title: Towards a Universal Approach Based on Omics Technologies for the Quality Control of Food.
abstract: In the last decades, food science has greatly developed, turning from the consideration of food as mere source of energy to a growing awareness on its importance for health and particularly in reducing the risk of diseases. Such vision led to an increasing attention towards the origin and quality of raw materials as well as their derived food products. The continuous advance in molecular biology allowed setting up efficient and universal omics tools to unequivocally identify the origin of food items and their traceability. In this review, we considered the application of a genomics approach known as DNA barcoding in characterizing the composition of foodstuffs and its traceability along the food supply chain. Moreover, metabolomics analytical strategies based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and Mass Spectroscopy (MS) were discussed as they also work well in evaluating food quality. The combination of both approaches allows us to define a sort of molecular labelling of food that is easily understandable by the operators involved in the food sector: producers, distributors, and consumers. Current technologies based on digital information systems such as web platforms and smartphone apps can facilitate the adoption of such molecular labelling.
authors.affiliation: FEM2 Ambiente s.r.l., P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferri
authors.affiliation: ZooPlantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-3140-3024
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Galimberti
authors.affiliation: ZooPlantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2733-2094
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Casiraghi
authors.affiliation: BioNMR Lab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Airoldi
authors.affiliation: BioNMR Lab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlotta
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ciaramelli
authors.affiliation: FEM2 Ambiente s.r.l., P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy; BioNMR Lab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Palmioli
authors.affiliation: ZooPlantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Valerio
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7651-4567
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mezzasalma
authors.affiliation: ZooPlantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bruni
authors.affiliation: ZooPlantLab, Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1065-5804
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Labra
mesh_terms: D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D005504:Food Analysis; D006801:Humans; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D055432:Metabolomics; D011786:Quality Control