The project (approved by the ex-MUIR Ministry and authorised by the decree prot no. 1769 of 01/08/2005) is undertaken by Nautilus in partnership with the Universities of Padova, Parma, Siena and with the Calabrian section of the ICEA (Istituto per la Certificazione Etica ed Ambientale).

The principal objective is the creation of a Research Centre of Excellence for the experimentation and the definition of new analytical systems for the control of food and environmental matrices, in response to the rising demand for safe foodstuffs and the necessity to develop environmental compatible and sustainable activities.

The certification of quality and authenticity, now required by national and European law, has in the last few years become of increasing importance, even more so following recent health scares (BSE, Dioxin Alarm, Bird Flu) that has affected the consumption of various types of meat.

These events, along with also the presence of OGM, hidden allegories, chemical additives, pesticides and contaminated food, have created much preoccupation amongst consumers.

The safety of food is closely tied to the quality of the environment from which it originates, as the contaminating factors have a direct impact on the characteristics of the water and food, both of animal and vegetable products.

A fundamental support for the politics of the control and the granting of safety certificates, which is both traceable and ensures quality, can derive from the use of a system of innovative analysis for the monitoring of food matrices and the environment from which they originate.

In particular, the techniques of molecular biological analysis, based upon DNA analysis (desossiribonucleic acid), are highly suitable for this type of control, being suitably sensitive and specific, versatile and rapid in the collection of results.

The scientific basis for these analytical procedures is very promising, but requires further perfection through dedicated studies and new research.

The C.R.E.S.Co.M.A Project is structured in two phases: training and research

The training started on the 19th June 2006 and is now reaching its conclusion.

Through the theoretical and practical notions acquired over the course of the training period, the staff of the Centre, supported by their university partners, should develop 7 lines of research defined by the Research Objectives (OR), with the support of the laboratories and their instrumentation.

The centre will provide a series of highly qualified specialisations which will be applied in the following sectors:

• food safety: This will concern the control of toxic substances amongst which heavy metals, pesticides, Polychlorobiphenyl congeners (PCB), chemical additives, pharmaceuticals, Aromatic Polycycle Hydrocarbures (IPA), dioxins and furans, toxins, allergens, substances derived from packaging and wrapping, and other substances. This sector will also include molecular analysis for the identification of species, OGM and food pathogens.
  
  
• food quality: In particular, the enhancement of the characteristics of all types of foodstuffs, and the control of nutritional and organoleptic substances;
  
  
• environmental quality: Monitoring of the environment, including the origin of products, but above all, the aim of the protection of the environment and management of a sustainable ecosystem.