Academic literature on the topic 'Tracciabilità geografica'

The concept of traceability is a complex and interdisciplinary field having economic and environmental implications and encompassing different actors: governments, producers and consumers. The development of an effective traceability system involves different research areas both in the food industry and in the academic world and focuses on very different objectives. In general, a good traceability system needs full cooperation between the above-mentioned actors and an effective legislative contribution. In this context, the role of analytical chemistry is mainly addressed to food authentication and control, in which the conformity of given products to the label specifications as well as the presence of contaminants or hazardous substances must be verified. In recent years, the research in food analysis has mainly focused on the identification of new and efficient indicators of quality and authenticity, through the development of sensitive, reliable analytical methods compatible with routine control analysis and to be integrated into the supply chain. The different case studies reported in this thesis concern typical regional foodstuffs grown in small-scale farms located in restricted Italian areas. To these products is, nowadays, recognized high traditional worth and market price, a value that is protected by certified trademarks. The high commercial value and the limited availability make these products vulnerable to fraud and food adulteration for profit-making purposes. In this context, small producers may not have the financial possibilities to invest in implementing an effective traceability system to protect their reputation. Thus, this work aims at developing and validating analytical methods useful for the authentication and geographical discrimination to safeguard some niche high-value foods, produced in different Italian regions. In the field of food analysis, fingerprinting techniques should be preferred to the so-called targeted analysis; the former measures the composition of foodstuffs in a non-selective way providing a wide outlook about the food matrix. This approach produces a large number of variables that allow a complete characterisation of the complex food matrix but collects, also, non-informative variables that may obscure the contribution of those useful for solving the specific problem. In this thesis, two main untargeted approaches were employed. The first exploits analytical techniques capable of generating a multi-elemental profile, providing valuable information about the origin of the product, as the observed multi-elemental pattern is directly linked to the soil and climatic conditions of the production area. The second approach involves the use of spectroscopic techniques in the UV-Vis and IR spectral ranges. Both experimental responses have been correlated with the food geographical origin through appropriate multivariate statistical processing. The employed chemometric approaches included exploratory multivariate analysis and different single and multi-block supervised pattern recognition methods. The excellent results obtained in the applications supported the effective and indispensable role of chemometric processing in the field of food control to handle complex matrices, like those provided in food analysis. Therefore, this study could be a starting point for putting in place experimental/chemometric methods that could be integrated into small-scale traceability systems aimed at protecting local markets.

As yet, there is not in-depth knowledge of the biological role and concentration levels in plants for most mineral and trace elements in the soil-vine system. Analysis of the mineral element profile is considered a promising fingerprinting technique for determination of the geographical or geological origin of agricultural and food products. This research aims to quantify more than 50 mineral elements in soil, soil-water, xylem exudates, leaf and berry samples, to describe the mineral element increase in the berry during development and maturation using a mathematical model, and to define mineral element distribution in the different parts of the berry. A further aim is to statistically link soil and berry mineral composition in order to make it possible to trace the origin of grapes. The first step in the research was to optimise preparatory and analytical ICP-MS methods for subsequent analysis. In 2006, 2 vineyards were chosen, with different pedoclimatic characteristics but similar in terms of management and trellising systems and the cultivar studied. Leaf and berry samples - these last being subdivided into seed and skin parts in the final phase of maturation - were collected here during the vegetative season. During harvesting, leaf and berry samples were also collected in a further 9 vineyards in Trentino (Italy) and this sampling was partially repeated over 2 years. Soil samples were collected in each vineyard and analysed in order to determine the mineral content extractable with aqua regia and the bioavailable content. For evaluation of this second fraction, 4 extraction methods were compared: using ammonium acetate 1M pH 7, ammonium nitrate 1M, with DTPA 0.005M+CaCl2 0.01M (for alkaline soils), EDTA 0.02M+ammonium acetate 0.5M (for acid soils) and citric acid 0.1 mM. On the basis of the different accumulation and distribution patterns in the berry studied in the 2 vineyards with alkaline soil, it was possible to classify trace mineral elements into 3 different groups: elements mainly present in the seeds accumulating before veraison, those localised in the flesh accumulating continuously during the development and maturation of the berry and other elements, localised mainly in the skin or equally distributed between the skin and the flesh, which accumulate above all before veraison but also during maturation. Of the different soil extraction methods compared, on average ammonium acetate solution gave the best results, the mineral composition of this soil extract being statistically correlated with that of the berries growing on it. Using a regression model linking the concentration of 10 elements in grapes and ammonium acetate extracted soil and knowing the mineral composition of grapes, it is possible to predict the mineral composition of the soil of origin. The effectiveness of the model was verified using 7 grape samples not previously included within the model, which were correctly associated with the soil of origin

