3.2. Purpose of the project and problem to be solved through innovative solutions

Food safety is threatened by the presence of chlorates and perchlorates in fruit and vegetables, substances from fertilizers and contaminated water. Although perchlorate is rapidly eliminated from the body, high concentrations can interfere with iodine metabolism, causing hypothyroidism, especially in young and iodine-deficient individuals. WHO and EFSA have set safety limits for chlorates and perchlorates in food and drinking water.
The European Commission, with Recommendation 682/2015 and Regulation 2020/685, has established maximum perchlorate thresholds in various foods, including lamb's lettuce (0.5 mg/kg). This species, belonging to the fourth-range vegetables, is particularly subject to the accumulation of chlorates and perchlorates due to fertilization and washing processes.
The aim of the project is to reduce the presence of these contaminants in lamb's lettuce through innovative management of water resources, fertilizers and pesticides, developing an advanced cultivation protocol. Non-invasive hyperspectral spectroscopic methods will be adopted for the continuous monitoring of plants and soils, integrated with traditional analyses, in order to build reliable predictive models. This will allow obtaining products compliant with regulations, improving the commercial value of production.

3.3. Proposed innovation

The innovation introduced in the Lazio Region concerns the development of a production protocol to improve the management of water resources, fertilizers and pesticides in the cultivation of valerian, aimed at obtaining a product with zero chlorates and perchlorates.
The protocol will be based on the use of digital spectroscopic technologies (400-2500 nm) and portable hyperspectral detection systems (point and image) for continuous monitoring of plants and soils, both in the field and post-harvest. The HSI (HyperSpectral Imaging) techniques, rapid, economical and reliable, will be integrated with classical analyses to perfect an eco-sustainable cultivation model, also suitable for organic farming.
The approach, typical of precision agriculture, will allow targeted agronomic interventions based on real crop needs and soil conditions. All data will be collected and managed in real time via smartphone, automatically updating the field notebook and the pesticide and fertilizer registers. The system will be completely automated and capable of correcting any deviations from the objectives.

3.3a ​​Coordination and interaction methods between partners

Coordination between partners will be ensured by periodic meetings and computerized management through a shared IT platform.

3.4. Specific objectives

The approach based on advanced point spectroscopy and/or hyperspectral imaging techniques (i.e. HyperSpectral Imaging – HSI) will allow, from a technical-scientific point of view, the achievement of the following objectives: • the construction of hyperspectral libraries characteristic of the different state of crops in relation to their characteristics, • the development of chemometric correlation models between information obtained through hyperspectral techniques and conventional ones, • the availability of an integrated sensor/algorithmic approach that is “easy to use” and can be used not only at laboratory scale, but also directly in the field for “quick point analyses” and/or at production scale, maintaining the same level of reliability, in terms of recognition, characterization and traceability of the different products, in combination and/or in substitution with those obtainable at laboratory scale through conventional procedures. This analytical approach, characterized by high analysis speed, low cost, at the same time robust and reliable, if used together with the classic laboratory one, could contribute significantly to the development of a cultivation protocol aimed at the production of lamb's lettuce with zero chlorate and perchlorate content, to the use of fertilization methods optimized for greenhouse cultivation and to an eco-sustainable management of production. This protocol could also be applied in the context of organic production. The proposed scenario would pave the way for the application of effective and efficient non-invasive and non-destructive monitoring, control and traceability techniques, based on easy monitoring and early detection, in relation to the cultivation of lamb's lettuce, along the entire supply chain. This approach will also produce a lower economic impact of the investigations, also allowing to increase their number to the advantage of a more extensive and systematic control of the product.