Speciation of arsenic in Dutch total diets: methodology and results

Summary In the last decade 311 duplicate portions of the 24-h diet of Dutch citizens were collected and lyophilized. All samples were assayed for total arsenic and, in addition, the 20 samples which ranked highest in total arsenic were selected for arsenic speciation i.e., the separate determination of organic-bound arsenic and inorganic arsenic. For the determination of total arsenic, the test portion is wet-digested and the digest reduced with KI/SnCl₂/Zn to give AsH₃ which is measured by molecular absorption spectrometry. Inorganic arsenic is also measured as AsH₃ after acid extraction of the test portion and subsequent NaBH₄ reduction of the extract. The residue of the acid extraction and the NaBH₄-reduced extract are combined, wet-digested and the digest reduced with NaBH₄ to give AsH₃ originating from organic-bound arsenic. Samples spiked at different levels with inorganic and organic-bound arsenic were analysed and gave recoveries for inorganic arsenic of 94% to 122% (n=6) and for organic-bound arsenic of 87% to 104% (n=6). On average, the inorganic fraction is 30% of the total arsenic intake; range 3 % to 50% (n=14). The inorganic arsenic fraction decreases with increasing level of total arsenic intake. The highest oral inorganic arsenic intake was 60 gg; the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for a 60-kg individual is 120 g inorganic arsenic. Organic and inorganic arsenic measured were summed and compared with the results of the total arsenic determination; differences were less than 15%. (Since inorganic arsenic is a contaminant and not an additive, the abbreviation TDI is preferred here over ADI (acceptable daily intake) which is retained for additives.)

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Arsenbindungsformen in holländischer Ganztagskost —Analysenmethode und Ergebnisse

Zusammenfassung Im letzten Jahrzehnt wurden 311 Doppelproben der Ganztagskost, inklusive Trinkwasser und Getränke, von Einwohnern der Niederlande gesammelt und gefriergetrocknet. Alle Proben wurden auf den Gesamt-Arsengehalt untersucht und von zwanzig Proben, deren Gesamt-Arsengehalt am höchsten war, wurde der Gehalt an organisch und anorganisch gebundenem Arsen bestimmt. Zur Gesamt-Arsengehaltbestimmung wurde die Untersuchungsprobe naß aufgeschlossen und anschließend mit KI/SnCl₂/Zn zu AsH₃ reduziert und durch Molekularabsorptionspektrometrie erfaßt. Anorganisches Arsen wird, nach saurer Extraktion der Untersuchungsprobe und anschließend, nach Reduktion mit NaBH₄, ebenfalls als A_sH₃ gemessen. Der Rückstand der sauren Extraktion sowie der NaBH₄-reduzierte Extrakt werden vereinigt, naß aufgeschlossen und die erhaltene Lösung mit NaBH₄ reduziert, das entstandene AsH₃ stammt vom organisch gebundenen Arsen. Einigen Proben (n = 6) wurde, auf verschiedenen Niveaus, organisch sowie anorganisch gebundenes Arsen zugesetzt. Die Wiederfmdungsraten für anorganisches Arsen betrugen 94% bis 122% und für organisches Arsen 87% bis 104%. Im Schnitt ist 30% der gesamten Arsenzufuhr anorganischer Herkunft; Bereich 3% bis 50% (n =14). Der anorganische Arsenanteil nimmt mit steigender Gesamt-Arsenzufuhr ab. Die höchste anorganische Arsenzufuhr betrug 60 g pro Person; TDI (Tolerable Daily Intake) für eine 60-kg-Person: 120 g anorganisches Arsen. Eine Bilanzstudie ergab einen Meßunterschied von weniger als 15% zwischen dem Gesamt-Arsengehalt und der Summe des organisch und anorganisch gebundenen Arsens.

     

Speciation of arsenic in Dutch total diets: methodology and results

In the last decade 311 duplicate portions of the 24-h diet of Dutch citizens were collected and lyophilized. All samples were assayed for total arsenic and, in addition, the 20 samples which ranked highest in total arsenic were selected for arsenic speciation i.e., the separate determination of organic-bound arsenic and inorganic arsenic. For the determination of total arsenic, the test portion is wet-digested and the digest reduced with KI/SnCl2/Zn to give AsH3 which is measured by molecular absorption spectrometry. Inorganic arsenic is also measured as AsH3 after acid extraction of the test portion and subsequent NaBH4 reduction of the extract. The residue of the acid extraction and the NaBH4-reduced extract are combined, wet-digested and the digest reduced with NaBH4 to give AsH3 originating from organic-bound arsenic. Samples spiked at different levels with inorganic and organic-bound arsenic were analysed and gave recoveries for inorganic arsenic of 94% to 122% (n = 6) and for organic-bound arsenic of 87% to 104% (n = 6). On average, the inorganic fraction is 30% of the total arsenic intake; range 3% to 50% (n = 14). The inorganic arsenic fraction decreases with increasing level of total arsenic intake. The highest oral inorganic arsenic intake was 60 micrograms; the tolerable daily intake (TDI) for a 60-kg individual is 120 micrograms inorganic arsenic. Organic and inorganic arsenic measured were summed and compared with the results of the total arsenic determination; differences were less than 15%. (Since inorganic arsenic is a contaminant and not an additive, the abbreviation TDI is preferred here over ADI (acceptable daily intake) which is retained for additives.)     

