Antonello Paparella è professore ordinario di Microbiologia alimentare (AGR 16 - Microbiologia Agraria) presso la Facoltà di Bioscienze e tecnologie agro-alimentari e ambientali dell'Università di Teramo.

Nato a Bari nel 1961, dopo la laurea con lode nel 1985 in Medicina Veterinaria all’Università di Bari, ha svolto studi di specializzazione in Ispezione degli alimenti presso l'Università di Bologna.

E' stato ricercatore nell'industria alimentare (BeCa, Fiorucci, Food Assistance, ITA) in differenti aree merceologiche: carni, conserve, prodotti a base di carne e lattiero-caseari. Le sue ricerche hanno contribuito in maniera significativa allo sviluppo di nuove tecnologie in ambito industriale.

Professore universitario a contratto dal 1991, nel 2000 ha preso servizio come professore associato di Microbiologia alimentare all'Università di Teramo. Dal 2006 è professore ordinario di Microbiologia alimentare.

Dal 1990 ha ricoperto incarichi di responsabilità nella pubblica amministrazione, come consigliere di amministrazione del Consiglio per la Ricerca e la Sperimentazione in Agricoltura (C.R.A., oggi CREA), commissario straordinario dell'Istituto Sperimentale Lattiero-Caseario di Lodi, membro del comitato tecnico del Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e commissario nella Commissione Nazionale per la Valutazione dell'Impatto Ambientale (V.I.A.).

Ha svolto azioni di ricerca e formazione in ambito internazionale, per esempio in Brasile, Cina, Giordania, Norvegia, Slovenia e Slovacchia. Parla correntemente 4 lingue straniere ed è spesso invited speaker in conferenze o gruppi di lavoro internazionali. E' autore o coautore di più di 240 lavori scientifici, di cui oltre 85 pubblicati su riviste internazionali indexate, e collabora come referee con numerose riviste scientifiche internazionali. È Editor-in-chief di Green Reports e nel Board of Editors delle riviste Foods e Plants.

Le sue linee di ricerca comprendono: sicurezza alimentare, caratterizzazione degli ecosistemi microbici e sviluppo di metodi analitici innovativi, con particolare riferimento all'impatto delle nuove tecnologie sulla sicurezza dei prodotti alimentari, sull'ambiente, sull'ecologia microbica e sulla sopravvivenza dei patogeni.

Ha studiato e sviluppato metodi indiretti e rapidi per la valutazione dei microrganismi vitali e sottoposti a danno subletale. La sua attività di ricerca ha riguardato, tra l'altro, la biodiversità di microrganismi alimentari patogeni e alteranti in diverse matrici alimentari e l'efficacia di diversi sistemi di controllo. Ha studiato l'effetto di tecnologie innovative sui microorganismi: elettrostimolazione, omogeneizzazione ad alta pressione, modificazioni di atmosfera, impregnazione sotto vuoto, confezionamento ipobarico, alte pressioni idrostatiche.

Ha cooordinato diversi progetti di ricerca nell'area dell'innovazione tecnologica e della sicurezza alimentare.

Attualmente, una parte significativa delle sue ricerche è rivolta allo studio delle potenzialità di applicazione di principi attivi di origine naturale per la bioconservazione e/o la decontaminazione dei prodotti alimentari.

E' nel Consiglio direttivo della Società Italiana di Ricerca sugli Oli Essenziali (SIROE) e della Società Italiana di Medicina Veterinaria Preventiva (SIMeVeP). Inoltre, è membro di numerose società scientifiche e gruppi di lavoro: SIMTREA, AIVI, GSICA, ecc.

Da anni partecipa come esperto di Microbiologia alimentare al programma televisivo Geo (RAI 3) e interviene spesso in altri programmi televisivi di divulgazione scientifica.

Antonello Paparella is Full Professor of Food Microbiology at the Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo.

He was born in Bari in 1961. After graduating in Veterinary Medicine at the University of Bari (January 31st,110/110 with distinction), he attended post-graduate courses in Food Inspection at the University of Bologna.

Antonello Paparella is a Full Professor in Food Microbiology (ERC 07, Macro-sector 07/I, Sector AGR/16) at the Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, University of Teramo.

