Determination of cholesterol oxidation products in cheese under photo-oxidative stress using QuEChERS and LC–MS

The QuEChERS approach was optimized for extracting cholesterol oxidation products in cheese, followed by LC-APCI-MS/MS analysis. Optimization of the method, including evaluations of saponification step, sample weight, and d-SPE purification resulted in good recoveries for each analyte, ensuring a reliable determination of these contaminants in cheese samples. In addition, the method was successfully validated by testing linearity of response, analytical limits (LOD and LLOQ), and precision. Sliced cheese samples wrapped in various packaging materials underwent a challenging test to simulate refrigerated storage conditions under fluorescent light, inducing photo-oxidative stress. The validated QuEChERS method revealed that only seasoned hard cow’s cheese showed an increase in the concentration of 7-ketocholesterol and its chemical precursors, 7β-hydroxycholesterol, and 7α-hydroxycholesterol, reaching levels of 0.45, 0.35, and 0.35 μg g−1, respectively. Conversely, opaque packaging and the use of a double film were found to be effective in preventing the formation of COPs in cheese samples subjected to photo-oxidative stress, such as smoked cheese and melted cheese slices (sottilette). A trade-off must be found between ensuring cheese protection and meeting the consumer’s desire to see the product

Esperienze didattiche e di divulgazione scientifica al MAF di Ferrara

The Centro di Documentazione del Mondo Agricolo Ferrarese (MAF) (Documentation Center of the Ferrarese Agricultural World) is an ethnographic-museum institution founded in the early 1980s to scientifically disclose the history of national and local agriculture and, more generally, the culture of rurality. Thanks to an agreement between public and private, it has been part of the museum network of the Municipality of Ferrara since 1982. This article illustrates some aspects of its activity, with particular reference to didactic and projects to enhance the museum's heritage.Il Centro di Documentazione del Mondo Agricolo Ferrarese (MAF) è un’istituzione etnografico-museale nata all’inizio degli anni ’80 del ‘900 per divulgare scientificamente la storia dell’agricoltura nazionale e locale e, più in generale, la cultura della ruralità. In virtù di una convenzione tra pubblico e privato, fa parte dal 1982 del sistema museale del Comune di Ferrara. In questo articolo sono illustrati alcuni aspetti della sua attività, con particolare riferimento alla didattica e ai progetti di valorizzazione del patrimonio museale

Intersecting interregionalism: regions, global governance and the EU

Intersecting Interregionalism moves beyond narrow understandings of regions and interregionalism that dominate the research field by focusing on the polymorphous nature of the concepts under study, theoretical advances and the empirical challenges ahead. Written by leading experts in the field, the ultimate aim of the book is to contribute to a more relevant and nuanced comparative research agenda on interregionalism in Europe and elsewhere. The volume is divided into two parts. The first provides an overview of several distinctive theoretical perspectives, with particular emphasis on the dynamic relationship between regions and interregionalism. The second part of the book uncovers the diversity of regional actors and institutions that are engaged in the creation of contemporary interregionalism. The EU is used as an entry point and detailed case studies explore the role of EU member states, the Council, the Commission, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice, in order to map out a patchwork of intersecting interregionalisms around the world