Il presente studio affronta il tema della rintracciabilità alimentare di prodotti agroalimentari, analizzando il caso del pomodoro da industria, cercando di trovare degli indicatori chimici (markers) che siano in grado di discriminare prodotti provenienti da aree geografiche differenti. Viene quindi affrontato il tema della tipicità che consiste nel legame esistente tra l'alimento e il territorio nel quale viene prodotto. I parametri chimici che vengono indagati sono elementi appartenenti al gruppo delle terre rare (o serie dei lantanidi) e dei rapporti isotopici degli elementi pesanti quali lo Stronzio. La determinazione analitica delle terre rare nel pomodoro è stata effettuata con ICP-MS e HR-ICP-MS (Inductivity Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Hight Resolution Inductivity Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry). I rapporti isotopici dello Stronzio sono stati determinati con la tecnica TIMS (Thermal-Ionization Mass Spectroscopy) Le tecniche analitiche utilizzate hanno permesso di determinare con precisione e accuratezza tutti gli elementi appartenenti al gruppo delle terre rare nei comparti della pianta di pomodoro e nel terreno. La misura dei rapporti isotopici dello stronzio ha permesso di discriminare prodotti provenienti da aree geografiche differenti.
Food traceability systems have a broader scope and aim to document the history of a product along the entire production chain from primary raw materials to the final consumable product. the present work has looked at ways of detecting rare earth and strontium isotope abundance ratios. It is fundamental to have knowledge of the REE concentrations of the soil where the plants are grown and the distribution of the REEs in the different parts of the plants: roots, stems, leaves, and berries. Tomato is one of the most widely grown vegetables in the world. The analytical procedure, using inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and HR-ICP-MS proved to be suitable for the determination of REEs in plants and soil, and was validated using certified samples. Strontium isotope ratio is an important parameter allowing the discrimination of foods coming from different geographical origins. Very high precision is usually reached with Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TIMS). The analytical techniques have permitted to determine all REEs elements in compartments of tomato plants. The described method point out the measurement of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio as a very important parameter for the discrimination of tomato from different geographical origins, even if the present experimental work treating a limited number of samples have to be considered as a “first step”.

Il presente studio affronta il tema della rintracciabilità alimentare di prodotti agroalimentari, analizzando il caso del pomodoro da industria, cercando di trovare degli indicatori chimici (markers) che siano in grado di discriminare prodotti provenienti da aree geografiche differenti. Viene quindi affrontato il tema della tipicità che consiste nel legame esistente tra l'alimento e il territorio nel quale viene prodotto. I parametri chimici che vengono indagati sono elementi appartenenti al gruppo delle terre rare (o serie dei lantanidi) e dei rapporti isotopici degli elementi pesanti quali lo Stronzio. La determinazione analitica delle terre rare nel pomodoro è stata effettuata con ICP-MS e HR-ICP-MS (Inductivity Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry, Hight Resolution Inductivity Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry). I rapporti isotopici dello Stronzio sono stati determinati con la tecnica TIMS (Thermal-Ionization Mass Spectroscopy) Le tecniche analitiche utilizzate hanno permesso di determinare con precisione e accuratezza tutti gli elementi appartenenti al gruppo delle terre rare nei comparti della pianta di pomodoro e nel terreno. La misura dei rapporti isotopici dello stronzio ha permesso di discriminare prodotti provenienti da aree geografiche differenti.
Food traceability systems have a broader scope and aim to document the history of a product along the entire production chain from primary raw materials to the final consumable product. the present work has looked at ways of detecting rare earth and strontium isotope abundance ratios. It is fundamental to have knowledge of the REE concentrations of the soil where the plants are grown and the distribution of the REEs in the different parts of the plants: roots, stems, leaves, and berries. Tomato is one of the most widely grown vegetables in the world. The analytical procedure, using inductively coupled mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and HR-ICP-MS proved to be suitable for the determination of REEs in plants and soil, and was validated using certified samples. Strontium isotope ratio is an important parameter allowing the discrimination of foods coming from different geographical origins. Very high precision is usually reached with Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometer (TIMS). The analytical techniques have permitted to determine all REEs elements in compartments of tomato plants. The described method point out the measurement of the 87Sr/86Sr ratio as a very important parameter for the discrimination of tomato from different geographical origins, even if the present experimental work treating a limited number of samples have to be considered as a “first step”.

