Expertise

Home Expertise
Bari Unit
    • techniques for the isolation and morphological identification of toxigenic fungi of agro-industrial interest
    • methods for determining the toxigenic profile of fungi of phytopathological, agri-food, and biotechnological interest.
    • basic methods for studying the biology of fungi, specially with regard to their reproduction and to the segregation of their toxigenic characteristics
    • development of species-specific molecular probes for identifying the main toxigenic fungal species
    • development of molecular methods for the analysing biological contaminants in agri-food matrices, using quantitative PCR together with specific molecular probes
    • monitoring the presence and incidence of mycotoxins in infected cultures, and in agricultural food and feedstuff
    • development of chemical immunometrical and immunological analytical methods for the main mycotoxins
    • chemical and biological characterisation of metabolites from fungi and bacteria of phytopathological, agri-food and biotechnological interest
    • identification in biological fluids (blood, urine) of biomarkers for a more correct evaluation of human and animal exposure to mycotoxins
    • prevention and toxicological risk evaluation deriving from mycotoxin contamination of crops, agri-food products, food, feedstuffs and fodder
    • strategies for decontaminating and detoxifying food, feedstuffs and fodder from mycotoxins
    • experimentation and use of computerised models to simulate the gastrointestinal system of monogastric animals, in order to study the absorption of mycotoxins by the various intestinal compartments
    • development of mycotoxin toxicity assays, with particular regard to cytotoxic and immunosuppressive effects, using human and animal cell lines
    • isolation and phenotypical, biotechnological and molecular characterisation of lactic acid bacteria, with particular reference to the populations involved in the fermentation processes for typical Southern Italian products
    • identification and development of natural antimicrobial systems for preventing contamination by pathogenic and toxigenic micro-organisms in fermented products
    • innovative methods for identifying pathogenic bacteria in fermeneted products
    • methods of production, purification and chemical/biological characterisation of microbial materials (biopesticides, biofertilisers and organic growth regulators) for use in low-environmental impact farming
    • development of microbial formulations and corresponding strategies for applying them in biological control against plant and food diseases caused by fungi, bacteria and insects
    • development of formulations (mycoherbicides) and biological control strategies against weeds of the main agricultural crops
    • innovative agricultural solutions for resolving problems connected with selecting vegetable varieties and with applying more suitable cultivation techniques
    • closed loop and hydroponic soil-less cultivation
    • eco-compatible strategies for improving the shelf life of organic horticultural produce
    • development and application of process parameters and biochemical/sensorial analysis for evaluating the suitability of various cultivars for processing
    • methods for evaluating the nutritional and anti-nutritional (or potentially toxic) factors in fresh fruit and vegetables
    • identification and characterization of food proteins by 2DHPLC or 2Delectrophoresis and mass spectrometry
    • development of multi target methods based on High Resolution sequential mass spectrometry applied to multi allergen detection in complex foods
    • development of technological strategies aimed at reducing nuts allergenicity
    • in vitro gastro-duodenal digestion models applied to assess the stability of allergenic proteins along the gastro-intestinal tract
    • development of immunoassay sensors tailored to the detection of allergens in food
    • comparative analysis of the protein profile of Triticum durum genotypes through advanced proteomic approaches and immunological assays aimed at toxicity reduction in celiac patients
    • development of HR-MS based methodologies to assess food authenticity
    • development on DART-MS methods to detect adulterated foods
Torino Unit
  • Food and feed chemistry and biochemistry. Effect of environment, production processes and technology treatments on food and feed quality. In vitro/in vivo assessment of food/feed nutritional value.
  • Allergen identification and characterization
  • Set up of innovative ingredients and foods for infant and children nutrition
  • Livestock breeding and management strategies aimed at improving the nutritional quality of animal origin foods at achieving safer products by monitoring and removing potentially toxic components.
  • Aquaculture – evaluation of performances, physiology, welfare and quality of the fillets in fish species bred according to standard and organic farming.
