ITS3.10/ERE1.7

The mineral composition of agri-food products is useful to define their provenance for fraud protection. The potential of mineral composition to define the geographical provenance of high-value PGI agri-food products was explored in order to protect them from fraud. The Sorrento lemon (Citrus limon (L.) Burm. f. cv. Ovale di Sorrento), is known for its characteristic cultivation on terraces in the Sorrento peninsula and Capri island of Campania region (South Italy). In this environment, the peculiar soil and climatic features and the traditional cultivation on terraces have contributed not only to high-quality lemon productions but also to protect the landscape. The geographical conformation of the territory leads to different microclimates and habitats even at a very small scale. In this work, the multielement fingerprinting (essential and not essential elements) is proposed for discrimination lemon juices of six different cultivars (Femminello Ovale di Sorrento, Femminello Zagara Bianca, Femminello Siracusano 2KR, Femminello Sfusato Amalfitano, Femminello Adamo, and Femminello Cerza), grown in the PGI area of Sorrento lemon and in other two Campania region areas (no-PGI), according to the cultivars and their geographical origin on regional territory scale in two years (2018 and 2019). The explorative analysis by PCA on the mineral profile of the lemon juices showed natural grouping according to provenance at the expense of different cultivars. This suggests that the juice mineral composition depends slightly on cultivars, but strongly on the features of the cultivation environments. The applied discriminant model S-LDA, according to territorial provenance of lemon juices, showed 97.73% correct classification, 98.48% accuracy, and 93.83% external validation, and Mo, Ba, Rb, Mg, Co, Ca, Fe and Sr as discriminant elements. However, the annual variation of discriminant elements regarding many nutrients, the correlation of lemon juices/soil of some not essential elements (Ba, Rb, and Sr) which also discriminate juices and soils according to areas in both years, suggested the use of not essential elements as stable indicators of lemon juice provenance. In support of this suggestion, we applied S-QDA, more stringent than S-LDA, on only the determined, not essential elements (Ti, Co, Rb, Ba, and Sr). The results were discrimination of lemon juices according to provenance by all not essential elements, with 87.50% correct classification and 83.95% validation, despite the low number of variables. An increasing number of not essential elements is expected to improve the discrimination models. 

How to cite: Ruggiero, L., Fontanella, M. C., Amalfitano, C., Beone, G. M., and Adamo, P.: Not essential elements as tracers of geographical provenience of Sorrento PGI lemon juices , EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-1610, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-1610, 2021.

Studies on food traceability are of great importance nowadays, involving high demanding processes to cover all food chain steps. Extra virgin olive oil is a typical product that has a strong linkage with the Mediterranean area, and its origin protection is continuously improved both by European Regulations about its quality policy and by the development of analytical techniques increasingly appropriate. Simultaneous multi-element approach like Inductive Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) makes possible the representation of EVO oil’s mineral composition. Involving a ICP-MS Triple Quadrupoles (ICP-MS-QQQ) it becomes even more a powerful tool for interference-free quantitative analysis of trace and ultra-trace elements. This study aims at elaborating a method to better determine mineral composition of this matrix and at validating the method used to determine its reliability. EVO oil’s fingerprint shows its predominant elements and it points out its possible contamination with toxic elements.

How to cite: Telloli, C., Tagliavini, S., Passarini, F., Rizzo, A., and Salvi, S.: Traceability of extra virgin olive oil: geochemical and environmental fingerprints revealed by ICP-MS-QQQ analysis, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-7480, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7480, 2021.

Olive fruit fly (Bactrocera oleae) is the most dangerous pest of olive fruits and strongly impairs both quality and quantity of the resulting olive oil. Organic farms have few tools against this pest and are constantly looking for effective and sustainable products; furthermore, for conventional farms the recent ban on dimethoate use in EU, made the defence from B. oleae very difficult. In this context the use of zeolitites, applied as particle films, began to take hold.

Since particle film covers the leaves, the organs responsible for gas exchange, a study on the plant responses to zeolite foliar coating was carried out by measuring photosynthetic rates from July to October (harvest) in two orchards located at San Lazzaro di Savena and Montiano in the Emilia Romagna region (Italy), respectively under organic and conventional farming.

Plant response to foliar treatment was also evaluated by measuring oil quantity in olives fruits. The layer of particle film covering leaves and fruits reduces the attractiveness of visual cues and prevents insects from recognizing and finding the plant parts on which they lay eggs: volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted from both leaves and olives could act as oviposition promoters and were determined as well. Finally, chemical and sensory analyses on the resulting olive oils were performed. In the San Lazzaro orchard the tested treatments were: natural zeolitite (NZ), natural zeolitite enriched with ammonium (EZ) and Spyntor Fly® (SF), a protein bait based on spinosad for the control of B. oleae. In the Montiano orchard the treatments tested were: Dimethoate (DM), an organophosphate insecticide, natural zeolite with a reduced dose of dimethoate (ZN-DM) and negative control (Test).

Photosynthetic activity of plants treated with EZ was higher than the other two treatments in all dates, while no differences in photosynthetic rate were found between SF and NZ. In the Montiano orchard a slight reduction in photosynthetic rate was found only on the last two dates. The analyses of the VOC emitted by leaves and fruits allowed to identify respectively 35 and 31 different chemical compounds, belonging mainly to the chemical classes aldehydes, alkanes and alcohol, ketones, esters, ethers and terpenes. Chemical and sensory characteristics of oils were influenced by the incidence of olive fruit fly rather than foliar treatment with zeolite. In the Montiano orchard, subjected to a severe B. oleae attack, the effectiveness of the zeolite against the pest was observed, and the oil from untreated plants showed higher chemical parameters associated with secondary oxidation phenomena. In the San Lazzaro orchard, where  a weak B. oleae attack occurred, sensory differences were recorded between treated (NZ and EZ) and untreated plants. According to the results of this study, the use of zeolite film cover on olive tree canopy do not negatively influence the plant physiology and represents a useful tool against olive fruit fly.

How to cite: Morrone, L., Neri, L., Facini, O., Galamini, G., Medoro, V., and Rotondi, A.: Influence of zeolitite foliar coating on photosynthesis, VOC emission and quality of extra virgin olive oil, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-9914, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-9914, 2021.

During the growing season, the use of foliar treatments based on fine grained geomaterial to reduce the negative impact of environmental stresses and protect the olives from insect pests is a well-known approach; however, while kaolin powders have been widely employed, zeolitite-based materials are much less known and exploited.

The aim of this study is to assess the effect of the two different treatments (zeolitite and kaolin) on the chemical and sensory qualities of the oils produced.

The study was carried out during two consecutive crop seasons in a 15 year old commercial olive orchard (Olea europaea), cv Correggiolo, located on the Appennine hills near Bologna (Italy). Foliar treatments were distributed during summer, until olive harvest. Ripening index, weight, oil and water content were measured on olive fruits. Olive productions were transformed in oils using a low scale continuous mill, quality parameters (free acidity, peroxide numbers, K232, K270, total phenols, fatty acids) were evaluated according to the official methods described in Regulation EC 2568/91 and subsequent amendments. Phenolic compounds, vitamins and pigments were determined by HPLC-DAD. Sensory analysis was performed by the panel of Agency for Agrofood Sector Services of Marche region (ASSAM), a fully-trained analytical taste panel recognized by the International Olive Oil Council (IOC) of Madrid, Spain, and by the Italian Ministry for Agriculture, Food, and Forestry Policy.

Olives treated with zeolite showed higher oil contents with respect to the other treatments. Oils produced by plants treated with zeolite particle film exhibited higher contents of total phenols, tyrosol, oleuropein and secoiridoids than to the oils produced by other treatments. Oils produced from olives treated with kaolin had sensory profiles characterized by sweet notes ascribable to ripe fruits, the tasters perceived notes of berries that are not typical of the Correggiolo cultivar.

The sensory taint test revealed a statistically significant difference between oils produced from olives treated with kaolin and the control, whereas no difference emerged between oils obtained from olives treated with zeolite and the control.

Particle film can influence some physiological plant parameters (photosynthesis, transpiration, water use efficiency) and, by consequence, it has also an influence on olive and oil quality. Olive plants treated with zeolite produced oils with higher antioxidant endowment, while oils produced from plants treated with kaolin were characterized by lower phenolic contents. Moreover, the kaolin treatment significantly affected the organoleptic properties of oils.

How to cite: Rotondi, A., Bertazza, G., Faccini, B., Ferretti, G., and Morrone, L.: Effect of different foliar particle films (kaolin and zeolitite) on chemical and sensory properties of olive oil, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-10007, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-10007, 2021.

The identification of the geographical origin of food products is important for both consumers and producers to ensure quality and avoid label falsifications. Determination and authentication of the geographical origin of food products throughout scientific research have become recently relevant in investigations against frauds for consumer protection. Advances in methods and analytical techniques led to an increase in the application of fingerprinting analysis of foods for identification of geographical origin. Since in organic material the inorganic component is more stable than the organic one, several studies examined trace elements, suggesting the potential application for determination of geographical origin. Moreover, the studies on territoriality are based on the hypothesis that chemical elements detected in plants and in their products reflect those contained in the soil and, within these studies, the geographical features of the production area, such as the soil type and the climate, are considered relevant factors affecting the specific designation, so an accurate determination of geographical origin would be necessary to guarantee the quality and territoriality of the products.

In this light, two varieties of red chicory from the southern Po Delta area have been characterized together with the soil. The two inspected red chicory varieties (long-leaves and round-leaves) are cultivated in a well-defined area in the southern part of Po Delta, in an area sited around Massenzatica (Municipality of Mesola, Province of Ferrara, NE of Italy). Sampling was undertaken between October and December 2020 and samples were collected from a randomized field. Together with the red chicory also roots and soils have been collected in order to analyze each part and correlate the geochemical data obtained using ICP-MS and XRF techniques.

