The major research interests of this Unit are: 1) the study of the fate of pesticides 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 of medicinal plants.

Vincenzo Luigi Garau become Associate Professor of Food Chemistry in April 2001. He started his career as a researcher at the University of Cagliari, Italy, at the Industrial Hygiene Laboratory of the Institute of Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine (1980-1992). In 1993 he started teaching at the Department of Toxicology, Food and Environmental Chemistry Section. In the same department he carries out his research activity. He teaches a theoretical and practical course of "Analytical Chemistry” (8 CFU) and a course of "Chemical Analysis of Food" (7 CFU), in the Bachelor Studies in “Environmental, Food and Drug Toxicology”, of the Faculty of Pharmacy.

Cabras P., Angioni A., Caboni P., Garau V.L., Melis M., Pirisi F.M., Cabitza F. Distribution of folpet on the grape surface after treatment. J. Agric Food Chem. 48, 915-6, 2000.
Cabras P., Angioni A., Garau V.L., Pirisi F.M., Cabitza F., Pala M. Acephate and Buprofezin residues in olives and olive oil. Food Additives and Contaminants, 17, 855-8, 2000.
Cabras P., Angioni A., Garau V.L., Pirisi F.M., Cabitza F., Pala M., Farris G.A. Fate of Quinoxifen residues in grapes, wine and their processing products J. Agric Food Chem. 48, 6128-6131, 2000.
Garau V.L., Cabras. P., Melis M., Angioni A., Cabitza F., Brandolini V. Disappearance of some pesticides in celery. Ital. J. Food Sci. 13, 109-113, 2001.
Cabras P., Angioni A., Garau V.L., Pirisi F.M., Cabitza F., Pala M., Farris G.A. Fenexamid residues in grapes and wine. Food Additives and Contaminants, 18, 625-629, 2001.
Cabras P., Angioni A., Garau V.L., Melis M., Pirisi F. M., Cabitza F., Pala M. The effect of simulated rain on folpet and mancozeb residues on grapes and on vine leaves. J. Environ. Sci. Health, part B. 36, 609-618, 2001.
Floris I., Cabras P., Garau V.L., Minelli E., Satta A., Troullier J. Persistence and effectiveness of pyrethroids in plastic strips against Varroa jacobsoni (Acari Varroidae) and mite-resistence in a Mediterranean area. J. Econ. Entomol. 94 (5), 806-810, 2001.
Floris I., Satta A., Garau V.L., Melis M., Cabras P., Aloul N. Effectiveness and persistence of Amitraz strips in the apiary control of Varroa jacobsoni and residues in honey. Apidologie, 32, 577-585, 2001.
Garau V.L., Angioni A., Aguilera Del Real A., Russo M., Cabras P. Disappearance of Azoxystrobin, Pyrimethanil, Cyprodinil and Fludioxonil on Tomatoes in Greenhouse. J. Agric Food Chem. 50, 1929-1932, 2002.
Angioni A., Garau V.L., Aguilera Del Real A., Melis M., Minelli E., Tuberoso C., Cabras P. GC-ITMS Determination and Degradation of Captan during the wine-making. J. Agric Food Chem. 51, 6761-6766, 2003.
Floris I., Satta A., Cabras P., Garau V.L., Angioni A. Comparison Between Two Thymol Formulations in the Control of Varroa destructor: Effectiveness, Persistence and Residues. J. Econ. Entomol. 97 (2), 187-191, 2004.
Angioni A. Schirra M. Garau VL. Melis M. Tuberoso C. I. G., Cabras P. Residues of azoxystrobin, fenhexamid and pyrimethanil in strawberry following field treatments and the effect of domestic washing. Food Additives & Contaminants. 21(11):1065-1070, 2004.
Satta A. Floris I. Eguaras M. Cabras P. Garau VL. Melis M. Formic acid-based treatments for control of Varroa destructor in a Mediterranean area. Journal of Economic Entomology. 98(2):267-273, 2005.
Caboni P., Sarais G., Angioni A., Garau V.L., Cabras P. Fast and versatile multiresidue method for the analysis of botanical insecticides on fruits and vegetables by HPLC/DAD/MS. J Agric Food Chem. 53(22), 8644-9, 2005.
de Melo Abreu S, Caboni P, Cabras P, Alves A, Garau V.L. 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. 1103, 2, 362-7, 2006.
de Melo Abreu S, Caboni P, Pirisi FM, Cabras P, Alves A, Garau V.L. Residues of the fungicide famoxadone in grapes and its fate during wine production. Food Addit Contam. 23, 3, 289-94, 2006.
de Melo Abreu S., Caboni P., Cabras P., Garau V.L., Alves A. 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 Acta, 573–574 291–297, 2006.