The major research interests of this Unit are: 1) the study of pesticide in food; 2) the study of photodegradation and kinetic mechanisms of natural and synthetic pesticides; 3) the study of chemical composition of traditional food; 4) the study on medicinal plants.

Paolo Cabras has been Professor of Food Chemistry since August 2000. In 1996 and 1997 he is coordinator of the network "Pesticides Residues in Food" in the context of the Alpha project of the European Union. This network was made up by researchers from Italy, Greece, Spain, Brazil and Chile. In 1982 he was named President of the GRIFA (Group Research of Pesticide and Environment), national association that involves almost all Italian researchers that are interested to pesticide-food-environment problems. In 1999 he was named President of Mediterranean Group of Pesticide Research, an International Scientific Association that involves Mediterranean researchers on pesticides residues in food. In 2000 he was named member of advisory committee of Ministry of Agriculture for organic agriculture. The same year he was named member of advisory board of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. In 2006 he was named Academic Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Cagliari.

Pierluigi Caboni, Giorgia Sarais, Alberto Angioni, Vincenzo L. Garau, Paolo Cabras. Fast and versatile multiresidue method for the analysis of botanical insecticides on fruits and vegetables by HPLC/DAD/MS. J Agric Food Chem. 2005, 53(22), 8644-9.
Carlo I. G. Tuberoso, Adam Kowalczyk, Valentina Coroneo, Mariateresa Russo, Sandro Dessì, and Paolo Cabras. Chemical Composition and Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Antifungal Activities of the Essential Oil of Achillea ligustica All. J. Agric. Food 2005;53(26):10148-10153.
P. Montoro, C. I.G. Tuberoso, A. Perrone, S. Piacente, P. Cabras, C. Pizza. Characterisation by liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry of anthocyanins in extracts of Myrtus communis L. berries used for the preparation of myrtle liqueur. J Chromatogr A. 2006;1112(1-2):232-40.
P. Montoro, C. I.G. Tuberoso, A. Perrone, S. Piacente, P. Cabras, C. Pizza - Stability and antioxidant activity of polyphenols in extracts of Myrtus communis L. berries used for the preparation of myrtle liqueur. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis (J Pharm Biomed Anal. 2006;41(5):1614-9).
S. D’Aquino, M. Schirra, A. Palma, A. Angioni, P. Cabras, Q. Migheli - Residue levels and effectiveness of pyrimethanil vs. imazalil in the control of Penicillium decay on citrus fruit after postharvest dip treatments - J. Agric Food Chem 2006;54(13):4721-4726.
de Melo Abreu S, Caboni P, Cabras P, Alves A, Garau VL. A comparison of a gas chromatographic with electron-capture detection and a gas chromatographic with mass spectrometric detection screening methods for the analysis of famoxadone in grapes and wines. J Chromatogr A. 2006;1103(2):362-7.
de Melo Abreu S, Caboni P, Pirisi FM, Cabras P, Alves A, Garau VL. Residues of the fungicide famoxadone in grapes and its fate during wine production. Food Addit Contam. 2006;23(3):289-94.
Susana de Melo Abreu; Pierluigi Caboni; Paolo Cabras; Vincenzo Luigi Garau; Arminda Alves "Validation and global uncertainty of a liquid chromatographic with diode array detection method for the screening of azoxystrobin, kresoxim-methyl, trifloxystrobin, famoxadone, pyraclostrobin and fenamidone in grapes and wine" Analytica Chimica 2006, 573-574, pp. 291-297.
Angioni A, Barra A, Coroneo V, Dessi S, Cabras P. Chemical composition, seasonal variability, and antifungal activity of Lavandula stoechas L. ssp. stoechas essential oils from stem/leaves and flowers. J Agric Food Chem. 2006;54(12):4364-70.
Caboni P, Sarais G, Angioni A, Garcia AJ, Lai F, Dedola F, Cabras P. Residues and persistence of neem formulations on strawberry after field treatment. J Agric Food Chem. 2006;54(26):10026-32.