Purpose of this study is to establish a method to identify the geographical origin and the results confirm that some major and trace elements could be used as geochemical markers according to the geological areas. These elements, therefore, could be useful to establish geochemical fingerprints for testing the origin of this product and create a protected designation of origin label.

How to cite: Marrocchino, E., Di Sarcina, S., Ragazzi, C., and Vaccaro, C.: Relation among geochemical elements in soil and red chicory as a tool for geographical origin identification., EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-15266, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-15266, 2021.

In the last decades the demand for information and criteria, suitable for connecting products to their production regions, is becoming more urgent in order to protect the qualitative high-level productions by forgery. Wine is one of the products that could benefit of a scientific system of analysis able to define its production area. Features of the association between wine and territory are not only related to pedological but also to geographical aspects. Currently, several studies to define markers, such as isotopic ratios of O, C, and N, able to identify types of wine has been carried out, but they are not suitable to univocally define a specific type of wine in particular due to the high variability of some factors (temperature, age of the vineyard, period of such us isotopic…). Several samples of soils and grapes have been collected within the narrow area, characterized by quite heterogeneous lithologies, of the Euganei Hills area (NE of Italy) in order to identify possible markers typical of the growing area. The concentration of 25 elements (Na, Mg, Al, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Nb, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Pb, Th) have been determined on grapes by using ICP-MS and on soils by using XRF techniques. Moreover, grapes have been further refined and separated in two different fractions (one residual solid fraction and one liquid fraction). The concentration of Pr, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb and Lu have been determined on both these fractions in order to implement and complete the distribution pattern of REEs in the samples. Areas with geochemically different soils have been identified and in each one of these areas have been collected grapes of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.  Moreover, in most areas, several cultivars have been collected in order to better understand how biological variables could affect the assimilation of chemical elements from soils. Chemical composition of the grapes’ inorganic fraction seems more influenced by soils than by cultivar type. In fact, REEs distribution patterns tend to differ more considering the same cultivar grown in areas with different pedological features.

How to cite: Vaccaro, C., Faccia, F. A., Sansone, L., and Marrocchino, E.: Geographical traceability in grapes: possible applications of trace and ultratrace elements, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-11922, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-11922, 2021.

Commercialization of seafood industry has led to better accessibility of seafood around the globe and is an important part of global food chain to ensure food requirements worldwide. It forms one of the most complex international food chains and this makes it particularly vulnerable to fraud. In Europe, species substitution and origin mislabelling are the most common frauds faced by the seafood industry. Europe imports over 75% of its seafood with demand for it rising every year, which further increases chances of fraud and make authentication of seafood difficult. Owing to this complex global scenario, traceability of seafood becomes even more important to protect consumer’s rights and ensure safety in food systems. Origin mislabelling includes concealment of geographical origin of illegally harvested fish species whereas species substitution includes replacement of low-value species for a more expensive one for economic gain. Fish growing in different regions have different composition of fatty acids, elemental and isotopic compounds depending on their surroundings. Same differences occur between different species of fish living in the same region due to their varying feeding habits. These traits are used to identify origin mislabelling and species substitution. Several techniques have been employed to identify fish frauds such as DNA based methods, immunological assays, spectroscopic methods, stable isotopes, trace element analysis, fish microbiome analysis, etc. Multielement and stable isotope analyses and NIR spectroscopy are reliable analytical techniques providing useful information and thus accurate chemometric-based traceability models. Multielement profile can also allow to assess the fish nutritional quality and possible presence of contaminants. Stable isotope analysis of elements such as carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and strontium enables to discriminate fish provenance, natural vs feed-based diet, frozen vs fresh fish. NIR is a non-destructive and cost-effective analytical tool. A combined use of these methodologies to identify the fish fraud can strengthen the traceability models, minimising the occurrence of possible prediction errors.

In this context, SUREFISH* PRIMA project aims at deploying innovative solutions to achieve unequivocal traceability of Mediterranean fish products, preventing possible frauds. It gathers 13 partners from Italy, Spain, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon and 4 pilot sites fishing/growing and processing the following fish species: anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), sardine (Sardina pilchardus), bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), tilapia (Tilapia spp.) and grouper (Epinephelus itajara). In the framework of WP3, we will develop and harmonise multi-element, isotope and NIR based analytical methodologies to trace the provenance of these Mediterranean fish species. Basically, we will analyse fresh or thawed fish meat and additional samples such as fish bones and otoliths, aquaculture feeds and sea or fresh waters. The findings will be gathered in a database useful for comparison with data from literature and other FAO fishing areas.

* SUREFISH PRIMA project: Fostering Mediterranean fish ensuring traceability and authenticity, https://surefish.eu/. PRIMA Call 2019 Section 1 - Agro-food Value Chain 2019, Topic 1.3.1.

How to cite: Dalal, N., Caporale, A. G., and Adamo, P.: What the Fish: Tracing geographical origin by Stable Isotope, Multielement profile and NIR spectroscopy, EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-8808, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-8808, 2021.