Prediction of parental dominance combinations for planned matings, methodology, and simulation results.

Optimal use of dominance information requires a mating system and predictions of specific combining abilities for each set of prospective parents. Current evaluation procedures provide such predictions only for a limited number of parents. A procedure is described that predicts the specific combining ability for any parents. In this procedure, for each set of parents and their ancestors, the additive relationship matrix is created as a dense matrix. This matrix is then used to create a parental dominance matrix in a sparse matrix form, in which the rows of the matrix correspond to all parental combinations for which predictions are already available. Each new prediction requires a solution of the system of equations with the parental dominance matrix as the left-hand side. The efficiency of the mating system that accounts for dominance was evaluated in a simulation study. The simulated data files varied with respect to proportion of males and females selected, proportion of cattle born through embryo transfer, and additive and dominance variance. Sires and dams were preselected based on the additive merits only, but specific matings were arranged based on the combined additive plus dominance merit. The response to selection with consideration of dominance increased from 3.8 to 16.6% of the response from one generation of additive selection. The response was greater when the additive variance was smaller, the dominance variance was larger, the intensity of additive selection was lower, and the proportion of full sibs was greater. Use of dominance in the mating system is feasible and results in an additional genetic response to selection.     

Effect of aromatic precursor addition to wine fermentations carried out with different Saccharomyces species and their hybrids

This work explores the ability of different yeast strains from different species of the genus Saccharomyces (S. cerevisiae, S. uvarum and S. kudriavzevii) and hybrids between these species to release or form varietal aroma compounds from fractions of grape odourless precursors. The de novo synthesis by the yeasts of some of the varietal aroma compounds was also evaluated. The study has shown that de novo synthesis affects some lipid derivatives, shikimic derivatives and terpenes in all species and hybrids, with some remarkable differences amongst them. The release or formation of aroma compounds from precursors was found to be strongly linked to the yeast or hybrid used, and the triple hybrid S. cerevisiae × S. bayanus × S. kudriavzevii in particular and secondarily the hybrid S. cerevisiae × S. bayanus were highly efficient in the production of most varietal aroma compounds, including γ-lactones, benzenoids, volatile phenols, vanillin derivatives and terpenols. The presence of precursors in the fermenting media caused a surprising levelling effect on the fermentative aroma composition. Altogether, these results suggest that it is possible to modulate wine aroma by employing different yeast species in order to create new wines with different aromatic notes.     

Isoflavone content of Italian soy food products and daily intakes of some specific classes of consumers

In Western countries food products containing soybean proteins are primarily directed to some specific classes of consumers, in particular vegetarians, milk-intolerant or gluten-intolerant subjects, and hypercholesterolemic patients. The consumption of these products is associated with the presence of isoflavones, which recently have become a very controversial issue because their beneficial properties are counterbalanced by some undesirable effects. Taking into account that information on the average isoflavone daily intake in European countries and especially in Italy is very scarce, we decided to quantify the isoflavones in some products for different classes of consumers, with the objective of evaluating their possible exposition. The total isoflavone contents were in the range 21–803 g/g_d.w. and were particularly high in imitation dairy and meat products. Infant formulas contained 121–427 g/g_d.w., whereas the isoflavone contents in gluten-free products were in the range 77–220 g/g_d.w.. Only in the case of infants and children, the daily intake may overcome the recommended limit introduced by the Italian Health Authority for isoflavone supplements.     

Criteria for optimizing food composition tables in relation to studies of habitual food intakes

The purpose of this study is to increase the accuracy, reliability, and precision of food composition data and, in consequence, better approximate nutrient intake estimations and recommendations. To do this it is necessary to specify and taken into account factors that play an important role in the variation of composition in order to avoid excessively broad dispersions and irregularities in data distributions. This implies the presentation of representative and, as consequence, extrapolable data, with nutritionally grounded confidence intervals. This study suggests a methodology that better approaches the accuracy, reliability, and precision of food composition data.     

