The CCTP - Confraria dos Cogumelos e Trufas de Portugal is born today, May 17, in Cantanhede, to encourage the consumption of mushrooms and make known the splendor of the magnificent kingdom of fungi; the headquarters will be in Mealhada. The Brotherhood promises to help promote this resource of national natural and cultural heritage, as well as measures for sustainable production and the preservation and conservation of species.

Anabela Marisa Azul, a researcher at CNC-UC and CIBB, and one of the founders of the Brotherhood, explains that "promoting mushrooms in food is a way of protecting our wild resources and their territories, and of projecting the country towards innovation in the food production of the future." The Brotherhood's objectives include boosting research and innovation and establishing partnerships and dynamics in various areas.

The Brotherhood aims to promote the gastronomy of mushrooms and truffles as components of the Mediterranean diet, valuing them as an inductive factor for greater economic and tourist activity, combining healthy eating, sustainable production and biodiversity objectives. "Our motto is to love mushrooms and the fungal kingdom, nature in all its splendor, good health, friendship, fraternity and freedom," says Augusto Nogueira, another founder.

The Brotherhood's objectives include establishing links with producers, economic agents, public and private entities at local, regional, national and international level, other brotherhoods, their Federations and Confederations. "We believe that there should be a commitment to an integrated value chain, based on sustainable mycosilviculture and mushroom cultivation practices," argues Ricardo Torres, entrepreneur, and also a founder.

The idea of creating the Brotherhood was born during the Cogumelos do 'Prado ao Prato' (Mushrooms ‘from Prairie to Plate') seminar held last November at the Grande Hotel do Luso. The aim of this seminar was to reflect on mushroom production and substrates in Portugal, the interaction with the forestry and agricultural sectors, and the inclusion of mushrooms in the Mediterranean diet. The project “Cogumelos do ‘Prado ao Prato’: do tratamento de doenças do metabolismo a dieta saudável sustentável a partir da valorização de recursos agroflorestais”, led by researcher Anabela Marisa Azul from CNC-UC and CIBB, was funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), under the Sustainable Food initiative of the Innovation Agenda for Agriculture 2020-2030.

The Brotherhood's insignia include the cape with the mycelium, which symbolizes strength, wisdom and cooperation, and the mushroom hat, with varieties, which symbolizes beauty. "We are defining the emblem and the banner, which will reinforce our connection with fungi and nature," says Anabela Marisa Azul.

The founding members of the Brotherhood are the representatives of the organizations behind the project, the Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra, the leader, Pinhal Maior - Associação de Desenvolvimento do Pinhal Interior Sul, the companies Fungiperfect Lda, Growingdetails - Unipessoal Lda, Floresta Jovem Lda, and Leal & Soares, S.A, the Atlantis Forest Organization (OFA), Forest Development Association, the Mealhada Professional School - Unipessoal Lda, the Centro Regional Coordination and Development Commission, I. P. (CCDR Centro, I. P.). (CCDR Centro, I. P.).

In addition to CNC-UC, the project includes the Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR) and the Research Center for Chemical Process Engineering and Forest Products (CIEPQPF) and other UC research centers, the founding entities mentioned above, and an international partnership with the Technical University of Munich (Germany). The National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (INIAV), the National Horticultural Operational and Technological Center (COTHN), the League of Friends of Alcaide and the municipality of Fundão are members of the advisory panel.
 

For further information, please contact:
Anabela Marisa Azul, Researcher at the Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Coimbra, Telephone: 961140554; E-mail: amjrazul@ci.uc.pt