Identification and characterization of new insect-derived antimicrobial peptides: an innovative approach against drug resistance

This thesis investigates insect-derived antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as an innovative and potentially scalable approach to tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This work integrates discovery, functional validation, and rational optimization into a single translational framework. The research begins by placing AMPs in the broader context of the AMR crisis and framing insects as an extremely rich source of innate immunity effector molecules, while outlining proteomics-based strategies usef...

Innovative methodologies for the purification of polluted water

Pharmaceuticals constitute a major class of Emerging Contaminants due to their extensive global consumption, intrinsic chemical stability, and limited removal in conventional wastewater treatment plants. Their persistence and bioactivity raise considerable environmental and toxicological issues, necessitating the development of efficient, scalable, and sustainable remediation strategies. This thesis first provides a systematic review of heterocyclic pharmaceuticals, synthesizing current know...

Design, Characterization, and Electrospinning of Hyaluronic Acid Bioconjugated for Biomedical Applications

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a naturally occurring polysaccharide widely used in biomedical applications due to its excellent biocompatibility and its key biological role in tissue regeneration and wound healing. However, its high hydrophilicity, limited mechanical stability, and poor processability represent major challenges for its processing by electrospinning for the fabrication of nanofibrous scaffolds. Therefore, chemical modification presents an effective strategy to tailor the physicochemi...

INSECT CELL LINES: A SUSTAINABLE SOURCE OF NOVEL FOOD

This thesis explores insect cell lines as a foundation for sustainable protein production, focusing on cultivated meat and circular bioeconomy pathways. The work focuses on cellular physiology, differentiation pathways, and tissue organization relevant to muscle and adipose development for cultivated meat. The thesis reviews the technological and socio-regulatory context for Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly, BSF) across food, feed, and pet nutrition, highlighting consumer acceptance...

Bioactive molecules derived from insects and their applications in agriculture

The black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens, Diptera: Stratiomyidae) is among the most promising species for the bioconversion of organic waste. A key co-product of BSF farming is larval frass, a mixture of larval excreta, exuviae, and residual substrate used as an organic fertilizer that delivers organic matter, micro- and macro- nutrient and potentially plant growth-promoting microorganisms (PGPM). Despite growing interest, a systematic framework linking larval diet and post-processing tr...

Immaginari e identità collettiva della Basilicata: analisi ecocritica delle fonti audiovisive tra paesaggi e narrazioni

SMART TECHNOLOGIES FOR AGRI-FOOD AUTOMATION: DEVELOPMENT OF A SMART CART FOR PRECISION AGROCHEMICAL APPLICATION AND HARVEST ASSISTANCE

The rapid advancement of precision agriculture has fostered the adoption of optical sensing, data-driven modelling, and robotic platforms to improve crop management, quality assessment, and resource efficiency. However, the practical deployment of these technologies in real agricultural environments remains constrained by sensor reliability, limited robustness of predictive models, computational restrictions of embedded systems, and insufficient integration between perception, decision-making...

QUALITY OF LIFE IN INNER AREAS A MULTI-METHOD AND CAPABILITIES-BASED ANALYSIS: EVIDENCE FROM BASILICATA REGION

RECOVERY AND REUSE OF ALTERNATIVE WATER RESOURCES IN AGRICULTURE: AN ANALYSIS OF ECO-INNOVATION BETWEEN SOCIAL ACCEPTABILITY AND ECONOMIC-ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY