February 8, 2022

AOAC announces Salvatore Parisi, visiting professor at Lourdes Matha Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, India, as the new acquisitions editor for the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL (JAOAC). He assumed the role on February 1, 2022, taking over for Joseph Sherma, Lafayette College, retired. In his new role, Parisi is instrumental in acquiring high-quality content relevant to JAOAC and ensuring that AOAC maintains its high standards for publications.

J. AOAC Int. continues to publish relevant and valuable contributions to the analytical sciences related to AOAC’s scope,” Parisi said. “I thank Dr. Sherma, my predecessor, for setting the standard for the role of acquisitions editor, and I look forward to working with the staff of J. AOAC Int. to continue this tradition.”

Prior to his current position as a visiting professor in India, Parisi was a visiting assistant professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Salt, Jordan, from 2018 to 2019.

As acquisitions editor for JAOAC, Parisi builds relationships with guest editors, guides them through AOAC’s publication process, and agrees on delivery dates for manuscripts. In addition, he identifies sources for future content and collaborates with the JAOAC team to advance papers forward to publication.

He is no stranger to the Journal and its process, having served as a special guest editor for three different sections:

  • “Characterization of Major Phenolic Compounds in Selected Foods from Technological and Health Promotion Viewpoints” (J. AOAC Int., Vol. 103, Issue 4, July-August 2020, pp 904–905, https://doi.org/10.1093/jaoacint/qsaa011)
  • “Analytical Approaches and Safety Evaluation Strategies for Antibiotics and Antimicrobial Agents in Food Products: Chemical and Biological Solutions” (J. AOAC Int., Vol. 101, Issue 4, July 2018, pp 914–915, https://doi.org/10.5740/jaoacint.17-0444)

One of the papers in the latter special guest editor section was listed on the Oxford University Press website in August 2020 as a top 10 most-read article of JAOAC.

Parisi is a co-author of the paper, “Stakeholders’ Guidance Document for Consumer Analytical Devices with a Focus on Gluten and Food Allergens,” which was published in J. AOAC Int. (Vol. 101, Issue 1, January 2018, pp 185–189, https://doi.org/10.5740/jaoacint.17-0425).

A five-year member of AOAC, Parisi is actively involved, serving on expert review panels (ERPs) for fertilizers, flavanols, low-lactose, and MCPD and 16 different working groups in the ambit of infant formula, food, alternative methods, and cannabis. He became a member of the AOAC Official Methods Board (OMB) in September 2019.

Parisi and colleagues received an AOAC ERP of the Year award in 2019 for their work with the AOAC Stakeholder Program on Infant Formula and Adult Nutritionals (SPIFAN) MCPD methods and in 2021 for AOAC Cannabis Analytical Science Program (CASP) cannabinoid methods. In 2020, he received an Award in Recognition of Technical and Scientific Excellence as part of the AOAC Working Group on Veterinary Drug Residues, which developed Standard Method Performance Requirements for Screening and Identification Method for Regulated Veterinary Drug Residues in Food.

“Through my experience as an AOAC member and volunteer, I can assure that the Association offers members many opportunities in terms of education, mentoring, networking, collaboration, and partnership,” Parisi says. “All members are encouraged to be involved and share different perspectives. The results are impressive–reaching consensus on the best fit-for-purpose analytical methods to solve global issues. These results cannot be achieved without active cooperation and volunteering.”

In addition to AOAC, Parisi is a member of the Royal Institution of Great Britain since 2020 and a coordinator at Islington U3A since April 2021. He also works with the Associazione ‘Componiamo il Futuro’. Parisi served as series editor for SpringerBriefs in Molecular Science: Chemistry of Foods until February 2022. He is credited for establishing Parisi’s First Law of Food Degradation, which has been cited by the Government of India, Italian academia, and several international works (see January/February 2021 issue of ILM).

Parisi obtained his MSc from the University of Palermo and PhD from the University of Messina, Italy.

“Salvatore has done an outstanding job as special guest editor for various J. AOAC Int. sections in the past, and his expertise and experience will continue to bring in quality submissions to our journal,” said Jennifer Diatz, AOAC Director of Publications. “I am very excited to work with Salvatore on acquiring guest editor sections.”

This article was published in the January/February 2022 Inside Laboratory Management (ILMissue. Click here to learn more and subscribe to ILM.