Analytical Chemistry for Environment and Food

Science - 2nd Building - 2nd Floor

Responsible Prof. Cristina Truzzi

The laboratory specializes in developing and optimizing advanced analytical techniques for monitoring and characterizing contaminants in environmental matrices (such as seawater, atmospheric particulate matter, snow, ice, marine organisms) and food (including edible insects, honey, tea, and seafood). These techniques include chromatographic, spectrophotometric, and electroanalytical methods. In the environmental field, the research focuses on understanding the distribution and behavior of toxic elements and organic compounds in both human-impacted and remote ecosystems, examining pollution sources and the impact of global changes on marine organisms. The laboratory is actively involved in the National Antarctic Research Program (PNRA), with several scientific expeditions to Antarctica. In the food sector, the lab concentrates on determining toxic elements, elemental profiles, and fatty acid composition in food, with a strong focus on food quality and safety.
The laboratory has extensive experience in European and international research projects, including INTERREG AdSWiM, HATCH, and Brigantine, all of which aim to develop innovative technologies for environmental monitoring and the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems.

Research Activities

Water and Sediment Monitoring

The laboratory has extensive experience in monitoring inorganic contaminants (trace metals) and nutrients in marine environments, participating in oceanographic campaigns in the Adriatic, Norwegian fjords, the English Channel, and Antarctica. It has developed methods for analyzing fatty acids as biomarkers of biological processes. The lab also collaborates on the development of innovative sensors for urban wastewater treatment and management, as well as digital tools for environmental monitoring, working in synergy with public and research organizations (Ascoli Piceno Province, ENEA, CNR-IRBIM). Additionally, the laboratory studies organic and inorganic contaminants in Adriatic marine sediments, particularly in relation to grain size.

Study of Atmospheric Particulate Matter and Depositions

For years, the laboratory has been studying the chemical composition of atmospheric particulate matter, with a particular focus on Antarctica, to assess its impact on biogeochemical cycles and the global radiative balance. It has developed a sampling system for atmospheric depositions in collaboration with DIISM – Polytechnic University of the Marche. Analyzing atmospheric depositions (dry, wet, and occult) helps trace the transport of contaminants (metals, PAHs, dioxins, furans) and their impact on both polar and global ecosystems.

Determination of Contaminants in Marine Organisms

The laboratory studies marine pollution from organic microcontaminants (PAHs, PCBs, hydrocarbons) and inorganic substances, analyzing their impact on various fish species (tuna, swordfish, red mullet, cod) and sponges. The research is conducted in collaboration with the Developmental and Reproductive Biology group (Prof. Carnevali), the Zoology group (Prof. Cerrano), and the CNR-IRBIM (Department of Oceanographic Physics and Chemistry).

Food Quality and Safety Assessment

The laboratory studies food quality by analyzing the lipid profile (with a focus on omega-3 and omega-6) and food safety, with particular attention to the presence of toxic elements. A specific focus is given to Novel Foods (EU Regulation 2015/2283), including edible insects. The research includes the development of innovative growth substrates from agro-food waste, promoting circular economy principles and reducing environmental impact. Special attention is dedicated to studying the elemental profile of Marche region honeys and European teas, using chemometric approaches for origin tracing and identifying potential contaminants.

Active projects
• INTERREG Brigantine – Implementation of innovative systems for marine environmental monitoring, with a focus on aquatic drones and advanced sensor technology.
• OmegaInsect – Optimization of the lipid profile of edible insects for the production of alternative sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Equipment

Clean room (contamination-controlled chemical laboratory, ISO 14644-1 Class 6, with ISO Class 5 areas under laminar flow

Strumentazione per Analisi chimiche

6890N Network GC System gas chromatograph coupled with 5973 Network MASS Selective Detector mass spectrometer (Agilent Technologies)
Atomic absorption spectrophotometer 240Z AA with GTA 120 Graphite Tube Atomizer equipped with Zeeman background absorption correction system (Agilent Technologies)
DMA-1 direct mercury analyzer (FKV)
EasyChem Plus discrete nutrient analyzer (Systea)
TITANAFS 8X atomic fluorescence spectrophotometer (Fulltech Instruments)

Sample processing instruments

MARS-5 and MARS-6 microwave digestion systems (CEM)
SBH130D/3 heating block (Stuart)
Ultrapure water production system (Millipore) with two-stage treatment, producing electrodeionized water in the first stage (Elix) and ultrapure water in the second stage (Milli-Q), respectively

Sampling tools

GO-FLO Bottle (General Oceanics)
High-volume cascade inertial impactor for atmospheric particulate sampling Model TE-6070-BL (Tish Enviromental Inc.)
PE Bulk sampling for collecting atmospheric deposition in urban and remote areas

Measurement of key chemical, physical and biological parameters

Multi-parameter probe CTD Ocean Seven mod. 316 (Idronaut)
Field turbidimeter model 966 (Orbeco-Hellige)
AT261 computerized electronic microanalytical balance (Mettler Toledo)
XS205 computerized electronic microanalytical balance (Mettler Toledo)

Staff

Cristina Truzzi Associate professor 071 220 4514 c.truzzi@univpm.it		Anna Annibaldi Associate professor 071 220 4981 a.annibaldi@univpm.it
Silvia Illuminati RTD-B 071 220 4981 s.illuminati@univpm.it		Federico Girolametti RTT 071 220 4514 f.girolametti@univpm.it
Behixhe Ajdini Research fellow 071 220 4302 b.ajdini@staff.univpm.it		Lorenzo Massi PhD student 071 220 4302 l.massi@pm.univpm.it