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. 2022 Feb 15;19(4):2169.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042169.

Analysis of Massaciuccoli Peat after Maturation in Sodium Chloride Water of Undulna Thermae

Laura Giuseppina Di Pasqua  1 , Clarissa Berardo  1 , Lorenzo Raffo  2 , Andrea Ferrigno  1 , Enrico Guffanti  1 , Mariapia Vairetti  1
Affiliations

Analysis of Massaciuccoli Peat after Maturation in Sodium Chloride Water of Undulna Thermae

Laura Giuseppina Di Pasqua et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

In Italy, peat extracted from the peat bogs of Lake Massaciuccoli is the only peat used for therapeutic purposes. Massaciuccoli peat (M-peat) soaked in the salty bromine-iodine water of Undulna Thermae has given positive results in various pathological situations, mainly in dermatological, rheumatological, and traumatological conditions. Morphological and biochemical analysis were performed using base M-peat samples matured in the salty bromine-iodine water of the Undulna Thermae for different times, to evaluate whether maturation time modifies peat chemico-physical properties. The maturation process induced particle aggregation, with an increase in the fractions with larger particle size. The presence of a high number of proteins derived from organic degradation was observed; after 6 months of maturation, a significant increase in proteins was found, suggesting that salty bromine-iodine water plays a role in the clinical action of the peat. The presence of lipids in M-peat was also confirmed, allowing us to draw important considerations on its therapeutic properties possibly deriving from the relevant interactions between lipids and humic acids. Finally, from our observations, it could be reasonably argued that longer periods of maturation do not result in additional advantages regarding clinical activity.

Keywords: maturation; peats; protein.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that Lorenzo Raffo, Undulna Thermae, is the supplier of the peats. The specific role of this author is articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. However, the Undulna Thermae did not provide support in the form of salaries for authors and did not have any additional role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Microscopic analysis of M-peats: basic peat (a), after 6 months (b), after 16 months (c), and after 36 months (d) at 20× magnification.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Number of proteins (mg/mL) found in the M-peat samples: basic peat (A), after 6 months (B), after 16 months (C), and after 36 months (D). * p = 0.002 versus B and D.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Number of proteins SH (µM) (a) and lipid content (A.U.) (b) found in the M-peat samples: basic peat (A), after 6 months (B), after 16 months (C), and after 36 months (D). Protein SH: * p < 0.001 versus A, C, and D. Lipid content: * p = 0.026 versus A.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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