The vertical farm: controlled environment agriculture carried out in tall buildings would create greater food safety and security for large urban populations

Over the next 50 years, rapid climate change issues will play a major role in agriculture. It is estimated for every 1° of increase in atmospheric temperature, 10 % of the land where we now grow food crops will be lost. The ability of governments to provide essential services for its citizens, and in particular to maintain systems that provide a reliable and safe food and water supply becomes more and more problematic. In less developed countries, other problems also exist that will become magnified because of global warming. For example, diseases transmitted by fecal contamination, such as cholera, typhoid fever and a plethora of parasitic infections, are commonplace where human excrement is used as fertilizer (an estimated 50 % of all farming on the planet). These infections are in large part responsible for widespread poverty and illiteracy. Geo-helminths, alone, cripple enormous numbers of children and adults alike. Heavy infections with ascaris, hookworm and whipworm can permanently reduce a child’s capacity for learning, and the diarrheal diseases they cause routinely keep them out of school. Illiteracy, malnutrition, and poverty are the result. Today, even in more developed countries where many of these kinds of infectious diseases have been either eradicated or are under control, food safety and security issues dominate the headlines. Over the last 5 years, in the United States alone, food recalls due to bacterial infectious diseases have resulted in billions of dollars of lost income. In traditional farming, a plethora of plant pathogens (e.g., rice blast, wheat rust) and insect pests (e.g., locusts) account for staggering losses of crops worldwide, further pushing the yields of most grain and vegetable crops towards lower and lower limits. Soil erosion due to floods and droughts completes the picture of climate change issues that have already significantly reduced where we can grow our food. The majority of environmental experts agree that farming as we know it will become marginalized over the next 50 years, as climate changes accelerate even more due to deforestation. This is because forests are being sacrificed for farmland. The consequence of this activity is that the carbon cycle is out of balance and will only get worse if nothing is done on a global scale. Controlled environment agriculture is one answer to reversing this situation. Greenhouse technologies are well-established and guarantee a safer, more reliable food supply that can be produced year round, and they can be located close to urban centers. By “stacking” these buildings on top of each other in an integrated well-engineered fashion, we can greatly reduce our agricultural footprint, and the vertical farm concept can then be applied to every urban center, regardless of location.     

The vertical farm: controlled environment agriculture carried out in tall buildings would create greater food safety and security for large urban populations

Over the next 50?years, rapid climate change issues will play a major role in agriculture. It is estimated for every 1° of increase in atmospheric temperature, 10?% of the land where we now grow food crops will be lost. The ability of governments to provide essential services for its citizens, and in particular to maintain systems that provide a reliable and safe food and water supply becomes more and more problematic. In less developed countries, other problems also exist that will become magnified because of global warming. For example, diseases transmitted by fecal contamination, such as cholera, typhoid fever and a plethora of parasitic infections, are commonplace where human excrement is used as fertilizer (an estimated 50?% of all farming on the planet). These infections are in large part responsible for widespread poverty and illiteracy. Geo-helminths, alone, cripple enormous numbers of children and adults alike. Heavy infections with ascaris, hookworm and whipworm can permanently reduce a child??s capacity for learning, and the diarrheal diseases they cause routinely keep them out of school. Illiteracy, malnutrition, and poverty are the result. Today, even in more developed countries where many of these kinds of infectious diseases have been either eradicated or are under control, food safety and security issues dominate the headlines. Over the last 5?years, in the United States alone, food recalls due to bacterial infectious diseases have resulted in billions of dollars of lost income. In traditional farming, a plethora of plant pathogens (e.g., rice blast, wheat rust) and insect pests (e.g., locusts) account for staggering losses of crops worldwide, further pushing the yields of most grain and vegetable crops towards lower and lower limits. Soil erosion due to floods and droughts completes the picture of climate change issues that have already significantly reduced where we can grow our food. The majority of environmental experts agree that farming as we know it will become marginalized over the next 50?years, as climate changes accelerate even more due to deforestation. This is because forests are being sacrificed for farmland. The consequence of this activity is that the carbon cycle is out of balance and will only get worse if nothing is done on a global scale. Controlled environment agriculture is one answer to reversing this situation. Greenhouse technologies are well-established and guarantee a safer, more reliable food supply that can be produced year round, and they can be located close to urban centers. By ??stacking?? these buildings on top of each other in an integrated well-engineered fashion, we can greatly reduce our agricultural footprint, and the vertical farm concept can then be applied to every urban center, regardless of location.     

Safety factors and establishment of acceptable daily intakes.

The acceptable daily intake (ADI) of food additives and other foreign compounds is derived usually by the application of a 100-fold safety factor to the 'no observable adverse effect' level in animal experiments. This safety factor is recognized as comprising two 10-fold factors to allow for possible differences between animals and humans, and for possible differences between individual humans. This paper reviews the adequacy of these safety factors in relation to published data on inter-species and inter-individual differences in both the kinetics and dynamics of foreign compounds. Although the 100-fold factor is reasonable, situations can be envisaged where the scientific data base indicates that considerably higher or lower factors would be more appropriate. A scheme is proposed that would allow structured flexibility to be available in the choice of safety factor to be used in the regulation of foreign compounds.     

