Born in Rome on 21st October 1943
Full professor of Food Sciences and Nutrition in the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Rome “La Sapienza” where he is Director of the Food Sciences and Nutrition Institute and the Specialization School in Food Sciences and Nutrition; chairman of the University Degree Courses for Jobs in the field of Health and Technology related to ‘Dietetics’ in the detached headquarters of the Hospital Administration St. Camillo Forlanini. He has been an ordinary fellow of the Società Italiana di Biochimica since 1970 and of the Società Italiana di Nutrizione Umana since 1986, where he was also Secretary General from 1991 to 1993. He has been an honorary fellow of the Unione Italiana contro l’Obesità since 1998 (now SIO: Società Italiana dell’Obesità). He has been a member of the Accademia Romana di Scienze Mediche e Biologiche since 1995 and since 1998 he has belonged to an experts’ committee of MURST for the selection and assessment of research projects in the agricultural and food field. In 2001 he was appointed by MURST as a member of an experts’ committee for the selection of research projects proving strategic in the field of Agrobiotechnologies.

Scientific activity:
He has worked on the metabolism of inorganic sulphur and selenium, on sulphurated aminoacids and on modifications of food proteins during storing processes. He has carried out researches on the structure-function relation in proteins with catalytic activity, such as cysteamine oxygenase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase and rhodanese (mitochondrial sulphur transferase). Especially the researches on this latter enzyme have proved useful in explaining its role in the metabolism of xenobiotics. In the field of human nutrition he has investigated food habits and lifestyle of elderly and employee populations, as being related to exposure to cardiovascular disease risk. He has worked on mass catering, both hospital and school one, paying special attention to problems related to dietetics and technology. He has recently focused on the consumption of food supplements, polyunsaturated fatty acids and on chromatic response in the choice of food as a way of understanding the relation between liking and choice of a certain foodstuff. The results of this activity have converged in about 100 scientific works, mostly published in international reviews, to which one must add the various papers given at congresses and symposia. In June 1999 the Food Sciences and Nutrition Institute directed by prof. Cannella was designated as an Excellence Centre for Quality, Food Safety and Nutrition by FAO. Through a ministerial decree of 31st January 2001 issued by MURST (Ministry of Education, University and Research) an Excellence Centre for scientific research in ‘Biology and Molecular Medicine’ – to which the Food Sciences and Nutrition Institute directed by prof. Cannella belongs – was founded at the University of Rome “La Sapienza”. In collaboration with Giovanni Carrada, prof. Cannella wrote an informative book called ‘I miti dell’alimentazione’, edited by Salani Eds. (Florence, 1997) and reissued by TEA (Milan) in 1999.

 

- He is the author of a monography called ‘Che cosa mangeremo’, included in the book ‘Riflessioni sul futuro: la vita al 31.12.2019’, edited in 1999 by Bayer SpA for the celebration of its centenary in Italy.

 

- Together with Aldo Mariani-Costantini and Gianni Tomassi, he is the co-author of the book: ‘Fondamenti di Nutrizione Umana’ (Il Pensiero Scientifico Eds., Rome, 1999)