EN Official Journal of the European Union C 235/19

Publication of an application pursuant to Article 50(2)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs

2013/C 235/07

This publication confers the right to oppose the application pursuant to Article 51 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1).

SINGLE DOCUMENT

COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006

on the protection of geographical indications and designations of origin for agricultural products and foodstuffs (2)

‘PANE TOSCANO’

EC No: IT-PDO-0005-01016-18.07.2012

PGI ( ) PDO ( X )

1. Name

‘Pane Toscano’

2. Member State or Third Country

Italy

3. Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1. Product type

Class 2.4. Bread, pastry, cakes, confectionery, biscuits and other baker's wares

3.2. Description of the product to which the name in point 1 applies

The PDO ‘Pane Toscano’ refers to bread made by a typical method in Tuscany which requires the exclusive use of sourdough starter, water and type ‘0’ soft-wheat wholegrain flour from wheat varieties grown in the production area defined in point 4.

When the product is marketed, ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO should have the following characteristics:

— shape and weight: loaves weighing between 450 g and 550 g, rhomboid in shape, locally known as ‘filoncino’; loaves weighing between 900 g and 1,1 kg or between 1,80 kg and 2,20 kg, rectangular in shape with rounded corners, locally known as ‘filone’,

— thickness: between 5 cm and 10 cm,

— crust: crunchy, with a dark, opaque nut-brown colour,

— crumb: white or ivory colour, with characteristic irregular holes,

— aroma: roasted hazelnuts,

— flavour: neutral, i.e. unsalted, and slightly acidic,

— moisture content: no more than 30 % by weight.

3.3. Raw materials (for processed products only)

Type ‘0’ soft-wheat wholegrain flour with the following product and technical characteristics:

Parameter Value W (Chopin) Between 160 and 230 P/L (index) Between 0,35 and 0,65 H2O absorption Over 54 % C:D (Brabender resistance) Greater than 6’ Falling number Greater than 260

Flours with a W (Chopin) value higher than that given in the table may only be used to prepare the sourdough starter.

Water.

Natural yeast or sourdough, consisting of a portion of dough from a previous preparation which, kept in a suitable environment, undergoes a gradual process of fermentation and acidification. When suitably refreshed this sourdough, called the ‘starter’, is able to initiate the rising process when combined with new dough.

3.4. Feed (for products of animal origin only)

—

3.5. Specific steps in production that must take place in the defined geographical area

Wheat cultivation, harvesting and storage; the processing of the grain to obtain the wholegrain flour.

Producing the natural yeast or sourdough, as it is or freeze-dried, and keeping aside some of the yeast to refresh the starter; preparing the starter (‘biga’), raising the dough and finally baking the bread.

3.6. Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc.

‘Pane Toscano’ PDO is marketed whole or sliced in packaged form. Slicing and packaging must be carried out exclusively in the area of production. These operations must be performed immediately after the bread is cooled so as to preserve the aroma of ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO and to avoid excessive variations in the humidity of the product when whole and of the surface of the slices, which would change their organoleptic characteristics. The product may also be sliced and packaged in a modified atmosphere.

Alternatively, it is permitted to sell the product unpackaged as long as it is identifiable by a label suitable for food use, applied directly to the loaf before baking, which bears the logo of the PDO and other mandatory information.

3.7. Specific rules concerning labelling

The following information must be provided:

— the logo of the ‘Pane Toscana’ PDO,

— the EU graphic symbol of the PDO pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 1898/2006 which must be placed in the same visual field as the denomination ‘Pane Toscano’,

— the name and address or location of the individual and/or associated baker,

— no other qualifications may be added to those listed in this single document, including the adjectives: type, flavour, use, selection or similar adjectives.

However, the following are permitted:

— the use names, trade names of companies and consortia and private logos, provided that they have no laudatory purport and are not such as to mislead the consumer. These indications may feature on the label on condition that their font size is no larger than that of the denomination ‘Pane Toscano’,

— possible information for the consumer regarding the use and organoleptic characteristics of ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO, as well as historical and cultural references.

The ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO logo consists of an image representing the contours of Tuscany.

4. Concise definition of the geographical area

The area where the wheat, flour and yeast are obtained, and where ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO is produced and packaged, comprises the entire administrative territory of the Tuscany region.

