Papers by Umberto Piantini
CHIMIA
The aim of this study was to better evaluate the impact of on-site electro-generated hypochlorite... more The aim of this study was to better evaluate the impact of on-site electro-generated hypochlorite for water disinfection. For this venture, the daily variability of hypochlorite-generating systems and their performance to produce low disinfection by-products during the formation of hypochlorite were observed. Seven on-site electro-generated hypochlorite installations, were selected at different swimming pool facilities in Switzerland. Active chlorine (AC), the two disinfection by-products chlorate (ClO3-) and perchlorate (ClO4-), and the pH were monitored over several hours. All monitored installations produced significant concentrations of chlorate, related to the measured active chlorine concentration. The median chlorate concentrations ranged between 1.4 to 76.9 µg ClO3-/mg AC during daily monitoring. Perchlorates have been detected only in the installations of one brand that generated concentrations up to 34.9 µg ClO4-/mg AC. For all installations, pH was lower than expected wit...
Real wastewater micropollutant removal by wood waste biomass biochars: A mechanistic interpretation related to various biochar physico-chemical properties
Bioresource Technology Reports, 2022
eco.mont (Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research), 2014
Freshwater biodiversity has shown to be highly vulnerable to climate warming. Boreo-alpine specie... more Freshwater biodiversity has shown to be highly vulnerable to climate warming. Boreo-alpine species are especially at risk in the Alps because they have to migrate to higher elevations to avoid local extinction. Effects of climate warming could be partly counteracted by creating new freshwater habitats: this would boost the population sizes of the endangered species and would increase the connectivity between Alpine waterbodies to facilitate the species' upward dispersal and colonization of new habitats. Nevertheless, the localization of new habitats has to be carefully chosen, as successful restoration (or habitat creation) depends on many abiotic and ecological variables (e. g. habitats density and quality, connection between bodies of water, presence of targeted species, resistance of landscape to species movements). Furthermore, various socioeconomic drivers and actors determine the land and water uses in the Alps. Therefore we developed an innovative method for prioritization of areas for creation (or restoration) of small bodies of water, taking into account both ecological parameters (from species to landscape) and social ones. The method was developed in a test area (130 km 2 , in Canton Valais, Switzerland) representative of the Swiss Alpine landscapes and their associated socioeconomic activities. The proposed methodological framework consists of four steps which allow refining the geographical area to propose two or three small areas (some hectares) suitable for the creation of small water bodies. The first step investigates the regional scale, often several thousand km 2 , with a focus on environmental considerations: presence of historical or contemporary wetlands and waterbodies, presence of cold stenotherm species, and favourable landscape (in terms of land use) and socioeconomic context. The second step identifies areas of biological connectivity between source ponds and future host ponds for cold stenotherm species, taking into account the distance between source and host ponds and landscape resistance to the movements of pro pagules, finally highlighting the migration corridors. The third step checks the preselected areas with the aim of discarding catchments impaired by selective or diffuse pollutions. The fourth and final step is intended to enhance the probability of the project's social acceptance: qualitative interviews and field observations are conducted on a local scale (often one km 2 ) and options are evaluated with local stakeholders. Conducting the four successive and complementary steps ensures that the selected areas have a high potential for hosting the alpine biodiversity, and furthermore provide a favourable social framework for success in the short as well as the long term. Such a tool should promote and facilitate actions for conserving freshwater biodiversity in the Alps.
Comparaison de variétés d'origan cultivées en Franche-Comté
Revue Suisse De Viticulture Arboriculture Et Horticulture, 2010
L'utilisation d'huile essentielle d'origan riche en carvacrol suscite actuellement un... more L'utilisation d'huile essentielle d'origan riche en carvacrol suscite actuellement un grand interet en production d'additifs alimentaires pour animaux, principalement pour ses proprietes antimicrobiennes. La region de Franche-Comte (F) a lance un projet pour connaitre le potentiel economique de cette nouvelle culture. Trois varietes commerciales d'origan, Carva, Origalia et Bolier, ont ete evaluees sur trois sites a conditions pedo-climatiques contrastees, dans les departements du Jura et de la Haute-Saone, de 2004 a 2006. Cette Labiee, vivace, s'est tres bien adaptee aux conditions climatiques assez rudes de cette region. Les varietes Carva et Origalia se sont revelees les plus riches en huile essentielle (7,5 %) et egalement les mieux adaptees aux sites d'altitude. La bonne vigueur de Carva lui confere meme des rendements en moyenne plus eleves en 1re annee de recolte. Avec un potentiel de production sur deux annees de 400 l/ha d'huile essentielle a 75-80 % de carvacrol, la culture d'origan s'avere une interessante source de carvacrol d'origine naturelle pour l'industrie.
