Infrastructure for food safety and quality

The METROFOOD-RI is a new European infrastructure that provides high-quality services to the food sector particularly for food quality and safety. Hub and Node model is selected, with a Central Hub in Italy and a network of 48 institutes from 18 countries. The operational part of the physical infrastructure is developed through inventory of equipment, during the METROFOOD-PP project. The state-of-the-art equipment is selected for the service provision particularly for determination of the actual parameters for food safety and quality according to EU and/or National Regulations, and for that purpose is selected e.g., gas and liquid chromatography GC-MS (/MS), and/or LC-MS (/MS)) than ICPMS (/MS), Orbitrap, TOF, Ion trap mass spectrometer (MS), laser-induced plasma spectroscopy, and others. The main parameters in estimating food quality are determination of content of proteins, fat, fatty acids, carbohydrates, fibers, vitamins, micro- and microelements and providing information about nutritional values, physico-chemical analysis, bioactive compounds, and authenticity. The most important parameters in assessing food safety are the determination of contaminants (mycotoxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, trace elements), pesticides and additives, which are regulated by the European regulations: Regulation 1881/2006 for contaminants, Regulation 396/2005 for pesticides, and Regulation 1333/2008 for additives. For addressing all these issues, analytical methods with a high degree of accuracy, precision and sensitivity, and a harmonized system for their application in analytical laboratories are required. Moreover, metrology concept must be applied to provide the basis for reliable measurements and confidence in measurement results, thus impacting the economy and society. Therefore, this pan-European Infrastructure will act in a dynamic way and its services will be adapted to the society needs to offer the best measurement results for ensuring food quality and safety

Editorial IMEKOFOODS 2014 Rome

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METROFOOD-RI: a new pan-eu research infrastructure to support food integrity

Abstract disponível em: http://www.foodintegrity2016.eu/pdf/BoA_FI2016_final.pdfMETROFOOD-RI is a new, distributed Research Infrastructure of Global Interest, by means of which it will be possible to carry out different activities supporting data collection and measurement reliability, as well as basic and frontier research in food and nutrition. The general objective is to enhance scientific excellence in the field of food quality & safety by promoting metrology in food and nutrition, allowing coordination on a European and increasingly on a global scale. METROFOOD-RI is aimed to strengthen scientific knowledge, promoting scientific cooperation and encouraging the interaction between the various stakeholders and the creation of a common and shared base of data, information and knowledge.N/

Characterization and Discrimination of Italian Olive (<i>Olea europaea sativa</i>) Cultivars by Production Area Using Different Analytical Methods Combined with Chemometric Analysis

Olives and olive products are particularly important for the national agroindustrial sector, for the aspects related to the production territory (authenticity), and for the link with the Mediterranean Diet. Several studies indicate that the elemental profile of olive and olive products depends on the production area in which the olive trees were grown, and the elemental content of the olives can be used as a marker of the production area. In order to confirm this hypothesis, the multi-elemental profile of olive drupes and olive leaves of eleven cultivars arising from two different production areas was evaluated through ICP-MS and ICP-AES techniques. In addition, some leaf samples were analysed by LPAS in order to evaluate the applicability of this new analytical technique for determining the geographic origin. The obtained results, combined with chemometric tools, showed the possibility of discriminating samples according to the production area on the basis of the elemental content, as well as by LPAS

Characterization and Discrimination of Italian Olive (Olea europaea sativa) Cultivars by Production Area Using Different Analytical Methods Combined with Chemometric Analysis

Olives and olive products are particularly important for the national agroindustrial sector, for the aspects related to the production territory (authenticity), and for the link with the Mediterranean Diet. Several studies indicate that the elemental profile of olive and olive products depends on the production area in which the olive trees were grown, and the elemental content of the olives can be used as a marker of the production area. In order to confirm this hypothesis, the multi-elemental profile of olive drupes and olive leaves of eleven cultivars arising from two different production areas was evaluated through ICP-MS and ICP-AES techniques. In addition, some leaf samples were analysed by LPAS in order to evaluate the applicability of this new analytical technique for determining the geographic origin. The obtained results, combined with chemometric tools, showed the possibility of discriminating samples according to the production area on the basis of the elemental content, as well as by LPAS

Food safety assessment: overview of metrological issues and regulatory aspects in the European Union

The safety of the food we consume has a direct impact on individual and population health and affects the economic growth of the region where food safety is practised and enhanced. The central goal of the European Commission’s Food Safety policy is to ensure a high level of protection of human health covering the whole supply chain. In recent years, great attention has been paid to food testing and the application of metrological tools to support food safety. The global food market and national and international food safety regulations have created a huge demand for the measurement traceability and comparability of analytical results that are independent of time or space boundaries. This review provides an overview of the European food safety policy and regulation, with a focus on the measurement-related elements of the European Union (EU) food law. It also highlights how the application of analytical techniques, with particular reference to separation approaches, and metrological tools can ensure the control of certain contaminants that nowadays represent the main challenges for food safety (e.g., mycotoxins, nanoparticles, emerging and process contaminants). METROFOOD-RI-Infrastructure for promoting metrology in food and nutrition is therefore described in this context. This European research infrastructure has been developed and is being implemented in the frame of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) to support metrology in food and nutrition and establish a strategy allowing reliable and comparable analytical measurements in food across the entire process line, from primary producers to consumers, and making data findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR)