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Quality assessment of cocoa-based food products (i.e., chocolate) reached increasing interest by scientific research, as it is rich in bioactive compounds (BCs) (i.e., catechins, methylxanthines, serotonin, etc.), which can have beneficial effects on human health (cardiovascular, immunomodulatory, mood regulator, etc.). Thus, the cocoa content may influence the quality of chocolate products. In this regard, the study aimed at a comprehensive evaluation of different BCs: biogenic amines (BAs), free fatty acids (FFAs), and antioxidant compounds (Total Polyphenols Content, TPC and Antioxidant Activity, AA), in chocolate samples with different cocoa contents (50%, 60%, 70%, 85%, 100%). By means of HPLC-UV/RF analysis, chocolates samples with higher cocoa content showed the highest concentration of serotonin, which represented the 25% of the total BAs concentration. Considering the total FFAs, unsaturated fatty acids (linoleic, linolenic and oleic) accounted for 30 to 50% in all chocolate samples analyzed. Antioxidant assays showed a great variability within samples, mainly highlighting a gradual increase of TPC and AC as a function of higher cocoa content. The findings of this study provide useful insights into cocoa-based products, showing that cocoa content influences the BCs concentration, thus improving the nutritional characteristics and the quality of the final product.

“Senatore Cappelli” durum wheat products have attracted much interest in recent years because of their nutritional and quality characteristics, as they are a source of different bioactive compounds (i.e., polyphenols, serotonin, etc.). This study examines the content of biogenic amines (BAs), ß-phenylethylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, serotonin and spermine, total polyphenols content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity (AC) of different products of the “Senatore Cappelli” durum wheat chain (SCDW): seeds, chaff, flour, and pasta. BAs were detected and quantified by HPLC-RF. While UV-Vis spectrophotometer was applied for the determination of TPC and AC. All BAs investigated were found in the samples analyzed at different concentrations. Particularly, the presence of serotonin (21.71 ± 0.15 - 42.66 ±0 .03 mg/kg), an BA with positive effects on human health, was found in all SCDW products. In addition, a higher concentration in SCDW pasta of histamine (36.37 ± 0.01 mg/kg) and cadaverine (11.43 ± 0.36 mg/kg), which are the main BAs involved in allergic processes, compared to the other SCDW products was found.

Trademarks are distinctive signs designed to promote and enhance the products/services of companies. In recent years, the concept of quality has asserted growing interest, especially among enterprises, aiming to promote consumers by creating distinctive marks. In Italy, in 2021, the number of filled quality trademarks for products and services will amount to about 81. Through the “Decreto Crescita”, Italy supported Italian companies to limit their delocalization overseas. In this regard, the historical mark of national interest was established, from which Italian companies with a trademark filed for at least 50 years can benefit. Therefore, the study aimed at evaluating two different types of trademarks, quality marks and historical marks, highlighting the main aspects that characterize these two marks as a function of the standards that distinguish them from the most common trademarks. For this purpose, the study focused on evaluating historical brands in Italy to promote their strategic importance and enhance the temporal continuity of the marks. These were considered a new marketing tool to promote know-how and “Made in Italy”, which is particularly useful for the brand image of companies to be competitive in a global market.

According to the United Nations (2020), since the 1980s, the global overall rate of water use has grown by 1% per year, and it is projected that, by 2050, humanity’s water footprint could exceed 30% of current levels. This situation is in stark contrast to the path toward the Sustainable Development Goals, especially Goal 6, “clean water and sanitation”, which also influences Goal 14, “life below water”, and Goal 15, “life on land”. This is because the availability of water directly affects the food security and production capacity of each Country, and therefore its management is a crucial issue worthy of particular attention. Problems related to water security are particularly evident in the Mediterranean area, which is already facing high environmental challenges. It is an area severely affected by global warming; thus, it is one of the most vulnerable environments to climate change globally. It follows that the improper management of water resources could further worsen an already alarming situation. This research aims to study the main water-related challenges that Mediterranean Countries face, highlighting the significant problems that weaken each Country. In this regard, the indicators relating to Goal 6 were considered, to define each Country’s current state. However, for a correct understanding, the main problems these Countries face were researched through a critical review of the literature (Scopus, Google Scholar, Web of Science). In this way, we were able to underline the effects of human activities on the hydrosphere and the repercussions on various ecosystems, following the drivers-pressures-state-impact-response causal framework. The results suggest that there is still a long way for Mediterranean Countries to progress toward Agenda 2030, as they face problems related to chemical (nitrate, microplastics, heavy metals, pesticides, etc.) and biological (E. coli and other microorganisms) pollution, as well as saline aquifers, absent or obsolete infrastructures, and transboundary basins. Hence, this study aims to provide valuable tools for a better evaluation of water management in Mediterranean Countries.

