Bilateral Scientific and Technological Research Projects of “Major Importance”
Italy–Québec Executive Program
NanoBioSafe project
The NanoBioSafe project is part of initiatives aimed at promoting international scientific and technological cooperation. It was carried out with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, under the framework of Bilateral Scientific and Technological Research Projects of “Major Importance.”
The project aimed to foster the exchange of knowledge and expertise among the partners involved. In particular, the research team at INRS – Institut Armand-Frappier (Québec) contributed its experience in the recovery and use of natural bioactive molecules to enhance food safety through innovative treatments. At the same time, ProdAl provided advanced expertise in nanotechnology and non-thermal technologies for food preservation.
The 36-month NanoBioSafe project aimed to jointly develop and test innovative technologies for food safety at the two research centres, leveraging the synergy between natural bioactive molecules with antimicrobial properties and non-thermal treatments.
Specifically, the project included:
- Analysis of foodborne microorganisms: investigating the sensitivity, resistance, and physiological, morphological, and molecular changes of major pathogenic or spoilage bacteria when exposed to non-thermal treatments in the presence of natural antimicrobial compounds, under various storage conditions.
- Optimization of preservation treatments: identifying the most effective combination of two or more synergistic non-thermal treatments and determining the minimum necessary intensity, based on the understanding of each treatment’s mode of action and cellular targets, to ensure microbial inactivation and process standardization.
Within the project, the research activities carried out by ProdAl researchers were organized into several phases:
- Development of nanocarrier systems for bioactive compounds with high antimicrobial activity.
- Investigation of the mechanisms of action of nanoencapsulated essential oils on different microbial species.
- Extraction and fractionation of citrus oils (bergamot, lemon, mandarin), followed by chemical characterization and evaluation of antimicrobial activity in both pure and nanoencapsulated forms.
- Application of encapsulated essential oils in various food matrices, including both liquid and solid products.
- Analysis of the physicochemical stability of bioactive compounds, in both pure and encapsulated forms.
- Evaluation of antimicrobial activity of pure and encapsulated bioactive compounds.
- Testing of combined treatments for microbial inactivation.
- Application of combined treatments to food matrices using innovative technologies alongside natural antimicrobials.
Key Results
The NanoBioSafe project, which also included researcher exchanges between the two institutions, achieved significant outcomes in the field of food safety:
- At the INRS laboratories, it was demonstrated that the combination of gamma irradiation and bioactive coatings generates pronounced synergistic antimicrobial effects throughout the product’s shelf life. Notably, the microbial inactivation achieved with the combined treatments consistently exceeded the sum of the effects observed with the individual treatments (coating or gamma irradiation alone).
- At ProdAl laboratories, it was observed that combining high hydrostatic pressure treatments with bioactive coatings produced synergistic effects, due to the release of active compounds from the coating induced by the applied pressure. This effect was particularly significant during the early days of the product’s shelf life. Conversely, the combination of high-intensity pulsed light and bioactive coatings showed only additive antimicrobial effects, and even displayed antagonistic behavior during the later stages of shelf life.
Dissemination activities carried out directly by ProdAl
Publications in Scientific Journals
- Donsì F., Annunziata M., Sessa M., Ferrari G. (2011)
Nanoencapsulation of Essential Oils to Enhance Their Antimicrobial Activity in Foods.
LWT-Food Science and Technology, 44 (9), 1908-1914 - Donsì, F., Sessa, M., Ferrari, G., Mgaidi, A., Mediouni, H. (2011)
Encapsulation of bioactive compounds in nanoemulsion- based delivery systems
Procedia Food Science 1, pp. 1666-1671., ISSN: 2211-601X - Donsì, F., Annunziata, M., Vincensi, M., Ferrari, G. (2012)
Design of nanoemulsion-based delivery systems of natural antimicrobials: Effect of the emulsifier
J. Biotech. 159 (4): 342–350 - Donsì, F., Sessa, M., Ferrari, G. (2012)
Disruption Chamber Geometry on the Fabrication of Food Nanoemulsions by High Pressure Homogenization
Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 51 (22): 7606–7618 - Donsì, F., Marchese, E., Maresca, P., Ferrari, G. (2013) Combined non-thermal treatments for food preservation: high hydrostatic pressure and essential oil nanoemulsions International Nonthermal Food Processing Workshop. September 30 – October 02, 2013 – Florianopolis, Brazil
- Lacroix, M., Turgis, M., Severino, R., Vu, K. D., Donsi, F., Salmieri, S., Ferrari, G. (2014) Overview of applications of radiation processing in combination with conventional treatments to assure food safety Canadian Nuclear Association Meeting. August 24-28, 2014 – Vancouver, Canada
- Severino, R., Ferrari, G., Vu, K.D., Donsì, F., Salmieri, S., Lacroix, M. (2014) Antimicrobial Effects of Modified Chitosan-based Coating Containing Nanoemulsion of Essential Oil, Modified Atmosphere Packaging and Gamma Irradiation against Escherichia coli O157: H7 and Salmonella IUFoST (International Union of Food Science and Technology) 17th World Congress of Food Science and Technology. August 17-21, 2014 – Montreal, Canada
- Donsì, F., Cuomo, A., Marchese, E., Ferrari, G. (2014)
Infusion of essential oils for food stabilization: Unraveling the role of nanoemulsion-based delivery systems on mass transfer and antimicrobial activity
Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies 22: 212-220 - Severino, R., Vu, K.D., Donsì, F., Salmieri, S., Ferrari, G., Lacroix, M. (2014)
Antimicrobial effects of different combined non-thermal treatments against Listeria monocytogenes in broccoli florets
Journal of Food Engineering 124: 1–10 - Severino, R., Vu, K.D., Donsì, F., Salmieri, S., Ferrari, G., Lacroix, M. (2014)
Antibacterial and physical effects of modified chitosan based-coating containing nanoemulsion of mandarin essential oil and three non-thermal treatments against Listeria innocua in green beans
International Journal of Food Microbiology 191: 82–88 - Severino, R., Ferrari, G., Vu, K.D., Donsì, F., Salmieri, S., Lacroix, M. (2015)
Antimicrobial effects of modified chitosan based coating containing nanoemulsion of essential oils, modified atmosphere packaging and gamma irradiation against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium on green beans
Food Control 50: 215–222 - Donsì, F., Marchese, E., Maresca, P., Pataro, G., Vu, K.D., Salmieri, S., Lacroix, M., Ferrari, G., (2015)
Green beans preservation by combination of a modified chitosan based-coating containing nanoemulsion of mandarin essential oil with high pressure or pulsed light processing
Postharvest Biology and Technology 106: 21–32 - Donsì, F., Sessa, M., Ferrari, G. (2015) Novel edible coating containing essential oil nanoemulsions to prolong the shelf life of vegetable products 12th International Conference on Chemical and Process Engineering (ICheaP 12), May 19-22, 2015 – Milano, Italy
Organization and participation in events and trade Fairs
Organized by ProdAl on 16 December 2011, the workshop provided an important international forum to discuss the state of scientific research on the use of natural additives in food processing as an alternative to traditional chemical substances.
The event also promoted a culture of innovation in the food sector, engaging key institutional, economic, and research stakeholders. Discussions focused particularly on food safety requirements, as established at the European level and increasingly prioritized by consumers.
26 – 29 May 2011, Cesme Izmir, Turkey
Speaker: Francesco Donsì
Presentation title: Nanoemulsion-based delivery systems for the encapsulation of essential oils to be used as antimicrobials in foods
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Partners
The NanoBioSafe project was carried out by ProdAl Scarl in collaboration with INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier (Quebec, Canada).
Documents
