Schiano, Marica Erminia (2024) Food safety challenges towards emerging healthy issues. [Tesi di dottorato]

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Abstract

In recent decades, food safety has become a central issue in the protection of global public health. The European Union and the World Health Organization define it as a shared responsibility throughout the entire food chain, from farm to table. Ensuring food safety requires consideration of all aspects of the complex food supply chain. The increased focus on this topic is closely linked to the growing demand for food production. In recent decades, agriculture and the food industry have undergone radical changes to maintain increasingly high productivity levels, often at the expense of food and environmental safety. As a result, today the evaluation of food quality, in terms of nutritional value and health benefits, cannot be separated from measuring the level of contamination to which it is exposed. Considering this scenario, my PhD project aims to study the presence and impact of various chemical and physical contaminants on consumer health within the agri-food system and the environment. Among the different categories of contaminants, I have focused on those capable of altering the functionality of the intestinal barrier. Specifically, three main groups of contaminants were selected: bisphenols (endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs), pesticides, and microplastics. These emerging contaminants are attracting growing interest, but the lack of sufficient data on their distribution and contamination makes it difficult to fully assess the health risks for consumers. The project has been structured around the following main objectives: 1.Quantification of bisphenol and pesticide levels in widely consumed foods. The quantitative analysis was performed using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), a technique chosen for its high sensitivity. The data obtained were used to assess consumer exposure to these chemicals through tools promoted by EFSA, the Rapid Assessment of Contaminant Exposure (RACE) for bisphenols and the Pesticide Residue Intake Model (PRIMo) for pesticides. 2.Study of the presence of microplastics (MPs) in honey and pollen intended for human consumption, along with the evaluation of their dispersion on bees, which are excellent bioindicators of the presence of microplastics in aerial ecosystems. For this purpose, 10 sampling sites were selected in the Campania region, representing areas with varying levels of urbanization. The micro-fragments were subsequently isolated and chemically identified using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). This phase of the project was carried out in collaboration with the Institute for Polymers, Composites, and Biomaterials (IPCB) of the National Research Council (CNR). 3.Development of a polypropylene (PP) nanoplastic system to study the toxicity of a phosphoric polymeric additive (IRG 168) through ecotoxicity tests. Real-world conditions of aquatic environmental pollution were simulated to understand the mechanisms by which micro- and nanoplastics interact with chemical additives, facilitating their transport and potential long-term toxic effects. This project was conducted at the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Alcalá, Madrid, during my research stay abroad. Future perspectives: Development of analytical methodologies to assess altered intestinal permeability in clinical practice. The aim of this work is to identify possible correlations between the presence of contaminants in common foods and variations in intestinal permeability. The research focuses on the interactions between these contaminants and the gut microbiota, investigating how continuous exposure might influence the composition and function of the intestinal flora, contributing to gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders. This part of the study is still ongoing and aims to provide a deeper understanding of the role food contaminants play in altering the microbiota's balance. In summary, my doctoral work contributes to understanding the effects of emerging food contaminants on human health, particularly those that alter intestinal function, and proposes advanced methods for their identification and risk assessment.

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