QUALITÀ E SICUREZZA DI MATRICI ALIMENTARI CON PROPRIETÀ SALUTISTICHE

Food safety and quality are two fundamental pillars for protecting consumer health. Furthermore, the consumption of functional foods brings specific health benefits, improving well-being or reducing the risk of disease. These foods are promoted through nutritional and health claims, communication tools regulated by European Union. However, their use requires rigorous scientific and regulatory control to avoid misleading practices. This thesis provides an overview of the chemical quality and safety of various plant and animal food matrices from different geographical and environmental contexts, known for their beneficial health effects but still little studied. The analyzed products include Sicilian citrus fruits, shellfish from Italian lagoons, European herbal teas and plant-based milks, and honey and date syrups from North Africa. Advanced analytical methods, combined with chemometric analysis, were used to characterize these food matrices in detail. The analyses allowed to identify organic and inorganic contaminants and to evaluate the presence of bioactive compounds of nutritional and health interest. This approach made it possible to highlight similarities and differences between the samples analyzed and to identify significant correlations between chemical composition, contamination levels, and the geographical and botanical origin of the foods. The results obtained allowed to assess the compliance of the foods with the safety and quality standards established by current legislation, contributing to a better understanding of the relationships between chemical composition, functional properties, and food safety. Moreover, this work provides new knowledge on food matrices that are still largely unexplored, highlighting the innovative aspect of the work.