Experimental Chemistry Laboratory
The Experimental Chemistry Laboratory of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe) develops and executes rapid and accurate screening procedures aimed at identifying known and unknown analytes in food and biological matrices.
Activities and services
The activities and services performed by the Experimental Chemistry Laboratory are:
- Metabolomics, lipidomics, volatilomics in food, biofluids, animal tissues, and microorganisms
- Food quality – authenticity, freshness of honey and extra virgin olive oil
- Toxicological screening
- Macronutrient analysis for the generation of nutritional labels, which are essential for marketing foods that have undergone processing
- Shelf-life studies – color variation, dynamometry, and rancidity
- Statistical consulting through data processing.
Contacts
Director
Andrea Cereser
SCS8 – Food Industry Enhancement
Phone: +39 0421 41361
E-mail: acereser@izsvenezie.it
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Staff
Alessandra Tata – atata@izsvenezie.it
Carmela Zacometti – czacometti@izsvenezie.it
Andrea Massaro – amassaro@izsvenezie.it
Phone: +39 0444 305457
Analytical workflow
The analytical workflow of the IZSVe Experimental Chemistry Laboratory follows these phases:
- Consulting (assistance with experimental design, explanation of service levels, biostatistical evaluation, cost estimates and assistance with funding applications, experimental design development, study planning
- Identification of the most suitable samples for the study
- Transfer of samples to the laboratory
- Sample preparation and processing
- Sample analysis
- Advanced data analysis (e.g. statistical analyses & modeling, metabolite annotation)
- Data report and/or manuscript composition (including experimental descriptions, interpretation of the data for scientific papers, figures, and responses to reviewers, if applicable)
Instrumentation
The IZSVe Experimental Chemistry Laboratory is a facility that offers technologies in the field of metabolomics, macronutrient analysis, minerals as well as freshness of extra virgin olive oil and honey. Our techniques allow for the analysis of off-flavors, color, and structural consistency.
A complete range of equipment, providing the tools to investigate the chemical-physical aspects of food shelf life. With optimized workflows, cutting-edge resources, and a collaborative approach, the experimental chemistry laboratory allows you to focus on what matters most, such as consulting and data interpretation.
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (NIR)
Nutritional labels – Food authenticity
Total Reflection X-Ray Fluorescence (TXRF)
Calcium – Chlorine – Bromine – Sulphur – Phosphorus – Chromium – Nickel – Cobalt – Iron – Manganese – Lead – Zinc – Copper – Titanium – Selenium – Tin – Strontium – Rubidium
Direct Analysis In Real Time – High Resolution Mass Spectrometry (DART – HRMS)
Metabolomics – Lipidomics – Qualitative analysis of plant toxins – Food authenticity
RAMAN Spectroscopy
Raman spectroscopic profile
Gas Chromatography
(GC-FID and GC-MS)
Analysis of volatile compounds – Aromas – Off flowers – Aldehydes – Lipid fraction
Colourimeter (CIE-Lab)
Food Colour – Brightness (L) Saturation (H) – Red/Green Index (a) – Yellow/Blue Index (b) – Hue – Chroma (C) – Colour Difference (delta E)
Dynamometer
Texture Profile Analysis (TPA) – Chewability – Cohesiveness – Hardness – Elasticity – Gumminess Cut hardness – Breaking force
Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA)
Moisture and Ash
Elemental analyser
Protein analysis
Samples
The IZSVe Experimental Chemistry Laboratory analytical techniques allow to capture and analyze the complex range of volatile and non-volatile metabolites and macronutrients within a sample (food, toxic plants, animal tissues, microorganisms, edible insects).
Sample preparations are optimized based on the type of sample to be analyzed (food, plants, animal tissues, microorganisms), the analytical technique, and the quantities available.
Statistical analysis
The IZSVe Experimental Chemistry Laboratory has full-time statisticians dedicated to processing analytical data. Data analysis strategies include:
- Unsupervised exploratory analysis (principal component analysis)
- Multivariate statistical analysis (machine learning)
- Univariate analysis (volcano plot/t-test and ANOVA)
- Correlation network with other omics data
- Pathway analysis
- Annotation of significant metabolites
Publications of the Experimental Chemistry Laboratory
- Bragolusi, M., Tata, A., Massaro, A., Zacometti, C., & Piro, R. (2023). Nutritional labelling of food products purchased from online retail outlets: Screening of compliance with European Union tolerance limits by near infrared spectroscopy. Journal of Near Infrared Spectroscopy, 096703352311564.