He earned his graduation in Veterinary Medicine in 1985 at the University of Bari. His Master Thesis in Food Safety on the “Research of biogenic amines in sausages during curing” won the prize for the best thesis in Veterinary Medicine for the A.Y. 1983-1984, and was published in 1986. In 1987, he received the Diploma in Veterinary Pathological Anatomy and Food Safety (Postgraduate Programme) from the University of Bologna, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Immediately after his graduation, he passed the public selection for the Veterinary Military College in Pinerolo and he completed his military service in Padua as Second Lieutenant, responsible for Food Safety in a large area of the Veneto region. After his discharge, he was appointed for his merits Tenant in 1993 and Captain in 2000, in the Health Military Service.

The day after his discharge, he became a researcher in the food industry and contributed greatly to the development of new technologies in a wide range of product areas including meat, preserves and dairy products. In this period, he held various positions as a researcher and a manager: 1987-94: Research Director, BeCa SpA (Bologna); 1994-96: R&D Manager, Fiorucci SpA (Rome); 1996-2000: Scientific Director, Food Assistance and ITA (applied research). Between the years 1988 and 1996 he has offered independent scientific advice for the preparation of EU legislation, by means of Italian Industry Associations UNICEB – ASSICA. In the same period, he also took part of the Italian group of experts in Food Chemistry in the Italian Standardisation Body (UNI).

Adjunct Professor in Food Safety in different universities starting from 1991, he was appointed Associate Professor in Food Microbiology at the University of Teramo in 2000, and Full Professor in Food Microbiology in 2006. He was Dean of the Faculty of Bioscience and Technology for Food, Agriculture and Environment, from 2016 to 2019. Presently, he is Head of the Research Group of Food Microbiology and Food Hygiene at the University of Teramo, with 22 researchers, including 9 academic staff members.

Professor Paparella and his colleagues at the University of Teramo have done pioneering research in Food Microbiology, contributing directly to the development and launch of innovative food products and technologies.

His research interests include Food Safety, in particular about the impact of new technologies on pathogens survival and growth, as well as Microbial Ecology of Foods and Emerging Technologies for Shelf-life Extension. His research group is actively working on different research lines: emerging antimicrobials for food protection and shelf life extension (essential oils, hydrolates, chitosan, high hydrostatic pressure, etc.); microbial ecology of meat, seafood and vegetables; biofilms in dairy products and vegetables; microbial metabolites of food interests; fungi in foods.

His group is studying different microorganisms (e.g. Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Salmonella enterica), using a combined approach that includes molecular biology, flow cytometry, GC evaluation in headspace, and measurement of enzymatic activities.

Expert of the European Union from 1990 (Workgroup “Bilan des viands”), he held directorship positions in Public Administration: i) in the Board of Directors of the National Council for Agricultural Research (CREA); ii) as the Special Commissioner of the National Institute of Dairy Science (ILC Lodi, now CREA-ZA); iii) in the Advisory Committee of the Italian Ministry of Agriculture; iv) in the Commission for the Evaluation of the Environmental Impact (VIA) of the Ministry of the Environment. In 2000, he was appointed by the Italian Minister of Agriculture with the aim of carrying out a strategic study for upgrading animal welfare and feedstuffs quality. In 2002, he was appointed by the same Minister as a member of two groups of experts: one in GMOs and the other in Food Safety.

Professor Paparella has coordinated important research projects in the area of food innovation: food biopreservation with essential oils, sourdough applications for gluten-free products, pulsed vacuum tumbling for nitrite-free meat products, discriminating methods for seafood classification.

Prof. Antonello Paparella has published more than 240 publications as author or co-author, of which more than 85 have been published in indexed journals. He was also author of several books or chapters of books. He is Editor-in-Chief of the open access journal Green Reports (Ariviyal) and in the Board of Editors of Foods and Plants. He also collaborates as a reviewer with numerous international scientific journals. He is member of different scientific societies, and in particular he is in the Scientific Committee of the Italian Society of Preventive Veterinary Medicine (SIVeMP) and also in the Italian Society for Research in Essential Oils (SIROE). He has carried out research and training activities in the international arena, for example in Brazil, China, Slovenia, Jordan and Slovakia. He speaks five languages ​​fluently and is often "invited speaker" in international conferences or working groups. Finally, Antonello Paparella is a familiar face on Italian television as an expert in Food Science, and appeared on more than 400 TV shows.

Alcune pubblicazioni scientifiche recenti (https://scholar.google.it/citations?user=CAleX80AAAAJ&hl=it):

Paparella A., Mazzarrino G., Chaves López C., Rossi C., Sacchetti G., Guerrieri O., Serio A. (2016). Chitosan boosts the antimicrobial activity of Origanum vulgare essential oil in modified atmosphere packaged pork. Food Microbiology, 59, 23-31.

Chaves López C., Serio A., Montalvo C., Ramirez C., Peréz Àlvarez J.A., Paparella A., Mastrocola D., Martuscelli M. (2017). Effect of nisin on and shelf-life of vacuum packaged rainbow trout (Oncorhyncus mykiss) fillets. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 54(10), 3268-3277.

Bua A., Usai D., Donadu M.G., Delgado Ospina J., Paparella A., Chaves López C., Serio A., Rossi C., Zanetti S., Millicotti P. (2017). Antimicrobial activity of Austroeupatorium inulaefolium (H.B.K.) against intracellular and extracellular organisms. Natural Product Research, 1-3.

D'Amato S., Serio A., Chaves López C., Paparella A. (2018). Hydrosols: biological activity and potential as antimicrobials for food applications. Food Control 86, 126-137.

Rossi, C., Serio, A., Chaves-López, C., Anniballi, F., Goffredo, E., Cenci Goga B., Auricchio, B., Lista, F., Fillo, S., Paparella, A. (2018). Biofilm formation, pigment production and motility in Pseudomonas spp. isolated from the dairy industry. Food Control 86, 241-248.

Chaves-López,C.,   Usai, D.,   Donadu, M.G., Serio, A., González- Mina, R.T., Simeoni, M.C.,   Molicotti, P., Zanetti, S., Pinna A., Paparella, A. (2018). Evaluation of Borojoa patinoi Cuatrecasas, acqueous extract for in vitro antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity on human cells. Foods and Functions 9, 2725–2734.

Rossi, C., Chaves-López, C., Serio, A., Anniballi, F., Valbonetti, L., Paparella, A. (2018). Effect of Origanum vulgare essential oil on biofilm formation and motility capacity of Pseudomonas fluorescens strains isolated from discoloured Mozzarella cheese. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 1220-1231.

Pellegrini, M., Ricci, A., Serio, A., Chaves López, C., Mazzarrino, G., D’Amato, S., Lo Sterzo, C., Paparella, A. (2018). Characterization of essential oils obtained from Abruzzo autochtonous plants: antioxidant and antimicrobial activities assessment for food application. Foods 7(2), 19.

Grande Tovar, C. D., Chaves-Lopez, C., Serio, A., Rossi C., Paparella A. (2018). Chitosan coatings enriched with essential oils: Effects on fungal decay of fruits and mechanisms of action. Trends in Food Science and Technology 78, 61-71.

Grande Tovar, C. D., Chaves-Lopez, C., Serio, A., Rossi C., Delgado Ospina, J., Paparella A. (2018). Chitosan films incorporated with Thymus capitatus essential oil: mechanical properties and antimicrobial activity against degradative bacterial species isolated from tuna (Thunnus sp.) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius). Journal of Food Science and Technology 55, 4256-4265.

Serio, A., Chaves-Lopez, C., Sacchetti G., Rossi C., Paparella, A. (2018). Chitosan coating inhibits the growth of Listeria monocytogenes and extends the shelf-life of vacuum-packed pork loins at 4°C. Foods 7, 155.

Chaves-Lopez, C., Nguyen, H.N., Oliveira, R.C., Nadres, E.T., Paparella, A., Rodrigues, D.F. (2018). A morphological, enzymatic and metabolic approach to elucidate apoptotic-like cell death in fungi exposed to h- and α-molybdenum trioxide. Nanoscale 10, 20702-20716.

Nguyen, H.N., Chaves-Lopez, C., Oliveira, R.C., Paparella, A., Rodrigues, D.F. (2019). Cellular and metabolic approaches to investigate the effects of graphene and graphene oxide in the fungi Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger. Carbon 143, 419-429.

 Rossi, C., Chaves-López, C., Smole Možina, S., Di Mattia, C., Scuota, S., Luzzi, I., Jenič, T., Paparella, A., Serio, A. (2019). Salmonella enterica adhesion: Effect of Cinnamomum zeylanicum essential oil on lettuce. LWT – Food Science and Technology 11, 16-22.