The EU Interreg Project "ADRINET": Assessment of Well-Known and Emerging Pollutants in Seafood and Their Potential Effects for Food Safety.

Anthropogenic activities lead to the spread of chemicals and biological materials, including plastic waste, toxic metals, and pharmaceuticals, of which the impact on the Mediterranean Sea is of high concern. In this context, the EU Interreg Italy-Albania-Montenegro Project "ADRINET (Adriatic Network for Marine Ecosystem) _244" (2018-2020) arises. It aims to carry out biomonitoring campaigns in the main commercial interest of fish and cephalopod species, such as Sparus aurata, Dicentrarchus labrax, Sepia spp., and Loligo spp. sampled in three different subregions of the Mediterranean Sea. The presence of the main environmental contaminants, such as cadmium, microplastics, and antibiotics was investigated in these seafood samples. Contamination by cadmium and antibiotics in the seafood investigated in our study was negligible. However, a high value of microplastics was detected in the stomach and gut of Sparus aurata and Dicentrarchus labrax. Overall, even though the presence of microplastics needs to be investigated by further studies, the results confirmed that the environmental conditions of the three bays investigated by the ADRINET project partners (Italy, Albania, Montenegro) are positive and not affected by intensive anthropogenic activity.

Model development and initial characterization of Escherichia coli in the shellfish-producing area of Butrinti Lagoon.

The purpose of this research was to estimate the correlation between hydrochemicals and Escherichia coli contamination in Mytilus galloprovincialis by using multi-linear regression and statistically processing the monthly mean results. This study was conducted in a traditional cultivation of M. galloprovincialis, sampled and analyzed (n=136) for E. coli microbial analysis with ISO 16649-3. From 2015 to 2017, seawater was measured with a multiparameter apparatus, where four variables [dissolved oxygen (n=115), temperature (n=127) and pH (n=115), salinity (n=127), and local area rainfall monitoring (n=23)] were taken into consideration. The results were compared and shown to have a significant correlation, allowing for the quantification of the impact resulting from adjustments made to the monthly mean computation. During the study period, statistical performance for each year was estimated R2=94.4% (2015), R2=46.8%, and R2=97.5% (2017).