Ricerc@Sapienza

Background. Aflatoxins (AFs) are one of the main groups of mycotoxins produced by molds. Nuts, although recognized as a food with health benefits, are frequently contaminated by AFs. Study design. In this preliminary study we evaluated the contamination by total AFs and AFB1 in different types of nuts from different countries marketed in Apulia. Methods. Overall, 124 samples (almonds, apricot kernels, chestnuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts and Brazil nut) were analyzed using an High-Performance Liquid Chromatography system. Results.

Avola almond is part of the “Traditional Italian Agri-food Product” (PAT) list, as established by The Italian Ministry of agricultural food, forestry and tourism policies; this endorsement testifies its status as a high added-value product, and, consequently, it highlights the need of analytical methodologies suitable for its authentication. For these reasons, in the present study, the possibility of developing a non-destructive approach, aimed at distinguishing almonds cultivated in the Avola area from others presenting a different geographical origin, has been investigated.

Almonds are the tasty seeds of Prunus dulcis plants globally
appreciated for the pleasant palatability and remarkable nutritional
value, therefore it is very spread as snack and as basic
ingredient of the confectionery products. The HR-MAS-NMR is a
simple spectroscopy able to directly and quickly explore the
chemical composition of powdered seed samples dispersed in
D2O. 1H spectra witness the remarkable presence of triglyceride
fatty esters together with sucrose; other minor water soluble