PTR-ToF-MS fingerprinting of Italian EVOO

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is the highest quality olive oil available, extracted from the olive fruit without the use of any heat or chemicals. Among the high quality EVOOs recognized by the European Union (Protected Designation of Origin, PDO, and Protected Geographic Identification, PGI), almost the 40% come from Italy with 42 PDO and 4 PGI EVOOS followed by Spain and Greece having 29 recognized EVOOs each. Due to its economic value, high quality EVOO is susceptible to fraud. A high quality EVOO is distinguished for its aroma. Many factors influence the composition in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as cultivar, agronomical practices, geographical origins, harvesting periods, processing technologies, storage conditions [1]. The study of volatile compounds could be a way to trace the origin and quality of EVOOs. The gold standard for this task is the use of GC-MS providing detailed information on VOCs profiling. On the other hand, such approach is not always a convenient and practical choice when dealing with large sample set (time and cost consuming). Fast fingerprinting can be a valid alternative, at least as screening tool, to characterize a population fast. Proton Transfer Reaction-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry (PTR-ToF-MS) was already successfully applied for screening of olive oils [2], apples [3], and other food products allowing a fast screening of large sample set. In the present study, we applied PTR -ToF-MS to obtain a fast VOCs fingerprint of high quality EVOO samples collected within the Violin project (Project AGER2-Rif.2016-0169). Up to now, 200 EVOOs (monovarietals and blends) from 12 Italian regions and three other countries, harvested in two different years, were measured. Preliminary data elaboration suggests the possibility to discriminate EVOOs according to the origin. For example, EVOO from Sicily seems to present a peculiar fingerprint that allows a separation from all other EVOO analyzed to be achieved. On a reduced dataset (for which a sufficient number of samples per each location was available), including EVOOs from Apulia, Sicily, Lazio, and Tuscany, classification models based on Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) were tested

Comparative Analysis of Phenolic Composition of Six Commercially Available Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) Extracts: Potential Biological Implications

Several phytochemical-containing herbal extracts are increasingly marketed as health-promoting products. In particular, chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.) is well known for its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antitumor properties. Here, we evaluated differences in chemical composition among six commercially available products and their potential impact on biological activity in human immortalized colonocytes. Our investigation encompassed: (i) preparation of dry extracts and yield evaluation; (ii) qualitative and quantitative analysis of phenol content; (iii) modulation of redox state; and (iv) bioavailability of main bioactive compounds. We demonstrated that apparently identical products showed huge heterogeneity, in terms of yield extraction, chemical composition, and antioxidant effects. All samples contained high amounts of flavonoids and cinnamic acid derivatives, but differentially concentrated in the six extracts. Depending on polyphenol content, chamomile samples possessed variable antioxidant potential, in terms of decreased radical generation and increased reduced glutathione levels. The observed effects might be ascribed to flavones (apigenin, luteolin, and their glycones) highly represented in the six extracts. Nonetheless, chamomile extracts exerted cytotoxic effects at high concentrations, suggesting that a herbal medicine is not always safe. In conclusion, due to the complexity and variability of plant matrices, studies evaluating effectiveness of chamomile should always be accompanied by preliminary characterization of phytochemical composition

Does the ‘Mountain Pasture Product’ claim affect local cheese acceptability?

This paper aims to explore the impact of “mountain pasture product” information on the acceptability of local protected designation of origin (PDO) cheese produced from the raw milk of cows grazing in mountain pastures (P) or reared in valley floor stalls (S). A total of 156 consumers (55% males, mean age 41 years) were asked to evaluate their overall liking on a 9-point hedonic scale of four samples: Cheeses P and S were presented twice with different information about the origin of the milk (cows grazing on mountain pasture or reared in a valley floor stall). Demographics, consumer habits, and opinions on mountain pasture practice (MPP), attitudes towards sustainability, and food-related behaviours (i.e., diet, food waste production, organic food, and zero food miles products purchase) were recorded and used to segment consumers. The cheeses were all considered more than acceptable, even though they were found to be significantly different in colour and texture by instrumental analyses. In the whole consumer panel, the cheese P was preferred, while in consumer segments less attentive to product characteristics, this effect was not significant. External information had a strong effect: Overall liking was significantly higher in cheeses presented as “mountain pasture product”, both in the whole panel and in consumer segments with different attitudes (except for those with a low opinion of MPP

Odour profiling of apple cultivars and correlation with volatile compounds

We are using a trained sensory panel to define the sensory attributes profile of a wide number of apple commercial cultivars and new selections under evaluation at FEM (Fondazione Edmund Mach). The same fruit are evaluated through instrumental determinations as well. Here we present the correlations found between perceived odours (by trained panel) and volatile compounds (by SPME‐GC‐MS) in 18 apple cultivars. It is known that perceived odours are mainly the result of mixture of odorants (more than 300 compounds that can contribute to apple odour and flavour have been identified) and the single components of a mixture may lose their individual identity and a new mixture with a specific odour quality could emerge. Thus the correlations between odours and volatile compounds in apples were investigated by a multivariate approach. Regression models allowed the identification of compounds highly contributing to the odours arising from the complex mixture of volatile compounds released by apples. For example acetate esters strongly contribute to different fruity attributes and the results suggest that perceived odours are due to the relative proportions among esters rather than their presence/absence. In conclusion, sensory and instrumental profiling in combination with appropriate chemometric analyses can help to elucidate the relationships between the perceived odours in real food and the complex mixture of released volatile compounds