cherubino

For companies

Services for companies

Service coordinator: Prof. Andrea Armani

Analysis coordinators:

  • Prof.ssa Lara Tinacci
  • Dott.ssa Alice Giusti

Services and Activities

The FishLab offers specialised services to food companies, with a focus on the seafood supply chain.

Our laboratory acts as a scientific partner to support companies in quality control, applied research, regulatory compliance and product innovation. Other laboratories within the Department of Veterinary Sciences may be involved in the design and execution of analyses requiring multidisciplinary expertise.

Types of Analysis and Technical Consulting

We offer customised analyses and technical consulting in the following areas:

Fish species authentication
  • Food fraud control (species substitution) through the application of molecular techniques based on DNA analysis
  • Analysis on all product types (fresh, frozen, processed)
Product labeling
  • Verification of compliance with current regulations
  • Support in complying with current regulations
Food Quality and Safety (in collaboration with other departmental laboratories)
  • Microbiological screening
  • Assessment of shelf life, integrity, and product characteristics
  • Microbiota characterisation using next-generation sequencing techniques
Bioinformatic Analysis
  • Customizable support for sequencing data analysis, both for species authentication and product microbiota characterisation
Training courses for companies
  • Customised technical courses for company staff
  • Practical sessions on analytical methods and result interpretation
  • Import-export
Applied research
  • Co-design of studies to improve product quality and sustainability
  • Collaborations in regional, national, and European projects

Scientific results of collaboration and applied research

Over time, FishLab has engaged in service agreements and initiated applied research activities in collaboration with wholesale operators and large-scale retail companies, focusing on the production and distribution of both fresh and processed fishery products.

Related publications
  • Tinacci, L., Guidi, A., Toto, A., Guardone, L., Giusti, A., D’Amico, P., & Armani, A. (2018). DNA barcoding for the verification of supplier’s compliance in the seafood chain: How the lab can support companies in ensuring traceability. Italian Journal of Food Safety,7(2), 6894.
  • Guardone, L., Nucera, D., Lodola, L. B., Tinacci, L., Acutis, P. L., Guidi, A., & Armani, A. (2018). Anisakis spp. larvae in different kinds of ready to eat products made of anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus) sold in Italian supermarkets. International journal of food microbiology, 268, 10-18.
  • Tinacci, L., Armani, A., Guidi, A., Nucera, D., Shvartzman, D., Miragliotta, V., … & Abramo, F. (2018). Histological discrimination of fresh and frozen/thawed fish meat: European hake (Merluccius merluccius) as a possible model for white meat fish species. Food Control, 92, 154-161.Octopus fresco decongelato
  • Giusti, A., Tosi, F., Tinacci, L., Guardone, L., Corti, I., Arcangeli, G., & Armani, A. (2020). Mussels (Mytilus spp.) products authentication: A case study on the Italian market confirms issues in species identification and arises concern on commercial names attribution. Food Control,118, 107379.
  • Tinacci, L., Armani, A., Scardino, G., Guidi, A., Nucera, D., Miragliotta, V., & Abramo, F. (2020). Selection of histological parameters for the development of an analytical method for discriminating fresh and frozen/thawed common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) and preventing frauds along the seafood chain. Food Analytical Methods,13(11), 2111-2127.
  • Castiglione, D., Guardone, L., Susini, F., Alimonti, F., Paternoster, V., Ricci, E., … & Armani, A. (2021). A case study on farmed European seabass and gilthead seabream in central Italy: The negligible parasitological risk of nematode larvae paves the way for the freezing derogation. Food Control,125, 107964.
  • Giusti, A., Malloggi, C., Lonzi, V., Forzano, R., Meneghetti, B., Solimeo, A., Tinacci, L., & Armani, A. (2023). Metabarcoding for the authentication of complex seafood products: The fish burger case. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, 123, 105559.
  • Di Maggio, M., Loeffler, C. R., Tinacci, L., Varinelli, E., Dall’Ara, S., Frøstrup, S. T., Spielmeyer, A., Giusti, A., & Armani, A. (2025). A preliminary survey on the presence of ciguatoxins (CTXs) in fishery products sold in Italy: An initial step towards the proper assessment of an emerging EU risk. Food Control, 172, 111202.

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