La globalizzazione del mercato agroalimentare ha determinato una crescente attenzione da parte dei consumatori verso i prodotti alimentari, non solo in termini di qualità e di sicurezza, ma anche di origine geografica. Infatti, il territorio d’origine ha un forte impatto sull’alimento, dovuto alle condizioni pedoclimatiche che ne determinano le caratteristiche. Poiché non esistono dei metodi analitici di routine per l’autenticazione della provenienza geografica, lo scopo del progetto di ricerca è quello di determinare l’origine geografica e l’autenticità degli alimenti mediante profiling dei composti fenolici e steroli, grazie all’applicazione di tecnologie omiche, tecniche statistiche e chemometriche. La componente fenolica e/o steroli dei campioni, viene analizzata tramite cromatografia liquida (UHPLC) accoppiata ad uno spettrometro di massa (Q-TOF-MS). I dati così ottenuti, vengono elaborati mediante statistica multivariata. L’applicazione combinata di avanzate tecnologie omiche e tecniche statistiche chemometriche ha portato come risultato l’effettiva identificazione della provenienza geografica e autenticità di numerose matrici alimentari. I dati ottenuti dimostrano che i metaboliti secondari possiedono proprietà discriminanti. L’approccio di metabolomica UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS combinato a una statistica multivariata risulta essere adeguato per identificare potenziali markers. Il lavoro attuale è focalizzato sulla ricerca di nuovi metaboliti che, insieme a fenoli e steroli possano confermare la potenza di questo approccio.
Nowadays, food traceability is a growing consumer interest worldwide. Food traceability could be considered a fundamental tool for ensuring safety and high quality of food. Food quality is based not only on the safety and integrity of food, but also on the authenticity, the genuineness of the raw material and the geographical origin. The aim of the work was to investigate the potential of untargeted metabolomics to ensure the authenticity and traceability of foods. Secondary metabolites, like polyphenols and sterols, could be conveniently used to meet this goal due to their chemical diversity and their responses to environmental stimuli. Samples were analyzed through UHPLC-ESI/QTOF-MS. The obtained data were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. The obtained results showed that secondary metabolites can be efficiently used for authenticity and traceability purposes, with regards to cultivars and geographical origin. These information confirm the role of environmental factors in shaping the actual profile of secondary metabolites in plant foods. The markers found could be used for a target quantification method, a less expensive and less sophisticated analysis, in order to provide an efficient tool that could help to guarantee food quality on routine basis.

La globalizzazione del mercato agroalimentare ha determinato una crescente attenzione da parte dei consumatori verso i prodotti alimentari, non solo in termini di qualità e di sicurezza, ma anche di origine geografica. Infatti, il territorio d’origine ha un forte impatto sull’alimento, dovuto alle condizioni pedoclimatiche che ne determinano le caratteristiche. Poiché non esistono dei metodi analitici di routine per l’autenticazione della provenienza geografica, lo scopo del progetto di ricerca è quello di determinare l’origine geografica e l’autenticità degli alimenti mediante profiling dei composti fenolici e steroli, grazie all’applicazione di tecnologie omiche, tecniche statistiche e chemometriche. La componente fenolica e/o steroli dei campioni, viene analizzata tramite cromatografia liquida (UHPLC) accoppiata ad uno spettrometro di massa (Q-TOF-MS). I dati così ottenuti, vengono elaborati mediante statistica multivariata. L’applicazione combinata di avanzate tecnologie omiche e tecniche statistiche chemometriche ha portato come risultato l’effettiva identificazione della provenienza geografica e autenticità di numerose matrici alimentari. I dati ottenuti dimostrano che i metaboliti secondari possiedono proprietà discriminanti. L’approccio di metabolomica UHPLC/Q-TOF-MS combinato a una statistica multivariata risulta essere adeguato per identificare potenziali markers. Il lavoro attuale è focalizzato sulla ricerca di nuovi metaboliti che, insieme a fenoli e steroli possano confermare la potenza di questo approccio.