Sassari Unit
    • evaluation of the effect of field factors on post-harvest fruit
    • biological control formulations and strategies using antagonistic yeasts against moulding agents of post-harvest fruit
    • development of methods for the chemical and biological characterisation of essential oils and innovative strategies for using them to increase the effectiveness of other fungicidal compounds
    • evaluation of parameters for the refrigerated storage of citrus fruits in relation to the increase in their pre-infection resistance
    • innovative methods for the traditional and refrigerated storage of horticultural products at their optimum maturation point
    • development of non-destructive analytical methods for assessing the quality of horticultural products, with particular regard to using NMR-Imaging to select fruit online, as well as Micro-NMR-Imaging to monitor and plan post-harvest maturation phases
    • innovative methods for determining, characterising and quantifying the most significant constituents for the nutritional, safety-related and organoleptic improvement of horticultural products
    • development of optimal process parameters for the correct processing and short-term storage of minimally processed vegetable food products
Milano Unit
  • Food production, safety and quality
  • Innovative methods (gamma rays, UV-radiation, ozone) to improve shelf-life of food.
  • Chemical & microbiological criteria for assessing quality, authenticity, and typicity of dairy and fermented food
  • Evaluation of the lipid fraction and the volatile flavor compounds of food and feed
  • Food defects of microbial origin
  • Characterization of microbial communities in food and production systems;
  • Risk assessment and management of food borne pathogens
  • Virulence and pathogenicity traits of food microorganisms
  • Characterization of pro-technological, spoilage and pathogenic microbial populations involved in food products in order to improve quality and safety and shelf-life
  • Production, isolation, and characterization of bio-molecules produced by bacteria of agro-food interest and their application to improve food safety and quality
  • Technological, phenotypic and genetic characterization of pro-technological, spoilage and pathogenic bacteria involved in food products Selection and molecular characterization of lactic acid bacterial strains and their application in traditional and functional foods
Lecce Unit
  • Microbial biotechnology for the improvement of wine and table olive sectors
  • selection and characterization of lactic acid bacteria and of indigenous wine yeasts associated to grape varieties and wine-making areas in Puglia region, through the application of molecular methods, analysis of phenotypic and genotypic features, study of physiological and technological properties
  • selection and characterization of fermentation starters to improve the control of fermentation process and to enhance wine aroma
  • selection and characterization of indigenous microorganisms (yeasts, bacteria, mold) to be used for the sweetening of table olives by natural fermentation
  • Production of bioactive compounds
  • biotechnological production of bioactive molecules (tocopherols, anthocyanins, resveratrol, artemisinin etc.) throughout the use of plant cell cultures
  • extraction of bioactive compounds from different plant matrices, agro-products and marine biomass; evaluation of their biological activity using in vitro assays on animal cell cultures; assessment of the stability of bioactive compounds (free or encapsulated) for the development of functional foods
  • production of recombinant proteins with potential applications in the agro-industry by the means of heterologous systems (bacteria/yeast)
  • Plant cell metabolic pathways and plant/food-quality
  • study of metabolic pathways involved in the biosynthesis of plant metabolites important for the organoleptic and nutritional properties of plant/food products (i.e. lipid metabolism, phenylpropanoid biosynthetic pathway)
  • regulation and modification of metabolic pathways involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites with health properties (i.e. polyphenols) in species of agronomic interest
  • study of plant response to abiotic stresses with particular regard to water stress
Instrumentation
