Staff: Dr. Pietro Paolo De Prisco, Dr.ssa Filomena Nazzaro, Dr. Alfonso Sada, Dr. Luigi Cipriano

No Staff: Fratianni Florinda

Research Activity

The activity of the research group is directed towards the development of innovative technologies in food processing aimed to improve food safety as well as to better preserve the organoleptic and nutritional properties of foods.

The research activity is mainly focused on the characterisation of particular vegetal extracts, obtained from certified biological growings, and on their potential use as conventional preserver substitutes, in meat, wine and vegetables processing industries.

Moreover, the study of new preserving methods for microorganisms having food and healthy interest (Lactic Acid Bacteria) is carried out.

Main Research Lines

1. Biotechnological applications of biomolecules in food industry.
2. Design of innovative processes for the production, transformation and storage of agro-food products. Evaluation of their biochemical, nutritional and healthy properties.
3. Development of cryo- and thermo- preservation techniques for starters and foods.
4. Identification of marker molecules in food processing.
5. Biomonitoring of xenobiotic molecules in food and human body. Evaluation of their impact on health by means of genotoxicity tests.

Research Projects

• Biotechnological applications of biomolecules in food industry.
  The research project is mainly focused on the characterisation of particular vegetal extracts, obtained from certified biological growings, and on their potential use in food- agro industry.
  In particular, the employment of these natural preserving agents as substitutes of the actually used chemical compounds (nitrates and nitrites) in the sausage manufacturing is investigated. The vegetal compounds are tested for their no mutagenicity and antimicrobial capability against undesiderable or pathogenic microorganisms before their utilization. Biochemical and microbiological studies are performed on prepared sausages and their properties compared with the conventionally prepared ones.
  Project financed by Regione Campania, Misura 3.17.
• Hair mineral analysis as a test for pollution and diet monitoring.
  Hair analysis is a very accurate way to detect the content of non-toxic (oligoelements) and toxic minerals (heavy metals) in the internal organs of the body. In fact, their presence in the hair means that tissues and organs of the body contain them too. Abnormal values of both minerals relate to the same pathology expressed in man and animals. Not only hair analysis is accurate, but it is painless, very simple to do and can be applied to animals and people. The Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) of the United Nations Environment Program has selected human hair as one of the important monitoring materials for worldwide biological monitoring of pollution. This research project is aimed to perform hair analysis on student populations living in different geographic areas having both different environmental conditions and dietary habits.
  Project financed by "Provincia di Salerno" Institution.
• Cryo- and thermo-preservation technologies for starters and food products.
  The research activity is also directed towards the design of innovative processes directed to better preserve the organoleptic and nutritional properties of foods (i.e. apples), as well as the performances of microorganisms (i.e. lactic acid bacteria). Different coupled processes (osmodrying/drying for foods and osmodrying/freezing or freeze-drying for lactic acid bacteria strains) are under investigation. Various carbohydrates are utilised as osmodrying agents and in particular, the disaccharide threalose, whose protective effect on biological macromolecules is widely known.
  Finally, a preservation technique for microbial cells utilising alginates as immobilising matrices is evaluated. Cellular viability and metabolic functions of several immobilised lactic acid bacteria strains are tested before and after their freezing or freeze-drying treatments.

Ongoing collaborative projects:

• Novel surfaces for switchable nucleic acids adsorption/desorption for analytical assays"
  (acronym: DNA Switch).
  Fifth Framework Programme (FP5) of the European Community.
  Priority Thematic Area: Quality of life and management of living resources.
  Key action: The "Cell Factory"; Task 3.2: Improving Environmental Sustainability;
  Sub-task 3.2.2: Bioassays and Biosensors.
• ALFA Programme
  Preparation of "Food Biotech BEC-FID", project number II-0254-B1.
  Partners: ISA-CNR Avellino, Italy; DISTAAM - University of Molise, Italy;
  University of Hamburg, Germany; Hame Polytechnic, Hammeenlinna, Finland; University of Quito, Ecuador; University of Santiago, Chile; University of Sao Paulo, Brasil.
• "Trattamento di prodotti freschi altamente deperibili per garantirne qualità, sicurezza e salubrità" (PROFSICURI).
  Ministero dell'Università e della Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica (D.L. 10 maggio 2000).
  Impiego del Fondo Speciale per lo Sviluppo della Ricerca di Interesse Strategico (art. 51, comma 9 Legge 27 dicembre '97, n. 449).