Classification of Swiss wines on a regional scale by means of a multi-isotopic analysis combined with chemometric methods
A partir de 75 echantillons authentiques collectes sur les principales zones viticoles de Suisse,... more A partir de 75 echantillons authentiques collectes sur les principales zones viticoles de Suisse, des mouts ont ete produits puis fermentes en vins et soumis a deux types d'analyses isotopiques selon les recommendations de l'UE. Quatre cepages ont ete consideres dans cette etude: Chasselas, Riesling X Sylvaner (=Mullerthurgau), Pinot (=Blauburgunder) and Merlot. Les rapports 18 O/ 16 O de l'eau du vin ont ete analyses par IRMS et les rapports 2 H/ 1 H de l'ethanol ont ete mesures par RMN site-specifique du deuterium. Les resultats montrent que les donnees de 2 H-NMR et de 18 O/ 16 O-IRMS combinees par l'analyse lineaire discriminante permettent une separation des vins suisses en quatre regions: Valais, Tessin, est (Suisse allemanique) et ouest de la Suisse (romandie). Le projet va durer encore une annee avec les echantillons de la vendange 2001. On incluera en plus des echantillons de vins du commerce ainsi que de nouveaux parametres analytiques: l'analyse pa...
The Vitamin C Analogue 2-O-β-D-Glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic Acid in Rhizomes, Stems and Leaves of Lycium barbarum
CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry
Awareness of health benefits of goji berries coming from their bioactive compounds, mostly antiox... more Awareness of health benefits of goji berries coming from their bioactive compounds, mostly antioxidants like ascorbic acid, has grown. Recently, an ascorbic acid analogue from goji berries, the 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid has been reported. In rats, the analogue is absorbed intact and in the form of free vitamin C and consequently has been proposed as a provitamin C. Synthesis of the analogue is demanding and laborious and therefore reliable natural sources are searched. Knowledge concerning the analogue's occurrence in other parts of goji plant is lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contents of 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid in rhizomes, stems and leaves from Lycium barbarum. Rhizomes, stems and leaveswere extracted and the content of 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid and non glucosylated, free ascorbic acid was determined by HPLC-DAD. 2-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-L-ascorbic acid was found in all goji plant tissues investigated. Based on dry wei...
Analytical Platforms at Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences
CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry
Numerous projects and industrial and academic collaborations benefit from state-of-the-art facili... more Numerous projects and industrial and academic collaborations benefit from state-of-the-art facilities and expertise in analytical chemistry available at the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences. This review summarizes areas of expertise in analytical sciences at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW), the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW). We briefly discuss selected projects in different fields of analytical sciences
Inactivation of viruses and bacteria on strawberries using a levulinic acid plus sodium dodecyl sulfate based sanitizer, taking sensorial and chemical food safety aspects into account
International Journal of Food Microbiology
The efficacy of levulinic acid (LVA) in combination with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in removal ... more The efficacy of levulinic acid (LVA) in combination with sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in removal of foodborne viruses, enteric bacterial pathogens and their surrogates on fresh strawberries was investigated. Inoculated strawberries were treated with potable water, sodium hypochlorite solution (50ppm), 0.5% LVA plus 0.5% SDS solution, and 5% LVA plus 2% SDS solution respectively for 2min, followed by spray-rinsing with potable water. Water washing removed at least 1.0-log of the tested viral and bacterial strains from the strawberries' surfaces. The 50ppm chlorine wash induced 3.4, 1.5 and 2.1-log reductions for hepatitis A virus (HAV), murine norovirus-1 (MNV-1) and MS2 bacteriophage, respectively. In comparison, the tested bacterial strains showed uniform reductions around 1.6-log CFU/ml. The 0.5% LVA plus 0.5% SDS wash induced 2.7, 1.4 and 2.4-log reductions for HAV, MNV-1 and MS2, which were comparable with the reductions induced by chlorine (P>0.05). For bacteria, over 2.0-log reductions were obtained for Enterococcus faecium, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella, while Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Escherichia coli P1 showed reductions of 1.9 and 1.8-log CFU/ml. Higher concentration of LVA plus SDS showed no significantly higher reductions (P>0.05). Sensory tests of washed strawberries and chemical residue analysis of LVA on strawberries after washing were also performed. In conclusion, this study demonstrates good performance of 0.5% LVA plus 0.5% SDS to reduce the levels of enteric pathogens if present on strawberries without altering taste and introducing chemical safety issues.
