Bromatology and residues in foods for human and animal consumption

The department is mainly in charge of the analytical monitoring of food intended for human and animal consumption, by means of:

research for residues of anabolic substances, veterinary drugs, plant health products, mycotoxins and environmental contaminant, such as dioxins and heavy metals, in products of animal origin;

research for residues of plant health products, mycotoxins and heavy metals in products of vegetable origin;

food and feed composition determination for the evaluation of their nutritive value, the assessment of their quality and storage stability, and the research for chemical additives.

The Department also carries out toxicological investigations in cases of suspected poisoning of animals, and conducts analyses of surface water for the research of environmental contaminants.

Since 2006 the Department has been responsible for the conduction at national level of chemical tests on veterinary medicines to evaluate their compliance with the requirements in view of their placing on the market.

As regards the research activities, the Department is in charge of the development and validation of new analytical methods, in particular to face emerging problems of contamination of foodstuffs, one example is the recent case of melamine in milk-based products.

The Department has participated in carrying out numerous research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of Health in the field of food safety, and has collaborated in numerous technical assistance projects for the benefit of EU Candidate Countries , aimed principally at harmonising analytical techniques for the research of organic and inorganic chemical residues in food.

Head Department: