Dipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco

Descrizione del progetto

Partners:
Regione Piemonte 
Provincia di Torino 
Provincia di Cuneo 
University of Turin:
DSTF - Department of Medicine Science and Technology
AGROSELVITER - Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences and Technologies  
DIVAPRA - Department of Exploitation and Protection of Agricultural and Forestry Resources 
Associazione per la tutela e valorizzazione del Genepy Valli Occitane  
Chambre d’Agriculture des Hautes-Alpes  
FranceAgriMer 

Sponsors:
ALCOTRA Fondo europeo di sviluppo regionale (FESR) 

Description
Main aim of the project is valorize a rare alpine plant (Artemisia umbelliformis) used to obtain well known spirits and beverages. In particular, thanks to the multidisciplinary interaction among agronomists, botanists, phytochemists, and processing industries in the alpine region between Italy and France, the project is focused on the development of innovative approaches for safe, high quality and sustainable production of genepy, through the optimization of the various stages of the production chain from plant cultivation to high quality liquor. The preparation of a technical data protocol for the recognition of the geographical cross-border area of "wormwood of the Alps" is one of the final goals of the project.

The PHYTO&FOOD CHEM group of DSTF is involved in the development of highly reliable and validated analytical methods for the characterization of Artemisia umbelliformis on the basis of the identification and quantitation of bioactive compounds from aerial parts and also present in the related products (liquor and extracts). In particular, methods for the quali-quantitative evaluation of volatile and semi-volatile compounds have been developed. Analyses focuses on thujones, responsible for the peculiar aroma but limited by law in the liquor, and the sesquiterpene lactones responsible for the bitter taste.

Advanced analytical platforms adopted include:

1) Extraction by classical approaches (liquid-liquid extraction), hydro-distillation, ultrasounds and by High Concentration Capacity (HCC) sample preparation techniques such as Solid Phase Microextraction – SPME;

2) Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometric detection (GC-MS)

3) High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Mass Spectrometric detection (LC-MS) for targeted profiling and quantitation;

4) Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) for high-throughput and high-efficiency screening of extracts.

Keywords:
Artemisia umbelliformis, Costunolide, A-b-thujone, UHPLC, LC-MS, GC-MS, HS-SPME

Links:
ALCOTRA - Dettaglio del progetto 
Regione Piemonte - Delibera 
Associazione GENEPI OCCITAN - Programma ALCOTRA  (vedi allegato .pdf nel dettaglio Documenti)