Authenticity control of alpine aromatic plants by enantioselective gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Part 1: White genepi (Artemisia umbelliformis Lam.)
Chimia, 2003
New Spermine Alkaloids from Aphelandra tetragona (VAHL) NEES
Helvetica Chimica Acta, Feb 1, 1989
... 23. New Spermine Alkaloids from Aphelandra tetragona (VAHL) NEES by Bassem F. Tawil'), Ji... more ... 23. New Spermine Alkaloids from Aphelandra tetragona (VAHL) NEES by Bassem F. Tawil'), Ji-ping Zhu, Umberto Piantini, and Manfred Hesse* ... The UV spectrum (Fig.1) of lb with maxima at 295 nm (log 3 . 8 2 ) and 323 (3.86), supports an (E)-cinnamoyl structure (cf. eg [lo]). ...
Transition-metal NMR spectroscopy. 7. The reactivity of complexed carbocycles. 16. Structural and and NMR spectroscopic studies of cyclooctatetraene as a bridging ligand: five different bonding modes in dimetallic complexes
Organometallics, 1986
European Food Research and Technology, Jan 5, 2004
The objective of this work was to study methods to check the geographical origin of Swiss wines. ... more The objective of this work was to study methods to check the geographical origin of Swiss wines. Authentic grape samples from the vintages 2000 and 2001 were collected in representative locations, and the wines produced from these samples were subjected to isotopic (2 H/ 1 H ethanol ; 18 O/ 16 O wine water), elemental (Mn,
Classification of Swiss wines on a regional scale by means of a multi-isotopic analysis combined with chemometric methods
Mitteilungen Aus Lebensmitteluntersuchung Und Hygiene, 2002
Synthetic models of the active site of cytochrome P-450. I: The synthesis of a doubly-bridged iron(II)-porphyrin carrying a tightly bound thiolate ligand
Helvetica Chimica Acta, 1987
ABSTRACT The doubly-bridged iron(II)-tetraphenylporphyrin derivative 6, carrying a sterically fix... more ABSTRACT The doubly-bridged iron(II)-tetraphenylporphyrin derivative 6, carrying a sterically fixed S− ligand in the ‘proximal’ position and the substrate at the ‘distal’ site, was synthesised as an enzyme model for cytochrome P-450. Compound 36, the CO complex of 6, displays a split Soret band (403 and 457 nm) similar to the native cytochrome P-450.
New Spermine Alkaloids fromAphelandra tetragona (VAHL) NEES
Helvetica Chimica Acta, 1989
... 23. New Spermine Alkaloids from Aphelandra tetragona (VAHL) NEES by Bassem F. Tawil'), Ji... more ... 23. New Spermine Alkaloids from Aphelandra tetragona (VAHL) NEES by Bassem F. Tawil'), Ji-ping Zhu, Umberto Piantini, and Manfred Hesse* ... The UV spectrum (Fig.1) of lb with maxima at 295 nm (log 3 . 8 2 ) and 323 (3.86), supports an (E)-cinnamoyl structure (cf. eg [lo]). ...
Two Novel Diterpenoids from Pygmaeopremna herbacea
Journal of Natural Products, 1989
Structural Consequences of Electron-Transfer Reactions. Part 22. Electrochemically Induced Insertion of Ruthenium Atoms into a CC Bond: Reversible Slicing of a Cyclooctatetraene Ligand
Cheminform, 1991
Transition-metal NMR spectroscopy. 7. The reactivity of complexed carbocycles. 16. Structural and and NMR spectroscopic studies of cyclooctatetraene as a bridging ligand: five different bonding modes in dimetallic complexes
Organometallics, 1986
LWT - Food Science and Technology, 2003
Twenty Emmental cheeses from six European regions (Allg. au (D), Bretagne (
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Papers by Umberto Piantini