of vegetarian filled pasta and comparing different water scarcity assessment methodologies. The analysis was conducted in collaboration with Scoiattolo -Raviolificio di Famiglia using primary data and three products characterized by different filling-to-dough ratios were assessed through a cradle-to-gate LCA. Water related impacts were quantified using AWARE (water use), Berger (WDI) and Boulay (WSI) methodologies. The results revealed a strong dependence of WF on the filling-to-dough ratio. According to AWARE, WF values ranged from 1.320 m³ world eq. for Tortelloni to 4.180 m³ world eq for Ravioli Giganti, while Tortelli di Nonna Ebe reached 2.480 m³ world eq. The filling was consistently identified as the main hotspot across all products and methodologies, due to dairy ingredients and the upstream impacts of milk production. Comparison with literature data showed that vegetarian filled pasta generally exhibits lower WF values than meat filled ravioli; however, products with high filling contents reached impact levels comparable to those reported for meat formulations. This demonstrates that the filling-to-dough ratio can be as influential as the type of filling itself in determining water consumption. The comparison among AWARE, Berger and Boulay produced consistent hotspot identification, while differences emerged in secondary contributors due to methodological assumptions. Scenario analysis showed that sourcing ricotta exclusively from Slovenia could reduce the WF by up to 29%, whereas recycled PET packaging provided another reduction. This study provides new reference data for industrial vegetarian filled pasta and highlights the importance of product composition, ingredient sourcing and methodological choice in the assessment of water scarcity impacts.
L'utilizzo delle risorse idriche è un problema crescente nel settore agroalimentare. Tuttavia, gli studi di Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) si concentrano prevalentemente sulla Carbon Footprint e in particolare la pasta fresca ripiena è poco analizzata dal punto di vista della Water Footprint (WF), nonostante coinvolga filiere agricole ad elevato consumo idrico. Inoltre, gli studi disponibili riguardano prodotti con ripieni di carne e non considerano l'influenza del rapporto tra ripieno e sfoglia sulle prestazioni ambientali. Questo studio affronta tali lacune valutando il WF di ravioli vegetariani e confrontando differenti metodologie di valutazione del WF. L'analisi è stata svolta in collaborazione con Scoiattolo - Raviolificio di Famiglia utilizzando dati primari e considerando tre prodotti caratterizzati da differenti rapporti tra ripieno e sfoglia, analizzati con approccio LCA cradle-to-gate. Gli impatti legati all'uso dell’acqua sono stati quantificati mediante le metodologie: AWARE, Berger (WDI) e Boulay (WSI). I risultati hanno evidenziato una forte dipendenza del WF dal rapporto tra ripieno e sfoglia. Secondo la metodologia AWARE, i valori ottenuti variano da 1.320 m³ world eq per i Tortelloni a 4.180 m³ world eq per i Ravioli Giganti, mentre i Tortelli di Nonna Ebe hanno un valore di 2.480 m³ world eq. Il ripieno è stato identificato come il principale hotspot in tutti i prodotti e per tutte le metodologie considerate, principalmente a causa della presenza di ingredienti lattiero-caseari e degli impatti a monte associati alla produzione del latte. Il confronto con i dati presenti in letteratura ha mostrato che la pasta ripiena vegetariana presenta generalmente valori di WF inferiori rispetto ai ravioli con ripieno di carne; tuttavia, prodotti caratterizzati da elevate percentuali di ripieno possono raggiungere livelli di impatto comparabili a quelli delle formulazioni a base di carne. Ciò dimostra come il rapporto tra ripieno e sfoglia possa influenzare il consumo idrico complessivo in misura paragonabile alla tipologia stessa di ripieno. AWARE, Berger e Boulay hanno identificato gli stessi hotspot principali, differendo solo nei contributi secondari. L'utilizzo di ricotta proveniente esclusivamente dalla Slovenia potrebbe ridurre il WF del 29% e anche l’uso di rPET porterebbe a un’ulteriore riduzione. Lo studio fornisce nuovi dati di riferimento per la pasta fresca ripiena vegetariana, evidenziando il ruolo della composizione del prodotto, dell'approvvigionamento delle materie prime e della scelta metodologica nella valutazione della scarsità idrica.
Investigating Water Footprint through Life Cycle Assessment: a comparative analysis of three vegetarian ravioli
Scolaro, Rita Maria
2025/2026
Abstract
Water use is an increasingly relevant environmental concern in the agri-food sector, although most Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies still focus on greenhouse gas emissions and Carbon Footprint indicators. Filled pasta has received limited attention in Water Footprint (WF) research despite involving multiple agricultural supply chains and water intensive ingredients. Furthermore, existing studies are restricted to meat filled products and do not investigate the influence of the filling-to-dough ratio on overall environmental performance. This study addresses these gaps by evaluating the WF of vegetarian filled pasta and comparing different water scarcity assessment methodologies. The analysis was conducted in collaboration with Scoiattolo -Raviolificio di Famiglia using primary data and three products characterized by different filling-to-dough ratios were assessed through a cradle-to-gate LCA. Water related impacts were quantified using AWARE (water use), Berger (WDI) and Boulay (WSI) methodologies. The results revealed a strong dependence of WF on the filling-to-dough ratio. According to AWARE, WF values ranged from 1.320 m³ world eq. for Tortelloni to 4.180 m³ world eq for Ravioli Giganti, while Tortelli di Nonna Ebe reached 2.480 m³ world eq. The filling was consistently identified as the main hotspot across all products and methodologies, due to dairy ingredients and the upstream impacts of milk production. Comparison with literature data showed that vegetarian filled pasta generally exhibits lower WF values than meat filled ravioli; however, products with high filling contents reached impact levels comparable to those reported for meat formulations. This demonstrates that the filling-to-dough ratio can be as influential as the type of filling itself in determining water consumption. The comparison among AWARE, Berger and Boulay produced consistent hotspot identification, while differences emerged in secondary contributors due to methodological assumptions. Scenario analysis showed that sourcing ricotta exclusively from Slovenia could reduce the WF by up to 29%, whereas recycled PET packaging provided another reduction. This study provides new reference data for industrial vegetarian filled pasta and highlights the importance of product composition, ingredient sourcing and methodological choice in the assessment of water scarcity impacts.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Executive Summary Rita Maria Scolaro.pdf
accessibile in internet solo dagli utenti autorizzati
Dimensione
1.16 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
1.16 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
|
TESI RITA MARIA SCOLARO.pdf
solo utenti autorizzati a partire dal 25/06/2027
Dimensione
4.52 MB
Formato
Adobe PDF
|
4.52 MB | Adobe PDF | Visualizza/Apri |
I documenti in POLITesi sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
https://hdl.handle.net/10589/260021