The main target of the project, financed by the regional agency Lazio Innova in the framework of the POR FESR 2014-2020 call “Progetti di Gruppi di Ricerca 2020”, is centered on the realization of a portable device integrating multimodal spectroscopies (fluorescence and diffuse reflectance spectroscopies in the visible and near IR range) for the measurement of several parameters essential for the evaluation of the quality of food raw materials. Two cases of interest for the local agri-food chain have been identified: 1) detection of chlorine containing pesticide residues by means of fluorescence spectroscopy amplified by nanoparticles, 2) evaluation of the protein and water content in grains and flours. Further applications will be defined after a comparison with local agricultural companies, with whom several contacts have just been established. The project consists in the development and calibration of the prototype device, synthesis and optical characterization of nanoparticles, data analysis and definition of measurement sensibility (limit of detection), reproducibility and instrument accuracy. SpectraFood groups the expertise of the CNR-IFN and the Department of Physics of the University Sapienza in Rome in developing optical devices and analyzing spectroscopic and big data with the proficiency of the Department of Chemical Sciences and Technology of the University of Tor Vergata in Rome and the CNR-ISM in green-chemistry synthesis of nanoparticles with specific optical properties.

Call: POR FESR Lazio 2014-2020 – “Progetti di Gruppi di Ricerca 2020”. Project A0375-2020-36643
Project duration: 2 years (15/04/2021 – 15/04/2023)
Coordinator: Dr. Annamaria Gerardino (CNR-IFN)
Referent ISM: Elvira Maria Bauer
Budget ISM (€): 7.096,92
Laboratory: NANOCOMPS