- Di Noi, A., Massaro, A., Salvitti, C., Managò, M., Cosentino, F., Piro, R., Suman, M., Pepi, F., Tata, A., & Troiani, A. (2025). AP-MALDI-MS reveals adulteration of dried oregano leaves. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 139, 107121.
- Marzoli, F., Tata, A., Massaro, A., Bragolusi, M., Passabì, E., Cappellozza, S., Saviane, A., Tassoni, L., Piro, R., & Belluco, S. (2023). Microbiological and chemical safety of Bombyx mori farmed in north-eastern Italy as a novel food source. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 9(8), 1047–1061.
- Massaro, A., Bragolusi, M., Tata, A., Zacometti, C., Lefevre, S., Frégière-Salomon, A., Lafeuille, J.-L., Sammarco, G., Candalino, I. F., & Suman, M. (2022). Non-targeted authentication of black pepper using a local web platform: Development, validation and post-analytical challenges of a combined NIR spectroscopy and LASSO method. Food Control, 109477.
- Massaro, A., Volpe, E., Leone, A., Piro, R., Mäkelä, M., Kontunen, A., Zacometti, C., & Tata, A. (2025). Differential Mobility Spectrometry Authenticates the Botanical Origins of Five Monofloral Honeys. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 73(7), 4376–4384.
- Massaro, A., Zacometti, C., Bragolusi, M., Buček, J., Piro, R., & Tata, A. (2024). Authentication of the botanical origin of monofloral honey by dielectric barrier discharge ionization high resolution mass spectrometry (DBDI-HRMS). Breaching the 6 s barrier of analysis time. Food Control, 160, 110330.
- Tata, A., Massaro, A., Damiani, T., Piro, R., Dall’Asta, C., & Suman, M. (2022). Detection of soft-refined oils in extra virgin olive oil using data fusion approaches for LC-MS, GC-IMS and FGC-Enose techniques: The winning synergy of GC-IMS and FGC-Enose. Food Control, 133, 108645.
- Tata, A., Massaro, A., Miano, B., Petrin, S., Antonelli, P., Peruzzo, A., Pezzuto, A., Favretti, M., Bragolusi, M., Zacometti, C., Losasso, C., & Piro, R. (2024). A Snapshot, Using a Multi-Omic Approach, of the Metabolic Cross-Talk and the Dynamics of the Resident Microbiota in Ripening Cheese Inoculated with Listeria innocua. Foods, 13(12), 1912.
- Tata, A., Zacometti, C., Massaro, A., Bragolusi, M., Ceroni, S., Falappa, S., Prataviera, D., Merenda, M., Piro, R., & Catania, S. (2024). Empowering veterinary clinical diagnosis in industrial poultry production by ambient mass spectrometry and chemiometrics: A new approach for precise poultry farming. Poultry Science, 103(6).
- Zacometti, C., Sammarco, G., Massaro, A., Lefevre, S., Frégière-Salomon, A., Lafeuille, J.-L., Candalino, I. F., Piro, R., Tata, A., & Suman, M. (2024). Authenticity assessment of ground black pepper by combining headspace gas-chromatography ion mobility spectrometry and machine learning. Food Research International, 179, 114023.
- Zacometti, C., Massaro, A., di Gioia, T., Lefevre, S., Frégière-Salomon, A., Lafeuille, J.-L., Fiordaliso Candalino, I., Suman, M., Piro, R., & Tata, A. (2023). Thermal desorption direct analysis in real-time high-resolution mass spectrometry and machine learning allow the rapid authentication of ground black pepper and dried oregano: A proof-of-concept study. Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 58(10).
News from the Experimental Chemistry Laboratory
You can read all the news on this topics on this page of the News section of the website:
News > News Topics > Experimental Chemistry Laboratory
Latest news
A study by the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe) proposes an experimental combination of precision and metabolomic-based veterinary diagnostics in support of poultry farms, ...
According to the first survey in Italy, one third of groceries purchased online do not carry a nutrition facts label. In recent years there has ...
Black pepper is one of those spices our kitchens cannot do without. Unfortunately, due to commercial fraud, not all the black pepper that reaches our ...
Researchers from the Experimental Chemistry Laboratory of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie (IZSVe) have developed a simple, effective method of geographical screening to differentiate extra ...