{"id":245533,"date":"2025-10-08T11:10:13","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T09:10:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/news\/alimenti-etnici-studio-rivela-presenza-di-ingredienti-non-dichiarati\/"},"modified":"2025-10-28T12:23:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T11:23:02","slug":"alimenti-etnici-studio-rivela-presenza-di-ingredienti-non-dichiarati","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/en\/news\/alimenti-etnici-studio-rivela-presenza-di-ingredienti-non-dichiarati\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethnic foods: study reveals presence of undeclared ingredients"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Tests carried out on ethnic food products intended for human consumption and sold in Italy have revealed that nearly 80% contain ingredients not declared on their labels<\/strong>. Remarkably, animal DNA was found in all the plant-based products analysed<\/strong>. These findings emerged from a study conducted by the FishLab of the Department of Veterinary Sciences at the University of Pisa<\/strong>, led by Professor Andrea Armani<\/strong>, and published in Food Control<\/em><\/a>, an international benchmark journal in the field of food safety.<\/p>\n

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The FishLab of the Department of Veterinary Sciences<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The study\u2014the first in Italy to apply the metabarcoding technique on a large scale to samples collected during official inspections\u2014analysed 62 food products sold in Lazio and Tuscany. It also detected undeclared allergenic species such as fish and molluscs, posing potential health risks to consumers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The research, which lasted two years and was funded by the Ministry of Health, was carried out in collaboration with the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana \u201cM. Aleandri\u201d (IZSLT)<\/strong>. The contribution of the FishLab was crucial in developing and applying innovative protocols based on NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) technologies, designed to complement existing official methods and thereby strengthen surveillance systems ensuring food quality and transparency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The results revealed striking cases: products labelled as vegetarian contained DNA from pork, chicken or fish; a sample declared as \u201cchicken only\u201d showed traces of beef, duck and even deer; a rice-based product was found to contain molluscs such as clams and oysters that were not listed on the label; in other cases, ingredients indicated on the packaging\u2014such as prawns or eggs\u2014were not detected at all.<\/p>\n

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The equipment used<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur findings should not be viewed as punitive,\u201d explains Alice Giusti, researcher at the Department of Veterinary Sciences of the University of Pisa and first author of the study, \u201cbut rather as a tool for protection\u2014for consumers, who have the right to accurate and safe information, and for businesses that wish to operate lawfully and stand out for transparency and quality. In addition to providing new safeguards for those following specific diets, such as vegetarians, vegans or individuals with religious dietary requirements, this research represents a major step forward in combating fraud and irregularities in the food supply chain, while also supporting the growth of a rapidly expanding sector in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThis study is an important step towards an increasingly modern and integrated control system, capable of responding to the new challenges posed by a global and constantly evolving food market<\/strong>,\u201d says Dr Stefano Palomba, Special Commissioner of the IZSLT. \u201cThe use of metabarcoding demonstrates how scientific research can translate into concrete tools for the protection of public health and transparency for consumers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Metabarcoding is a next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology that enables the identification, in a single test, of all the species present in a complex food sample, thus revealing hidden or non-compliant ingredients. The use of this technique was made possible thanks to the Illumina MiSeq instrumentation acquired through the OSCAR Excellence Project and currently housed in the University of Pisa\u2019s Centre for Veterinary Analytical Excellence (CAVE).<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking part in a study that exemplifies innovation underscores our role within the Health System as a guarantor of safety and quality for all,\u201d concludes Palomba. \u201cThis research perfectly reflects the value and expertise of public veterinary professionals who, with scientific rigour and a strong sense of service, work every day to ensure food safety, animal welfare and the protection of public health\u2014fully in line with the One Health approach<\/strong>, which unites human, animal and environmental health. These same principles inspired the Minister of Health to establish Veterinary Day, to be celebrated for the first time on 25 January 2026. We are already preparing an event that will bring together research and academic institutions to highlight our contribution to wellbeing, global health and the sustainability of life systems \u2014just as the results of this study so clearly demonstrate.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Research published in \u201cFood Control\u201d conducted by the FishLab of the Department of Veterinary Sciences in collaboration with the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Lazio e della Toscana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":244822,"menu_order":4,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"tag-notizie-persone":[],"tags_news":[1980],"categorie":[159],"class_list":["post-245533","news","type-news","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tags_news-department-of-veterinary-sciences","categorie-unipinews-en"],"yoast_head":"\nEthnic foods: study reveals presence of undeclared ingredients ~ UNIPI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.unipi.it\/en\/news\/alimenti-etnici-studio-rivela-presenza-di-ingredienti-non-dichiarati\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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