5. Link with the geographical area

5.1. Specificity of the geographical area

The production area for ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO slopes downwards from the interior to the coast and from north to south, and is bordered by the Apennine mountains which protect it against bad weather from the east and particularly from the north-east, while it is completely exposed to winds and precipitation from the west. From the climate point of view the area is characterised by temperatures and precipitation which are quite different from those in all neighbouring areas, seen at regional level, during the wheat growing season from November to July. The climate data (minimum, average and maximum temperature, total precipitation and sunshine) during the period from 1981 to 2010 reveals that the minimum temperatures are the most characteristic factor for the parameters (W and P/L) of the flour used, and that in spite of the variations present in the region, the area is clearly different from the others. In this area soft wheat is grown on the wide plains (the Arno and Tiber valleys), but above all on the huge Apennine hilly areas or uplands. These environments have led to the emergence of different local wheat ecotypes, the ‘parents’, from which came many of the varieties grown today especially for making the flour suitable for the production of ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO. The same varieties grown in other areas, even those neighbouring Tuscany, do not have the same commercial and technical parameters necessary to produce ‘Pane Toscano’; this confirms the specific nature and influence of climatic conditions, as well as of genetic heritage. The rheological characteristics of the flour due to the climate are therefore ideal for raising the bread using sourdough produced and kept alive, from one baking session to the next, thanks to the production know-how passed on among the bakers in the area who are able to define the exact dosage and production time required to achieve constant product quality.

5.2. Specificity of the product

‘Pane Toscano’ PDO is characterised by its keeping qualities, an indication of correct raising, which protects it against mould for a much longer period than modern commercial breads. It is distinguished by its organoleptic qualities, particularly its aroma of roasted hazelnuts and the ‘neutral’, i.e. unsalted, flavour of its crumb, by its crunchy crust and its crumb’s irregular holes and white-to-ivory colour. It is also distinguished by its high nutritional value and digestibility due to the use of a mixture of flours low in gluten and with the nutritional value of the wheatgerm (unlike today's normal practice of adding the wheatgerm during processing), and to the historic absence of salt in its ingredients.

5.3. Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product (for PDO) or a specific quality, the reputation or other characteristic of the product (for PGI)

The link between the geographical area and the quality and product characteristics of ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO is inherent in the long time taken to process the bread, which allows the sourdough to extract from the unsalted wholegrain flour the components which, when the bread is baked, give it its typical flavour, appearance and keeping qualities.

These characteristics derive from the age-old, typical bread-baking method employed in Tuscany which excludes the addition of salt to the dough and requires a natural sourdough starter to raise the dough, the use of wholegrain type ‘0’ soft wheat flour mainly obtained from selected wheat varieties grown in Tuscany since the beginning of the 20th century.

The absence of salt in ‘Pane Toscano’ appears to stem from a historic, typically Tuscan, dispute between the then rival cities of Florence and Pisa in the 12th century.

The sourdough starter in particular must interact with flours which have the wheat quality characteristics listed in point 3.3 and which are produced in the area defined in point 4, i.e. low hardness, low W value and medium P/L value. These characteristics, which are statistically proven for the varieties grown in the area of ‘Pane Toscano’ PDO rather than in neighbouring areas, are confirmed by a significant climatic specificity which influences the genotype thanks to, in particular, the minimum temperatures.

Most of the wheat varieties grown today for producing this bread are derived from parent varieties selected in the Valdichiana valley in the early 20th century, and are thus perfectly adapted to the geography of the ‘Pane Toscano’ production area.

Another factor is that the bakers continue to use flour produced without removing the wheatgerm, which clearly makes the bread more nutritionally valuable.

The presence of wheatgerm, today seemingly absent in flours used to make generic bread, not only positively influences the nutritional value of ‘Pane Toscano’ but also the raising process due to wheatgerm being rich in enzymes which help break down the compound sugars. A further element characterising this production is the knowledgeable use of sourdough obtained by bakers who, by simply mixing it with water and the flour used for ‘Pane Toscano’, create the conditions for lactic-acid fermentation, resulting in compounds which, during baking, give the bread its typical aroma and flavour. Finally, the non-use of salt not only influences the fermentation processes, it also clearly characterises the flavour of this typical Tuscan food product.

In this context of various interacting elements, the most important of all is the bakers’ craft which, thanks to their profound knowledge of the quality parameters each must respect and of the preparation of the sourdough, and thanks to their close attention during the raising and baking phases, results in a highly typical product with a high nutritional value.

Reference to the publication of the specification

(Article 5(7) of Regulation (EC) No 510/2006 (3))

The full text of the product specification is available on the following website:

http://www.politicheagricole.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/IT/IDPagina/3335

or alternatively:

by going directly to the home page of the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policy (http://www.politicheagricole.it) and clicking on ‘Qualità e sicurezza’ (in the top right-hand corner of the screen) and then on ‘Disciplinari di Produzione all’esame dell’UE’.

(1) OJ L 343, 14.12.2012, p. 1.

(2) Replaced by Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

(3) See footnote 2.