In this study, the effect of several agronomical practices on the chemical composition of hemp inflorescences, a potential novel food that needs to be further studied, was observed. Here, the case study of inflorescences from Ferimon cultivars is discussed and submitted to different agronomical practices (irrigation and fertilizers) in different years, and the inflorescences harvested in different periods were analyzed by a multimethodological approach. Targeted and untargeted methodologies allowed cannabinoids, total phenolic content, metabolite profile and antioxidant activity to be determined. The biomass and inflorescence yields were also reported. The whole data set was submitted to ANOVA-simultaneous component analysis. The statistic results allowed us to observe that irrigation was responsible for the (-)-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) increment. THC, cannabichromene (CBC), cannabigerol (CBG), succinate, and fructose resulted as higher in full female flowering than in the period of seed maturity. On the other hand, nitrogen supplementation led to an increase of iso-leucine, valine, and threonine. The obtained results underlined both the potential food application of hemp inflorescences, due to the rich chemical profile, and the strong effect of agronomical practices, mainly irrigation and harvesting, on the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of its metabolite profile.

This paper is aimed to provide a quality and safety assessment of new cherry tomato cultivars (Solanum Lycopersicum var. cerasiforme): Bamano, Dulcemiel, and Sugarland. Eight biogenic amines, total phenolics, total carotenoids, lycopene, and antioxidant activity (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl [DPPH] and 2,2-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt [ABTS] assays) were determined. Comparison with control cultivars demonstrated lower pH values, and total contents of biogenic amines and antioxidant compounds while having higher soluble solid concentration. Moreover, multivariate statistical analyses (principal component analysis and cluster analysis) were applied to the results. Different results allowed for a successful differentiation of new cultivars. Therefore, the chosen compounds resulted in suitable markers for quality and safety assessment of tomatoes.

Wheat is the third most cultivated cereal in the world and represents the major contributor to human nutrition. Milling wheat by-products such as husks (17–20% of the total processing output weight), even if still containing high-value-added bioactive compounds, are often left untreated or unused, thus resulting in environmental and human health burdens. In these regards, the present study is aimed at evaluating in a multimethodological approach the nutraceutical properties of durum wheat husks belonging to the ancient cultivar “Senatore Cappelli”, thus assessing their potential as bioactive compound sources in terms of phytochemical, cytotoxic, and nutraceutical properties. By means of HPLC-FD analyses, wheat husk samples analyzed revealed a higher content of serotonin, amounting to 35% of the total BAs, and were confirmed to occur at biogenic amines quality index (BAQI) values

According to the Sustainable Development Goals (Agenda 2030), a key factor to ensure a better and more sustainable future for all is the promotion of different food production systems. Nowadays, agriculture is one of the most impactful sec-tors for the environmental pollution. Moreover, diet choices have direct influence on our ecological footprint. A literature review is presented with a focus on the challenges of hemp cultivation sustainability, innovations and market of hemp food products.

Rice is the most widely used cereal for human consumption, attributing its production as one of the most important activities for the global population. Therefore, given its economic and nutritional value, assessing the sustainability of this production process could be worth noting. In this regard, this research aims to investigate the most recent literature related to Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of rice primary production, to clarify the extent to which Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) and thus the three pillars of sustainability have been applied in the rice sector, as well as to highlight possible research gaps. Thus, 40 articles (2012–2022) were analyzed. The main research gaps that were found were, firstly, that there was a lesser tendency to consider multiple functional units, highlighting how little multifunctionality is considered. As to be expected, there was also a great difference in methodological choices, which often leads to a great variability of results, making evaluations and comparisons of impacts uncertain. These were also highly dependent on soil and climate conditions in the various countries, which could in turn affect input utilization, and results. The study of the impacts of primary rice production was then addressed by a few countries, among which some of the largest producers were absent, while the least considered aspects were related to the depletion of abiotic resources and the promotion of organic farming. Finally, sustainability assessments in rice production had little focus on the socio-economic dimension, showing how little LCT is considered. Therefore, based on this consideration, a Social Life Cycle Assessment was integrated into the study, the results of which show that the countries with medium to high social impacts could be India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Bangladesh.

A multidisciplinary protocol is proposed to monitor the preservation of fresh pumpkin samples (FP) using three commercial polymeric films: A made of biodegradable cellophane from regenerated cellulose pulp, B from corn starch, cassava and eucalyptus, C made of polylactic acid from corn starch, and a polyethylene film used as reference (REF). Chemical, mechanical and microbiological analyses were applied on packaging and fresh and packaged samples at different times. After an 11-day period, NMR spectroscopy results showed a sucrose increase and a malic acid decrease in all the biofilms with respect to FP, fructose, glucose, galactose levels remained quite constant in biofilms B and C, the most abundant amino acids remained quite constant in biofilm A and decreased significantly in biofilm B. From microbiological analyses total microbial count was below the threshold value up to 7 days for samples in all the films, and 11 days for biofilm C. The lactic acid bacteria, and yeasts and molds counts were below the acceptability limit during the 11 days for all packages. In the case of biofilm C, the most promising packaging for microbiological point of view, aroma analysis was also carried out. In this paper, you can find all the analysis performed and all the values found.

Growing awareness of environmental sustainability in the agri-food sector has enhanced the gradual shift toward less-impactful food and organic production systems. In 2021, nearly three million hectolitres of organic wine were produced which accounted for 6% of the whole wine production in Italy (50.2 million hectolitres); thus, registering an increase of almost 60% in the last three years. The economic and cultural importance attributed to Italian wine production worldwide represents a key factor to assess and reduce the environmental burdens associated with the activities of this industry. Furthermore, literature studies have highlighted consumer sensitivity for sustainable winemaking processed, and there is even a trend towards eco-friendly wines. In particular, the bottling stage has been identified as an impactful stage for the environmental performance of the wine life cycle. This study examined the environmental impact assessment of organic wine production in the Lazio region, by performing a “cradle-to-gate” approach according to the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. High-quality inventory data for one year of operation was obtained directly from the farming company, “Tenute Filippi” (Cori, Lazio, Italy), and the wine process considered the input from grape cultivation to the winery phases. In these regards, the study also provided an impact assessment for the primary packaging of a 0.75 L wine bottle, with contributions from the different life cycle stages. The results showed a total amount of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) of 1.1 kg CO2 eq, that are responsible for climate change. Referring to the individual production input, the primary packaging phase accounted for 55% of the total GHGs, with 0.86 kg CO2 eq per bottle, followed by agricultural fuel use for grape production and harvesting activities, with 0.30 kg CO2 eq. Building on these results, the study provides recommendations on the selection of the most significant and relevant indicators for the environmental life cycle impact assessment, thus, identifying possible hotspots in the wine sector.

The transition toward more sustainable food systems, which already represents a central element of the European Farm to Fork and Green Deal strategies, could be an effective measure to contribute to global decarbonization and greenhouse gas (GHGs) reduction goals; concurrently, it could improve the health status and nutrition of the global population. In this context, the Mediterranean diet (MD) could play a considerable role, as it is generally recognized as a more balanced, healthy, and sustainable eating pattern than Western consumption patterns, which are characterized by excess food and high energy content, thus causing undesirable effects on both human health and the environment. Although traditionally linked to MD, Italy sees relatively moderate adherence by its citizens, as they consume about +75% of the daily caloric intake recommended by MD. Therefore, this study aims to quantitatively assess the potential environmental, economic, and health impacts of this lower adherence to MD by Italians. Current Italian Food Patterns (CIFP) in 2019 were analyzed and compared to the MD recommended amounts through a Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) approach (LCA) and carbon footprint (CF) analysis. The results show that CIFP, compared to MD, has +133% greater impacts on the environmental macro-area, +100% greater impacts on the human health macro-area, and +59% greater impacts on the economic macro-area (with annual fossil and mineral resource savings of $53.35 per person, $3.2 billion per year). The analysis also shows that CIFP has a CF of 6.54 × 101 kg CO2 eq, +142% over MD (2.7 × 101 kg CO2 eq), resulting in a lower environmental impact of the Mediterranean diet.

Functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) play a key role in the development of new generation sensors. In the last ten years, interest in the study and development of MNP-based sensors has grown, especially in the agro-food field. Studies report that sensors, based on different working principles (mechanical, electrical, optical, etc.), can be functionalized with MNPs, which can be applied or integrated on the materials of the sensitive part of sensors or integrated in the transducer. Furthermore, MNPs can be used by dispersing them directly in the sample; subsequently, MNPs are attracted to an external magnetic field on the active detection surface of the sensors. The importance of MNP-based sensor development is in allowing the monitoring of food quality and safety, through the rapid, selective and low-cost identification of the analytes of interest. Therefore, this chapter highlights the recent applications of these devices in the agri-food field and their applications in food quality and safety along the entire supply chain.