  • The research laboratories used by the Bari workgroup are equipped for microbiological, chemical, molecular and proteomic, immunoenzymatic, toxicological and agronomic analyses on plant and agri-food matrices of various origins - the equipment includes growth chambers, biological incubators, freeze-driers, rotational vacuum concentrators, flow laminar cabinets, etc. The most important instrumentation in the laboratory includes analytical and preparatory chromatography (HPLC with UV detectors, spectrofluorimeters, PAD); gas chromatography systems: with ECD, MS and FID detectors) and for mass spectrometry; spectrophotometric systems; immunoenzymatic analysis systems; cytofluorimeter. Molecular and proteomic studies use all of the equipment needed to analyse nucleotide and protein sequences, as well as the following specialised equipment: automatic nucleic acid sequencers; nucleotide sequence analysis systems (quantitative PCR, in situ PCR). Electrophoretic systems: 1) for separating megabases and nucleic acids (Chef Mapper System); 2) automatic for protein analysis; two-dimensional; 3) for fast automatic analysis of biomolecules. All of the analytic systems have specialist software for data and image acquisition. There are also integrated systems for documenting and analysing electrophoretic gels, for analysing images and for digital prints of slides and posters. The groups working on developing soil-less horticultural cultivation techniques also have an experimental showcase farm with greenhouses and fields. The research laboratories used by the Lecce workgroup are equipped for microbiological, chemical, molecular and enzymatic analyses and have the following specialised equipment: gas chromatography system with mass spectrometry detector; HPLC-Biosys-510 liquid chromatograph with UV/VIS detector; 3 optical microscopes equipped with epifluorescence systems; Zeiss-Pascal laser-scanning confocal microscope equipped with 3 lasers, with phase contrast and digital imaging system; ABI PRISM 310 nucleic acid sequencer; HPLC system with UV/VIS/Fluorimetric detectors; HPLC system with UV/VIS/Fluorimetric/IR detectors; 2D system for separating IPG FHOR proteins; image analysis system. As well as the basic equipment for studying and analysing the nutritional, technological, bromatological and microbiological characteristics of milk and of dairy products, the Milan workgroup also has a well-equipped laboratory for radioisotopes used to check for radioactive food contamination, using liquid scintillation and gamma spectrometry, and research into luminometry for identifying radiated foods. The Sassari workgroup has a well-equipped laboratory for its research activities, and in particular has a set of 14 growth chambers for observations in a controlled atmosphere and market simulation which is connected in a computer network for data gathering and statistical analysis; and in Oristano, there are eight more celle climatiche for observations on degreening, refrigerated storage and shelf-life research. Both workgroups also have several other laboratories equipped with modern analytical instrumentation, such as gas chromatographs, spectrophotometers, HPLC, laminar flow hoods and thermostatic cabinets, while the University has a complete system for drying products and related equipment for studying processed products. The Section also has an experimental field of about twelve hectares, which has a vast collection of autochthonous cultivars of the main fruit species from the Mediterranean. The two Turin workgroups have a well-equipped research laboratory for basic observations regarding the agronomic, zootechnical, chemical analytical and physiological aspects of livestock nutrition. The Grugliasco group has the following equipment: Foss-Heraeus Macro-N apparatus, for analysing nitrogen using the Dumas procedure; HPLC Spectraseries AS 300 with UV detector, fluorescence scanning, and refraction index; Fisons GC8000 gas chromatograph, DANI GC1000 capillary gas chromatograph; Beckman Gold Nouveau system for analysing aminoacids, equipped with diode arrays and protein hydrolysis apparatus; equipment needed for electrophoretic and one-dimensional immunoblotting experiments, Molecular Dynamics densitometer; Cytoperm Heraeus controlled atmosphere incubator; IKA C7000 dry adiabatic calorimeter bomb; equipment for centesimal analysis and determination of fibrous fractions; system for determining digestibility in vitro with the Tilley and Terry technique using ruminal fluid; metabolic troughs and analysis of digestibility in vivo in aquatic species; magnetic marking system for small animals using injectable microchips and BioSonics transponder reader (Dextron system); continuous analyser of nitrogen in livestock farms, ADI 2013 Ion analyser. The Colleretto Giacosa group has the following equipment: two complete lines for two-dimensional electrophoresis, including software for processing protein maps ((Amersham Biosciences and BIORAD); a MALDI-TOF mass spectrometer (Bruker) and another ESI-ion trap mass spectrometer equipped with a nanospray source (LCQ, Finnigan) connected to a micro HPLC for LC-MS and LC-MS/MS experiments; an automatic protein and peptide sequencer (Procise, Applied Biosystems); equipment for one-dimensional electrophoresis and for one- and two-dimensional immunoblotting experiments.