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Dive into the research topics where Lara La Pera is active.

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Featured researches published by Lara La Pera.


Food Additives and Contaminants Part A-chemistry Analysis Control Exposure & Risk Assessment | 2009

Analysis of furan in coffee of different provenance by head-space solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry: effect of brewing procedures.

Lara La Pera; Alfredo Liberatore; Giuseppe Avellone; Serena Fanara; Giacomo Dugo; Pasquale Agozzino

A simple, sensitive and accurate method for the analysis of furan in roasted coffee has been used based on headspace–solid-phase micro-extraction (HS–SPME) coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The extraction was performed using 75-µm carboxen/polydimethylsiloxane fiber. Ionic strength, extraction time and temperature, and desorption time were assessed as the most important parameters affecting the HS–SPME procedure and d 4-furan was used as the internal standard. The linearity range was in the range 0.0075–0.486 ng g−1; the LOD and LOQ calculated using the signal-to-noise ratio approach were 0.002 and 0.006 ng g−1, respectively. The inter- and intra-day precision was 8 and 10%, respectively. The concentration of furan found in batches of roasted coffee powder different producing countries ranged from 57.3 to 587.3 ng g−1. The mean reduction in furan levels observed when brewing coffee by either infusion, using a moka pot or an expresso machine was 57, 67.5 and 63.3%, respectively.


Olives and olive oil in health and disease prevention | 2010

Inorganic Anions in Olive Oils: Application of Suppressed Ion Exchange Chromatography (IEC) for the Analysis of Olive Oils Produced from De-stoned Olives and Traditional Extraction Methods

Lara La Pera; Teresa Maria Pellicanò; Pellicano Vincenzo Lo Turco; Giuseppa Di Bella; Giacomo Dugo

Publisher Summary This chapter describes a study regarding the determination of several inorganic ions in olive oils from whole and de-stoned olives by ion chromatography with conductivity detection and chemical suppression. Sample preparation is a critical step in the whole analytical procedure; this study describes the ultrasound-assisted extraction of inorganic anions from the oil anions in a moderately alkaline solution (pH 8). The analytical method is validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. The obtained results have shown that the content of nitrite, nitrate, iodide, and bromide was lower than the detection limits in all the samples. Chloride, phosphate and sulfate levels were significantly higher in oils obtained from the whole fruits, indicating that the stone contributes to the presence of inorganic anions in the oil more than the pulp tissue.


Olives and olive oil in health and disease prevention | 2010

Classification of Sicilian Olive Oils According to Heavy Metal and Selenium Levels using Canonical Discriminant Analysis (CDA)

Lara La Pera; Giacomo Dugo; Vincenzo Lo Turco; Rossana Rando; Giuseppa Di Bella

Publisher Summary The presence of metals in vegetable oils depends on many factors: they might originate from the soil, fertilizers, and presence of industry or highways near the plantations, and be incorporated in the oil. The metals may also be introduced during the production process or by contamination from the metal processing equipment and thus be suspended in the oil. Taking into account the metabolic role of some metals and the large use of olive oils, it is of great concern to evaluate the presence of Cd (II), Cu (II), Pb (II), Zn (II) and Se (IV) in olive oils produced in Sicily in two different crop years (2000 and 2001). Stripping chronopotentiometry was used as a rapid, sensitive, and reproducible method to determine metal trace levels in acid extracts of olive oils. Recently the classification of olive oils based on the chemical composition has become an important challenge for researchers; in this regard it has been shown that the concentration of an inorganic element such as selenium is characteristic of the cultivar. This chapter aims (1) to summarize results from previous studies reporting the concentrations of some heavy metals and selenium in Sicilian virgin olive oils from three different varieties; (2) to use a statistical tool as canonical discriminant analysis (CDA) to classify virgin olive oils from different cultivars according to their heavy metal and selenium content.


Olives and olive oil in health and disease prevention | 2010

Plasticizer in Olive Oils

Giuseppa Di Bella; Lara La Pera; Vincenzo Lo Turco; D. Pollicino; Giacomo Dugo

Publisher Summary Humans have significant exposures to plasticizers, as these substances are ubiquitously present in flexible plastics. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the most versatile plastics because of its blending ability with a variety of additives such as plasticizers and stabilizers to produce a wide range of products including packaging materials. Films and sheets followed by bottle production are the largest applications for PVC in food packaging. They usually possess a low molecular weight and thus have the tendency to migrate from the packaging material into the packaged food, thereby becoming a food contact substance. Because of this occurrence, both the US Food and Drug Administration and the EU have set regulations on plasticizer use in food-packaging materials. There are several hundred specific migration limits (SLM) in Directive 2002/72/EC; in particular, 18 mg kg–1 food for bis-(2-ethylhexyl)adipate (DEHA) and 3 mg kg–1 food for bis-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP). Although DEHP is forbidden by the European legislation, it can sometimes be found in solvent-based inks. These inks are usually dedicated to non-food applications, but components and additives can be transferred to food-packaging inks. It is well documented that plasticizers such as adipates and phthalates from plasticized films readily migrate into fatty foods when there is direct surface contact between film and the food. The presence of toxic residues in vegetable oils has been reported by several researchers. Vegetable oils are one of the most important components of the human diet; therefore, the presence of plasticizers constitutes a significant health risk.


Food Chemistry | 2007

Pigments composition in monovarietal virgin olive oils from various sicilian olive varieties

Daniele Giuffrida; Francesco Salvo; Andrea Salvo; Lara La Pera; Giacomo Dugo


Food Chemistry | 2004

Determination of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) content in commercial vegetable oils using derivative potentiometric stripping analysis

Giacomo Dugo; Lara La Pera; Giovanna Loredana La Torre; Daniele Giuffrida


Food Control | 2006

Concentration of Cd (II), Cu (II), Pb (II), Se (IV) and Zn (II) in cultured sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) tissues from Tyrrhenian Sea and Sicilian Sea by derivative stripping potentiometry

Giacomo Dugo; Lara La Pera; A. Bruzzese; Teresa Pellicanò; Vincenzo Lo Turco


Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry | 2002

Derivative potentiometric stripping analysis (dPSA) used for the determination of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc in Sicilian olive oils.

Lara La Pera; Simona Lo Curto; Alessandro Visco; Loredana La Torre; Giacomo Dugo


Chemosphere | 2005

Simultaneous determination of Cd(II), Cu(II), Pb(II) and Zn(II) by derivative stripping chronopotentiometry in Pittosporum tobira leaves: a measurement of local atmospheric pollution in Messina (Sicily, Italy)

Rosina Matarese Palmieri; Lara La Pera; Giuseppa Di Bella; Giacomo Dugo


Food Chemistry | 2007

Determination of inorganic anions in commercial seed oils and in virgin olive oils produced from de-stoned olives and traditional extraction methods, using suppressed ion exchange chromatography (IEC)

Giacomo Dugo; Teresa Maria Pellicanò; Lara La Pera; Vincenzo Lo Turco; Antonia Tamborrino; Maria Lisa Clodoveo

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M. Alfa

University of Messina

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