Research areas and methodologies

One Health Food Security and Climate Change

The increase in world population and the awareness that human health is strongly linked to that of the environment, raises the question of which strategies to adopt in order to meet the growing food demands of the planet. In a context of climate change, food security is strongly undermined by unfavorable environmental conditions. Therefore, understanding the molecular mechanisms that govern growth and development processes of plants, primary producers of the ecosystem, in changing environmental conditions, as well as the signaling pathways activated by plants to defend themselves from exposure to adverse conditions represents an opportunity to identify resistant cultivars and develop breeding strategies to improve plant tolerance to different environmental stresses. Our RU aims to contribute to the phenotypic characterization and redox signaling that underlie plant defense responses to abiotic stresses and resistance mechanisms to pathogens. In addition to this, microorganisms have influenced and been shaped by climate throughout the history of our planet. Since soil is a dynamic habitat, many microorganisms have developed adaptation strategies. This characteristic makes them ideal "sentinels" for understanding the effects of climate change on biological systems and biogeochemical cycles. Our RU uses next-generation sequencing techniques and applies metagenomics to identify soil microbial communities. These communities play a key role in the cycling of carbon and other elements, animal and plant health, and agriculture.

Another characterizing aspect of the UR is the valorization of biodiversity, with particular reference to bioactive molecules of plant origin. The UR is conducting studies on the chemical characterization of plant extracts and production waste from different agri-food chains, also developing innovative, green and food grade analytical approaches, as well as on the characterization of different classes of bioactive molecules through studies vitro of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity on extracts obtained from food matrices and on pure compounds. Through chemical assays and cellular models of mammalian cells, the UR investigates the mode of action at the molecular level and the implications in different metabolic pathways.

Plants also represent potentially totipotent “factories” for the production of molecules with particular nutraceutical or pharmacological characteristics, also through latest-generation genetic engineering strategies. The RU has experience in obtaining cell, tissue and organ cultures from plants enhanced for the synthesis of specific bioactive molecules also of pharmacological interest (antivirals, monoclonal antibodies, etc.).

The UR is also interested in the technological characterization of food raw materials, with particular reference to cereal materials, for the production of functional foods.

In this context, it is essential to combine the technical strategies for enhancing biodiversity, fighting climate change and protecting the environment with a careful study and constant updating of the relevant international, European and state legislation on both environmental and food matters with critical focus on new sustainability approaches from which the adoption of regulatory measures in line with the objectives of environmental protection and human rights protection derives. The protection of human rights passes through respect for the principles of food safety and the guarantee of nutritionally and socially sustainable nutrition. The constant collaboration of the various members of the UR allows us to analyze the One Health approach from different, albeit interconnected, points of view, including the legal one.

Collaborations with other Research Centers

  • CREA - Food and Nutrition
  • University of the Study of Molise
  • University of Bari
  • University of Insubria
  • University of Milan
  • University of Verona
  • CNR
  • CEBAS-CSIC, Campus Universitario de Espinardo Murcia, Spain
  • KU Leuven, Belgium
  • University of Messina
  • National Research Council of Spain (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
  • La Laguna University, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain
  • Institute of Chemical Methodologies of the National Research Council of Montelibretti
  • Center for research in agricultural Genomics of Barcelona _ CRAG_CSIC
  • ENEA Casaccia Research Center
  • Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Rome, Italy
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LABORATORIES

1. "Lab 1" - Plant-Environment Interaction and One-Health

In the laboratory of Biology for Plant-Environment Interaction and One-Health, the research activity has as its main objective the study of plant-environment interaction in changing conditions imposed by climate change, through a global methodological approach. In particular, methods ranging from plant physiology, biochemistry, molecular and cellular biology to metagenomics are used.

Through the identification of molecular traits of tolerance, in model plants and plants of agronomic interest, the experimental activity is aimed at identifying sustainable strategies that have the objective of guaranteeing the health of the plant, of the environment in which it is inserted and of man.

This activity involves the use of model plant systems, such as Nicotiana tabacum e Arabidopsis thaliana, and food plants such as Oryza sativa, Triticum durum, and of phytoalimurgy plants.

