This report is part of the work performed in the project PNRR PE 5 “CHANGES”, and specifically in Spoke 5 “Science and Technologies for Sustainable Diagnostics for Cultural Heritage”, WP4 “Advanced diagnostics and scientific methods for organic material”.It presents and discusses the results obtained in the project, planned as: R4.2 Development and implementation of non-invasive taphonomy based methods as well as chemical/physical and molecular approaches to assess diagenetic processes in organic materials and constitutes one of the Deliverables produced: D4.2 - New digital, molecular, chemical/physical data archive for biological and paleobiological materials.The scope of this report is to present and discuss the activities performed in WP4 by the research partners involved. UNIBO contributed to the creation of a new digital archive of isotopic data through extensive ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr analyses on human, animal, and modern plant samples from diverse archaeological contexts. The work focused on reconstructing mobility, provenance, and landscape use by developing reliable local baselines and regional isoscapes, especially in areas with limited existing data. Samples were processed using standardized chemical protocols and MC-ICPMS measurements, and results were integrated with archaeological and environmental information. Modern plant sampling across South America, Italy, the Middle East, and the Arabian Peninsula further supported new isoscape development. The datasets will provide a lasting resource for future research in archaeology, ecology, and conservation science. UNINA has shown that complementary chromatographic and mass-spectrometric techniques provide a robust framework for reliably identifying archaeological organic residues and deepening interpretations of ancient practices. A minimally invasive MALDI-MSI workflow using trypsin-functionalized sheets shows strong potential for spatially resolved protein analysis in cultural-heritage materials, though sensitivity and peptide localization remain key challenges.In addition, the experiments conducted by UNINA on light and relative humidity have provided deeper insight into the influence of environmental parameters on the growth and metabolic behavior of fungal species frequently associated with the deterioration of paper-based materials. The species-specific responses observed under different experimental conditions made it possible to identify factors that either promote or limit microbial colonization. These findings contribute to defining more accurate risk scenarios and support the development of preventive strategies for the conservation of documentary heritage. UNIFI (DST) highlights that advanced analytical tools based on non-invasive techniques (CT-scan; Surface scan) implemented by powerful methodologies of elaboration/visualization in virtual environments strengthen our knowledge and visualization of “deep time” palaeobiological record, offering deeper insights into new digital and physical data archive for deep time paleobiological materials (e.g. retrodeformation, biomechanics, and much more). The potential of non-invasive approaches and analytical methods is crucial when dealing with such rare and unique cultural heritage objects.The totality of the experiences here reported contributes to the need of supporting the knowledge consolidation process with digital instruments and scientific methods, leading to the common goal of a better diagnostic investigation of biological and palaeobiological material.
Romandini et al. (Mon,) studied this question.