Simona Pinzaru and the monitoring of Adriatic aquaculture
Print page
Simona Pinzaru, NEWFELPRO's senior researcher in the incoming scheme, is implementing her project at the Department of Aquaculture at University of Dubrovnik. Simona, who has a PhD in Physics, is also the only researcher who is implementing her NEWFELPRO project „Environmental aquaculture and seafood monitoring in South-Adriatic coast (Croatia) using Raman spectroscopy techniques and SERS-based sensors (JADRANSERS)“ at University of Dubrovnik.
The focus of her research is to combine the expertise in applied Raman spectroscopy techniques, particularly surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) in biomedical and environmental field with the aquaculture, aiming to implement new plasmonics-based SERS sensing methods to answer to the current needs for ultrasensitive, fast, cheap and non-invasive aquaculture monitoring on the Croatian sea coast. In situ SERS assessment using portable Raman technology will focus on aquaculture monitoring, taking into account the local environmental conditions and the EU regulation requirements.
The aim of the project is to realize the possibilities of an advanced Raman spectroscopy, along with the development of measurement equipment in monitoring the phytotoxins and other pollutants in sea water and seafood, esp. in local context of seashell production in Mali Ston. In addition, interdisciplinary and applied research with which should enhance the scientific effectivness of both partner universities in the area of envirnomental monitoring.
Throughout her project, Simona held two workshops and lectures on „Shedding laser light on Adriatic seawater environment" in October 2014 and 2015. The 2015 workshop was covered by the Dubrovačka televizija, you can see the short clip on the following page (from 6.48 – 8.15 min).
In addition, Simona presented at a conference in Germany on „SERS in seawater” where she also presented her poster “SERS detection of domoic acid ASP toxin in fish tissue”. She also held an oral presentation in Cluj, Romania titled „Fresh Oyster Edible Tissue Analysis using SERS“. In June this year, Simona presented on European Summit of Nanomedicine.
Whilst implementing the project, Simona prepared the following papers:
C. Müller, Branko Glamuzina, I. Pozniak, K. Weber, D. Cialla, J. Popp, Simona Cîntă Pînzaru*
Amnesic shellfish poisoning biotoxin detection in seawater using pure or amino-functionalized Ag nanoparticles and SERS Talanta, 130, 1 2014, 108-115 doi:10.1016/j.talanta.2014.06.059
Simona Cinta Pinzaru, Cs. Muller, Sanja Tomšić, M. M. Venter, B. I. Cozar, Branko Glamuzina, J. Raman Spectrosc New SERS feature of β-carotene: consequences for quantitative SERS analysis: New SERS feature of β-carotene 2015, DOI: 10.1002/jrs.4713 I. F. 2.5
Proc. “Shellfish Poisoning Intoxication Prevention: Novel Approach Based on Plasmonics SERS of Ag Nanoparticles-biotoxins Interaction and Detection”, Simona Cîntă Pînzaru , Cs. Muller, I. Ujevic, V. Chisa, B. Glamuzina, Proc. of the VIII Summit of Clinical Nanomedicine, Basel, Swiss, 28 June-1 July, 2015 (First published on line: 12 MAY 2015; To be released on June 28. 2015.
Upon finishing her project, Simona is returning to her home institution in Romania - Babes-Bolyai University as an Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedical Physics, Theoretics and Molecular Spectroscopy.