Grassi Giulia

Name and Surname: Giulia Grassi

Cycle: XXXIV - Curriculum: Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Science

Tutor: Prof.ssa Annamaria Perna, (SAFE)

Co-tutor: Dott. Vincenzo Quaranta (Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale, IZS, Puglia e Basilicata)

Title of the project

Effect of heavy metals (Pb and Cd) and non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (NDL-PCB) contamination on homeostatic status and sheep milk production and food strategies to reduce toxic effects in animals and their products

Aims of the project:

The PhD thesis concerns different agricultural areas of Basilicata region, especially those with high anthropic activity, and is focused on:

- assessment of the environmental quality of Basilicata region through a desktop work based on findings of the Local Health Authority (ASP), the IZS Institute and the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection of Basilicata (ARPAB) on air samples, water, soil and animal products (milk, meat, eggs and honey);

- assessment of the effect of contaminants intoxication, such as heavy metals (Pb and Cd) and PCBs, on the metabolic status, hematopoietic system and oxidative state by the analysis of sheep blood, and on the quantitative and qualitative traits of sheep milk;

- evaluation of the effect of a food supplement, consisting of phenolic compounds and probiotic microorganisms, to reduce toxicity in sheep fed with highly contaminated feed.

E-mail: giulia.grassi@unibas.it