Food quality and safety are the primary focus of this research in food production. To this purpose, European legislation identifies particular markers that can be used to check healthiness of food for this purpose. Biogenic amines are a class of ubiquitous compounds that can be essential or harmful to human health. They're known as a quality index since they go through qualitative and quantitative changes during the spoiling, processing, and storage of food. The multiparametric sensor proved to be an accurate way for determining specific quality markers. As a result, the goal of this study was to see how a multiparametric liquid sensor could be used to assess the presence of BAs in fish, where Cadaverine, Histamine, and Tyramine have the most impact on the storage period, and in chocolate, where - β-Phenylethylamine (2.7–7.4 mg/Kg) and Tyramine (2.1–12.0 mg/Kg) were the most abundant amines. &nbsp

The chemical profile of the female inflorescence extracts from seven Cannabis sativa L. dioecious cultivars (Carmagnola, Fibranova, Eletta Campana, Antal, Tiborszallasi, Kompolti, and Tisza) was monitored at three harvesting stages (4, 14, and 30 September), reaching from the beginning of flowering to end of flowering/beginning of seed formation, using untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and targeted (ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) and spectrophotometry) analyses. The tetrahydrocannabinol content was always below the legal limits (&lt, 0.6%) in all the analyzed samples. The NMR metabolite profile (sugars, organic acids, amino acids, and minor compounds) subjected to principal components analysis (PCA) showed a strong variability according to the harvesting stages: samples harvested in stage I were characterized by a high content of sucrose and myo-inositol, whereas the ones harvested in stage II showed high levels of succinic acid, alanine, valine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, and threonine. Samples harvested in stage III were characterized by high levels of glucose, fructose, choline, trigonelline, malic acid, formic acid, and some amino acids. The ratio between chlorophylls and carotenoids content indicated that all plants grew up exposed to the sun, the Eletta Campana cultivar having the highest pigment amount. Tiborszallasi cultivar showed the highest polyphenol content. The highest antioxidant activity was generally observed in stage II. All these results suggested that the Cannabis sativa L. inflorescences of each analyzed dioecious hemp cultivar presented a peculiar chemical profile affected by the harvesting stage. This information could be useful for producers and industries to harvest inflorescences in the appropriate stage to obtain samples with a peculiar chemical profile suitable for proper applications.

The isolation of graphene in 2004 sparked interest in the study of 2-dimensional (2D) materials. MXenes are a new family of metal carbides of transition 2D, nitrides, and carbonitrides. Since their discovery in 2011, they have attracted the scientific and industrial community's interest thanks to their unique properties, including high electrical conductivity, hydrophilic nature, excellent thermal stability, and ample spacing between layers and high surface areas. We briefly examine MXenes' primary synthesis processes, characteristics, and some of the most interesting possible uses currently known, such as environmental remediation, energy storage, biomedical applications, and food packaging, in this paper.

Graphene, a two-dimensional material with the thickness of an atom, has some surprising properties (hyperdensity, intrinsic mobility millions of times greater than silicon, high thermal and electrical conductivity, large surface area, is nearly 200 times stronger than steel, harder than diamond, and is extremely flexible and elastic) that have resulted in a profound change in the field of material science. and which make it an ideal candidate for a variety of applications. In this regard, the objective of this study is to present an overview of the main areas in which Graphene could be applied, as well as to have a brief discussion on its main methods of synthesis.

Starting from the 2000s, the use of magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) has begun to find a place in the studies of analyte extraction. Within this framework, the synergic collaboration in analytical chemistry and material sciences has developed several methods for the efficient and rapid extraction of analytes, especially in complex matrices. The main application of MNPs in the extraction step is in the environmental field for example in river water, lake water or industrial discharge samples. Other applications have been found in food and biological analysis, such as for urine or blood samples. In this chapter the use of metal nanoparticles for analyte extraction, and the areas of application, i.e., food, environment, and health, are explored. Moreover, the limits of these new methodologies, the new opportunities that are offered and the challenges of these techniques are highlighted.

