Ricerc@Sapienza

Walnuts have been widely investigated because of their chemical composition, which is particularly rich in unsaturated fatty acids, responsible for different benefits in the human body. Some of these fruits, depending on the harvesting area, are considered a high value-added food, thus resulting in a higher selling price. In Italy, walnuts are harvested throughout the national territory, but the fruits produced in the Sorrento area (South Italy) are commercially valuable for their peculiar organoleptic characteristics.

Four varieties of red garlic (Allium sativum L.) cultivated in different Italian territories, Sulmona (Abruzzo), Proceno and Castelliri (Lazio), and Nubia (Sicily), were analysed by Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transformed Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. ATR-FTIR spectra of bulbils and bulbil tunics were separately acquired and processed by Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA) with the aim of classifying the garlic samples on the basis of their geographical origin.

Durum wheat (Triticum turgidum ssp. durum) is widely grown in the Mediterranean area. The semolina obtained by this grain is used to prepare pasta, couscous, and baked products all over the world. The growing area affects the characteristics of Durum wheat; consequently, it is relevant to trace this product. The present study aims at developing an analytical methodology which would allow tracing durum semolina harvested in 7 different Italian macro-areas.