Peter Varelis Assistant Research Professor of Chemistry
	B.Sc.:	University of Western Australia
	Ph.D.:	University of Western Australia
	Office:	300A Moffett Campus
	Phone:	708.563.8159       Fax:  708.563.1873
	e-mail:	varelis@iit.edu

Professional Interests

The application of mass spectrometry to characterizing and quantifying organic compounds in challenging matrices such as food and biological specimens. In particular, developing so called activity-based methods that are capable of rapidly quantifying the potency of toxins such the botulinum neurotoxins and ricin. Such methods are particularly useful in objectively measuring the effects of novel food processing techniques such as ultra high pressure processing and electric pulse fields on microbial protein toxins and biologically active compounds. My other research interests include using stable isotope techniques to understand how off-flavours and toxins form in foods under certain processing conditions and how such contaminants can either be eliminated from or significantly reduced in foods. This research has involved the synthesis of carbon-13 labeled compounds to confirm mechanistic pathways and the use of nuclear magnetic resonance to characterize organic compounds. I am also involved in a collaborative study that is investigating the structure-activity relationship and mechanism of action of some naturally occurring antimicrobial sequiterpenes.

Representative Publications

• 1.Quantitative Analysis of Ochratoxin A in Wine and Beer using Solid "Phase Extraction and High Performance Liquid Chromatography-Fluorescence Detection." Peter Varelis, Su-Lin L. Leong, Ailsa Hocking and Georgina Giannikopoulos. Food Additives and Contaminants, 2006 (accepted for publication).
  
  
• "Fate of ochratoxin A during vinification of Semillon and Shiraz grapes." Su-lin L. Leong, Ailsa D. Hocking, Peter Varelis, Georgina Giannikopoulos and Eileen S. Scott. J Agriculture and Food Chemistry, 2006 (accepted for publication).
  
  
• "Cheddar cheese volatile profiling using dynamic headspace and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry olfactometry" Frank, Damian; O'Riordan, Patrick; Zabaras, Dimitrios; Varelis, Peter. Australian Journal of Dairy Technology, 2006, 61, 105-107.
  
  
• "Analysis of acrylamide in coffee and cocoa by isotope dilution liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry." Peter Varelis, Patricia C. Aguas, Matthew J. Fitzhenry, and Georgina Giannikopoulos. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, 2006, 385, 1526-1531.
  
  

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