Fast UPLC/PDA determination of squalene in Sicilian P.D.O. pistachio from Bronte: optimization of oil extraction method and analytical characterization

A fast reversed-phase UPLC method was developed for squalene determination in Sicilian pistachio samples that entry in the European register of the products with P.D.O. In the present study the SPE procedure was optimized for the squalene extraction prior to the UPLC/PDA analysis. The precision of the full analytical procedure was satisfactory and the mean recoveries were 92.8 ± 0.3 % and 96.6 ± 0.1 % for 25 and 50 mg L-1 level of addition, respectively. Selected chromatographic conditions allowed a very fast squalene determination; in fact it was well separated in ∼ 0.54 min with good resolution. Squalene was detected in all the pistachio samples analyzed and the levels ranged from 55.45 to 226.34 mg . kg-1. Comparing our results with those of other studies it emerges that squalene contents in P.D.O. Sicilian pistachio samples, generally, were higher than those measured for other samples of different geographic origins

Determination of Alkyl Esters Content in PDO Extra Virgin Olive Oils from Sicily

The quality parameter of alkyl esters of fatty acids was checked in a variety of Italian olive oil samples. In particular, 34 samples of extra virgin olive oils (EVOOs) from South Italy (Sicilian orchards), produced in the years 2014-2015, have been subjected to the analytical protocol dictated by the European Union for the determination of alkyl esters, as an indicator of oil’s quality. All the samples analyzed resulted to be well below the limit set by EU Directive. Besides recently produced EVOOs, a set of very aged oils, produced in the years 1996–2000, were analyzed as well. The main finding was that alkyl esters increased in correspondence with deterioration processes

Determination and quantification of PCBs, POCs and PAHs in Thunnus thynnus from the Straits of Messina (Italy)

This data set is composed to assess the accumulation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) dioxin like (DL) and not dioxin like (NDL), organochlorine pesticides (POCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Thunnus thynnus and to elucidate the suitability of this species as a bioindicator for monitoring contaminations of these compounds in the marine ecosystems of the Straits of Messina.This investigation was conducted on liver samples of 14 T. thynnus collected during April 2015. Quantitative determination of PCBs (DL and NDL), POCs and PAHs in the examined samples has been carried out by HRGC-MS/MS.Among the PCBs, high prevalence of DL was found while, generally, the values detected for PCBs–NDL were lower than the legal limits. Tuna samples analyzed for PAHs residues revealed that all the samples were contaminated with acenaphthalene, fluorene, phenanthrene and anthracene. Moreover, generally the residual levels of DDT and DDT metabolites were low.The total content of PCB–DL, in almost all the samples, showed higher concentration than the legal limit. Keywords: Fish, Thunnus thynnus, POPs, PCBs, PAHs, HRGC-MS/M

Food to Life - IV International Conference on Foodomics - 8-9-October-2015 - Cesena - Italy

Metabolite Determination of typical food in mediterranean diet by HR-MAS NM