Nowadays, food traceability is a growing consumer interest worldwide. Food traceability could be considered a fundamental tool for ensuring safety and high quality of food. Food quality is based not only on the safety and integrity of food, but also on the authenticity, the genuineness of the raw material and the geographical origin. The aim of the work was to investigate the potential of untargeted metabolomics to ensure the authenticity and traceability of foods. Secondary metabolites, like polyphenols and sterols, could be conveniently used to meet this goal due to their chemical diversity and their responses to environmental stimuli. Samples were analyzed through UHPLC-ESI/QTOF-MS. The obtained data were subjected to multivariate statistical analysis. The obtained results showed that secondary metabolites can be efficiently used for authenticity and traceability purposes, with regards to cultivars and geographical origin. These information confirm the role of environmental factors in shaping the actual profile of secondary metabolites in plant foods. The markers found could be used for a target quantification method, a less expensive and less sophisticated analysis, in order to provide an efficient tool that could help to guarantee food quality on routine basis.

In questo lavoro viene studiata l’applicabilità del marker isotopico dello Sr come tracciante di prodotti caseari, quali i formaggi Pecorino Romano DOP del Lazio e Castelmagno DOP, per verificare l’esistenza di una correlazione con l’areale di origine, in modo da legare il prodotto al sito geografico di provenienza. Il rapporto 87Sr / 86Sr è stato determinato in campioni di rocce, suolo, vegetazione, acqua, latte fresco e formaggio, per definire le composizioni isotopiche della filiera di produzione di questi due formaggi tipici italiani prodotti in due diverse aree geografiche contraddistinte da una geologia peculiare. I campionamenti sono avvenuti nell’arco di tre anni in differenti stagioni. In aggiunta sono state effettuate le analisi isotopiche di carbonio (C) e azoto (N) di selezionati campioni e determinate le concentrazioni di alcuni metalli (Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi and U) e di terre rare (REE) nei diversi campioni. Per formaggio Pecorino Romano DOP del Lazio si è osservato che le composizioni isotopiche dello Sr delle rocce (0.710479 – 0.710765) e dei suoli (0.709216 – 0.710408) indicano una provenienza di questo formaggio da un’area caratterizzata da una sostanziale uniformità geologica, come il Nord del Lazio. I diversi campioni di erba (87Sr/86Sr = 0.709458- 0.710341), di latte ( 87Sr/86Sr = 0.709341 – 0.710264) e formaggio Pecorino Romano DOP del Lazio ( 87Sr/86Sr = 0.710013 - 0.710100) risultano avere composizioni isotopiche dello Sr sovrapponibili, confermando l’assenza di un frazionamento significativo dovuto a processi metabolici e/o di produzione. Inoltre le analisi ripetute nell’arco di tre anni hanno evidenziato un’assenza di frazionamento dovuto alla stagionalità. Questo fa presuppore come il marker isotopico dello Sr possa essere uno strumento utile per la caratterizzazione delle filiere produttive di prodotti caseari DOP. Infine il confronto dei valori isotopici dello Sr di campioni di Pecorino Romano DOP provenienti dal Lazio e dalla Sardegna (0.709171 – 0.709859) mostra le potenzialità del marker isotopico dello Sr nell’ambito della tracciabilità geografica. Tuttavia per caratterizzare l’origine geografica di alcuni campioni di Pecorino Romano DOP, campioni italiani e stranieri, che riportano in etichetta come area di produzione la regione Sardegna, il rapporto isotopico dello Sr è stato associato ad ulteriori parametri come le analisi isotopiche di elementi stabili leggeri (C e N), la determinazione delle concentrazione delle REE e di determinati metalli, dimostrando come un approccio multi-isotopico possa essere valido nel discriminare l’origine geografica di prodotti caseari DOP. L’applicabilità della sistematica isotopica dello Sr è stata utilizzata per caratterizzare la filiera produttiva del formaggio Castelmagno DOP. Le composizioni isotopiche dello Sr delle rocce (0.707765- 0.712842) e dei suoli ( 0.707756 – 0.709001 ) evidenziano come l’area sia caratterizzata da una certa eterogeneità geologica, che si ripercuote sul valore isotopico dello Sr dell’erba (0.708241 – 0.709646), del latte (0,709421 – 0,709644) e di conseguenza del formaggio Castelmagno DOP (0.709169 - 0.709777). Per comprendere meglio il rapporto tra geologia e tracciabilità alimentare in zone contraddistinte da complessità geologica, il rapporto isotopico dello Sr è stato associato alla determinazione delle concentrazioni di REE di alcuni campioni. In conclusione, la sistematica isotopica dello Sr risulta essere un promettente strumento per caratterizzare le filiere produttive di formaggi DOP e per discriminarne. Tuttavia, nel caso di aree produttive con una marcata complessità geologica si ritiene opportuno associare alla composizione isotopica dello Sr ulteriori dati analitici.