Furthermore, through next-generation sequencing techniques and metagenomic approaches, soil microbial communities are identified. It is the interest of the RU to study the interaction that exists between these communities and the plant and to investigate the effect that these microbial communities have on plant development and metabolism.

Finally, the use of plant systems vitro such as cell, tissue and organ cultures but also of whole seedlings grown in vitro, represents a promising alternative source of biologically active secondary metabolites. These cultivation systems are maintained under controlled conditions and therefore are free from seasonal variations and environmental stress. Through cutting-edge genetic engineering approaches, these cultures are enhanced in order to promote the production of molecules characterized by particular nutraceutical or pharmacological properties.

Technological equipment: phytotrons and climatic chambers with adjustable environmental parameters, PCR, cell incubators, Li-600, spectrophotometer, spectrofluorimeter, oxygraph, nanopore sequencing (MinION device), Quibit (digital fluorimeter).

2. "Laboratory 2" - Food, Human Nutrition and Nutraceuticals

The research activity aims at studying foods and their interaction with cellular model systems and humans. In particular, preclinical activities are carried out to study bioactive molecules obtained from plant matrices or other types of foods and the characterization of their biological activities through chemical assays and cellular model systems. A specific research line deals with the valorization for nutraceutical purposes of molecules obtained from waste from industrial agri-food production, in a circular economy perspective.

The activity of Clinical Nutrition involves the study of the impact of diet on health, with particular reference to the effects of different nutritional protocols on body composition and human health.

Technological equipment: optical microscope, analytical balance, PCR, sterile laminar flow hood, CO cell incubator2, spectrophotometer, spectrofluorimeter, bioimpedancemetry.

3. "Laboratory 3" - Food technologies and food and environmental law

The characterizing area of ​​the research activity mainly concerns the chemical-physical, sensorial and nutritional characterization of products (first and second transformation) and by-products of cereal processing, in particular: evaluation of the aptitude for transformation of raw materials and their interaction in transformation processes; study of balanced formulations and appropriate technologies to produce foods with high dietary-nutritional value (functional foods and food design).

The research activity is also characterized by a constant deepening and updating of the reference legislation, starting from the international one up to the state one, with the use of specific legal databases. The ultimate goal is to give support and guarantee close collaboration to the other research sectors, contributing to the drafting of guidelines, scientific articles and monographs on food law, the environment and climate change.

Technological equipment: Pilot plants for the transformation of cereals (mill, air classifier, pasta making plant, laboratories for the production of bakery products); Rheology laboratory - alveograph, farinograph, microviscoamylograph, gluten analyzer, falling number (CERERE); Ion chromatograph HPAEC-PAD (Dionex ICS-6000)

4. "Laboratory 4" - Analytical Chemistry and “omics” Sciences

The research activity aims at the development, optimization and validation of analytical methods for the chemical characterization of different classes of molecules of food and nutritional interest with their subsequent application to the analysis of real samples. The methods include the optimization of the extraction parameters of the molecules using different techniques and strategies including those with low environmental impact. The analysis is carried out through chromatographic techniques coupled to different types of detectors and mass spectrometry.

Specifically, the techniques and instruments used are the following:

  • Liquid chromatography (HPLC), coupled to UV/Visible spectrophotometry and mass spectrometry (MS) with electrospray (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) interfaces, can be used for the analysis of different classes of compounds.
  • Gas chromatography coupled to a flame ionization detector (FID) can be used to analyze the volatile component of foods, which is essential for the organoleptic characteristics of the product and a useful tool for monitoring the quality of foods and their possible deterioration in the various stages of processing or storage.
  • The evaluation of the antioxidant potential of samples can be performed through in vitro chemical assays. These assays are performed using UV/Visible spectrophotometry techniques.

Technological equipment: HPLC-MS Shimadzu Prominence LC-20A equipped with 2 LC-20 AD XR pumps, SIL-10ADvp, CTO-20 AC column oven and DGU-20 A3 degasser coupled to a SPD-M10Avp DAD detector and a mass spectrometer (LCMS-2010, Shimadzu, Tokyo, Janpan) with ESI interface. Ultrasonic bath (Elmasonic S30H, Elma Schmidbauer GmbH, Singen, Germany). Rotary evaporator (Eyela, Tokyo, Japan)