The collection of the organic fraction in Italy recorded significant growth in the decade 2010–2019 (+74%) due to both the increase in the spread of separate waste collection as well as the increase in the biological treatment plants of municipal waste. However, within the organic fraction there remains a share of non-compostable material (NCM) (plastic, glass, aluminum, etc.), equal to ~5% of the total, which affects the efficiency of composting practices as well as decreasing both the yield and the quality of the final compost, causing a portion of organic material to be subtracted from composting and ending up in landfills. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to evaluate how the sustainability of the organic fraction collection and the amount of compost obtained in the composting plants could improve, following the use of biodegradable and compostable bioplastic bags (shoppers), in replacement for conventional plastic ones. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Carbon Footprint (CF) methodology was used for the assessment, comparing two different scenarios based on data relating to the collection of the organic fraction in Italy in 2019. Scenario 1 relates to the composting of organic material that also contains plastics, bioplastics, and non-compostable materials, while in scenario 2 the share of plastic material in the first scenario has been entirely replaced by bioplastics. The results show that scenario 2 assumes the lowest values for 15 impact categories out of the 18 analyzed, and, among these, in three categories it assumes negative values: ozone formation-terrestrial ecosystems (−1.64 × 10−2 kg NOX eq), ozone formation-human health (−8.50 × 10−3 kg NOX eq), and fossil resource scarcity (−4.91 × 102 kg oil eq). Furthermore, scenario 2 has a negative carbon footprint (−3.80 kg CO2 eq) compared to scenario 1 (79.71 kg CO2 eq), and in general it is the most sustainable scenario as a direct consequence of the greater amount of compost obtained (307.4 kg vs. 269.2 kg).

Nanomaterials (NMs) have a significant impact on many industries, such as the cosmetic industry, the biocidal industry, the healthcare industry, and, in particular, the food industry. This study considers the two main applications of NMs in the food chain, as food additives and in food packaging as food contact materials. This study analyses the regulations in force in the European Union to shape the European legislative framework in which NMs are developed and applied, highlighting the possible trade-off occurring between Food Safety and Food Quality. In general, it appears that the European Union takes into account the dimension of nanomaterials, and not their particular toxicity and the importance to carry out case-by-case assessment studies.

According to the United Nations (UN), although cities occupy only 3% of Earth’s surface, they host more than half of the global population, are responsible for 70% of energy consumption, and 75% of carbon emissions. All this is a consequence of the massive urbanization verified since the 1950s and which is expected to continue in the coming decades. A crucial issue will therefore concern the management of existing cities and the planning of future ones, and this was also emphasized by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially in Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and communities). Smart Cities are often seen as ideal urban environments in which the different dimensions of a city (economy, education, energy, environment, etc.) are managed successfully and proactively. So, one of the most important challenges cities will have to face, is to guide citizens towards a form of “clean” energy consumption, and the dimension on which decision-makers will be able to work is the decarbonization of transport. To achieve this, electric mobility could help reduce polluting emissions on the road. Within this research, the strategies that six Smart Cities (London, Hamburg, Oslo, Milan, Florence, and Bologna) have implemented to encourage the transition to this form of mobility have been studied. Through a systematic review of the literature (Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science) and through the study of the main political/energy documents of the cities, their policies on electric mobility have been evaluated. Then, for each city, SDG 11.6.2 was analyzed to assess the air quality in the last four years (2016–2019) and, therefore, the effectiveness of the policies. The analysis showed, in general, that the policies have worked, inducing reductions in the pollutants of PM2.5, PM10, NO2. In particular, the cities showed the most significant reduction in pollutant (above 20%) were Hamburg (−28% PM2.5 and −2%6 NO2), Milan (−25% PM2.5 and −52% NO2), and London (−26% NO2).

Nine commercial hemp seed oils from different countries were studied using a multimethodological approach to obtain information about their quality and chemical composition. Due to the lack of a specific regulation for hemp seed oils, quality parameters used in the case of olive oils (free acidity, peroxides number, spectrophotometer parameters) and anisidine number were measured and compared with those reported for extra virgin olive oil (EVOO). Free acidity and peroxides number showed a great variability, ranging from 0.4 to 17.24% and from 4.32 to 22.14 meqO2/kg, respectively, whereas the anisidine number ranged from 0.11 to 3.58. K232 value turned out to be generally below the limit reported for EVOO, whereas K270 and &Delta, K values were higher, with respect to EVOO limits, due to the high amount of tri-unsaturated fatty chains. Colorimetric analysis showed a peculiar curve trend that could represent the fingerprint of this product. Untargeted nuclear magnetic resonance methodology allowed to measure the amount of fatty chains, &omega, 6:&omega, 3 ratio, &beta, sitosterol, and aldehydes. The &omega, 3 ratio turned out to be, in some cases, different from that reported on the bottle labels. Finally, lipoperoxidation assays were also carried out under different storage (light and temperature) and time exposure conditions, confirming that the exposure to direct light is the condition that interferes more with the product quality.