This work examines the applicability of the isotopic marker of strontium (Sr) as a tracer of dairy products to Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), such as Pecorino Romano PDO cheese from Latium and Castelmagno PDO cheese, to verify the existence of a correlation with the original area so to bind the product to the geographical site of origin. 87Sr/86Sr ratio was determined in samples of rocks, soil, vegetation, water, fresh milk and cheese; in order to define the isotopic compositions of production chain of these two typical Italian cheeses produced in two different geographical areas distinguished by a peculiar geology. Sampling took place over two years in different seasons. In addition, the isotopic composition of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) analyzed of selected samples were carried out and determined the concentrations of some metals (Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Cd, Cs, Ba, Tl, Pb, Bi and U) and Rare Earths Elements (REE) in the various samples. For what concerns the Pecorino Romano PDO cheese from Latium, it was observed that the isotopic composition of the Sr of rock (0.710479-0.710765) and of the soils (0.709216-0.710408) indicate a provenance from an area characterized by substantial geological uniformity, such as Norther of Latium. The different samples of grass (87Sr/86Sr = 0.709458-0.710341), of milk (87Sr/86Sr = 0.709341-0.710264) and Pecorino Romano DOP from Latium (0.710013-0.710100) result in Sr isotopic composition of overlapping, confirming the absence of significant fractionation due to metabolic processes and/or production. In addition, repeated analyses over a period of two years showed an absence of fractionation due to seasonality. This presupposes that the isotopic marker of the Sr can be a useful tool for the characterization of the production chains of dairy products. Finally, the comparison of the Sr isotopic values of samples Pecorino Romano PDO from Latium and Sardinia (0.709171-0.709859) shows the potentials of the isotopic marker of the Sr in the field of geographical traceability. However, to characterize the geographic origin of some samples of Pecorino Romano PDO, Italian and foreign samples, with the region of Sardinia on the label, the isotopic ratio of the Sr has been associated with further parameters such as the isotopic analysis of stable light elements (C and N), the determination of the concentration of REEs and certain metals, demonstrating how a multi-isotopic approach can be valid in determining the geographical origin of PDO dairy products. The applicability of Sr isotopic systematics has been used to characterize the production chain of Castelmagno PDO cheese. The isotopic compositions of the Sr of the rocks (0.707765- 0.712842) and of the soils (0.707756 - 0.709001) show how the area is characterized by a certain geological heterogeneity, which affects the isotopic value of the grass Sr (0.708241 - 0.709646), of milk (0.709421 - 0.709644) and consequently the Castelmagno PDO cheese (0.709169 - 0.709777). To better understand the relationship between geology and food traceability in areas characterized by geological complexity, the isotopic ratio of Sr has been associated with the determination of REE concentrations of some samples. In conclusion, Sr isotopic systematic is a promising tool to characterize the production chains of PDO cheeses and to discriminate them. However, in the case of production areas with a marked geological complexity, it is considered appropriate to associate additional analytical data to the Sr isotopic composition.

In questo lavoro abbiamo cercato di mettere a punto una nuova procedura analitica per determinare il rapporto 87Sr/86Sr in prodotti della filiera agroalimentare, a partire dai suoli che costituiscono il substrato delle vigne fino al vino come prodotto finito passando per uva e mosto. Il nuovo protocollo analitico mostra un’ottima riproducibilità, comparabile con quella delle rocce in sistemi geologici, così da permettere la valutazione del possibile legame tra vino e substrato geologico delle vigne di produzione (Marchionni et al., 2013). In this work we have tried to develop a new analytical procedure to determine the 87Sr/86Sr ratio in the products of the food chain, from the soils that form the substrate of the vineyards to wine as a finished product by way of grapes and wine. The new analytical protocol shows good reproducibility, comparable with that of the rocks in geological systems, to enable assessment of the possible link between geological substratum of the vineyards and wine production (Marchionni et al., 2013).