Determination ofN-nitrosodiethanolamine in cosmetics and in alkanolamines: results of collaborative studies

Summary Results of collaborative studies on methods for determination ofN-Nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA), in cosmetics and in alkanolamines are reported. Participants from eleven laboratories in each study examined two freshly prepared model cosmetics, one emulsion and one shower gel and also one sample of triethanolamine. Samples were analyzed unspiked and after fortification with 50 g/kg NDELA. Distribution of unspiked and spiked samples and amounts of NDELA added were not known to the participants. In spiked samples overall mean values (±standard deviation) found for NDELA were 50 ± 9 gg/kg for the emulsion, 53 ± 8 gg/kg for the shower gel and 47 ± 10 g/kg for triethanolamine. With few exceptions, NDELA was not found in unspiked samples at concentrations exceeding the determination limit (10 gg/kg).

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Ergebnisse von Ringversuchen zur Bestimmung vonN-Nitrosodiethanolamin in Cosmetica und in Alkanolaminen

Zusammenfassung Ergebnisse von Ringversuchen zur Bestimmung vonN-Nitrosodiethanolamin (NDELA) in kosmetischen Mitteln and in Alkanolaminen werden beschrieben. Teilnehmer aus jeweils elf Laboratorien analysierten zwei kosmetische Mittel, die für diese Studie frisch hergestellt wurden, eine Emulsion und ein Duschbad Bowie eine Probe Triethanolamin. Die Proben wurden undotiert Bowie nach Zusatz von jeweils 50 g/kg NDELA untersucht, wobei die Verteilung und Höhe der Dotierung den Teilnehmern nicht bekannt wares. Die Gesamtmittelwerte betrugen für die dotierte Emulsion 50 g/kg NDELA±9 g/kg SD (Standardabweichung), für das dotierte Duschbad 53 g/kg NDELA±8 g/kg SD and fur das dotierte Triethanolamin 47 g/kg NDELA ± 10 g/kg SD. Mit wenigen Ausnahmen wurden in den undotierten Proben keine NDELA-Gehalte gefunden, die die Bestimmungsgrenze von 10 g/kg überschritten.

     

Comparison of the bacterial species diversity of spontaneous cocoa bean fermentations carried out at selected farms in Ivory Coast and Brazil

To compare the spontaneous cocoa bean fermentation process carried out in different cocoa-producing regions, heap and box (one Ivorian farm) and box (two Brazilian farms) fermentations were carried out. All fermentations were studied through a multiphasic approach. In general, the temperature inside the fermenting mass increased throughout all fermentations and reached end-values of 42-48 °C. The main end-products of pulp carbohydrate catabolism were ethanol, lactic acid, acetic acid, and/or mannitol. In the case of the fermentations on the selected Ivorian farm, the species diversity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and acetic acid bacteria (AAB) was restricted. Lactobacillus fermentum and Leuconostoc pseudomesenteroides were the predominant LAB species, due to their ethanol and acid tolerance and citrate consumption. The levels of mannitol, ascribed to growth of L. fermentum, were fermentation-dependent. Also, enterobacterial species, such as Erwinia soli and Pantoea sp., were among the predominating microbiota during the early stages of both heap and box fermentations in Ivory Coast, which could be responsible for gluconic acid production. Consumption of gluconic acid at the initial phases of the Ivorian fermentations could be due to yeast growth. A wider microbial species diversity throughout the fermentation process was seen in the case of the box fermentations on the selected Brazilian farms, which differed, amongst other factors, regarding pod/bean selection on these farms as compared to fermentations on the selected Ivorian farm. This microbiota included Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus durianis, L. fermentum, Lactobacillus mali, Lactobacillus nagelii, L. pseudomesenteroides, and Pediococcus acidilactici, as well as Bacillus subtilis that was present at late fermentation, when the temperature inside the fermenting mass reached values higher than 50 °C. Moreover, AAB seemed to dominate the Brazilian box fermentations studied, explaining higher acetic acid concentrations in the pulp and the beans. To conclude, it turned out that the species diversity and community dynamics, influenced by local operational practices, in particular pod/bean selection, impact the quality of fermented cocoa beans.     

速溶茶粉喷雾干燥生产排风中粉尘的回收方法及注意事项

速溶茶粉容重较小,颗粒小,易吸潮;排风携带的粉尘颗粒更微细,回收这部分细粉比较因难,因此,生产过程中跑粉现象比较多见.如何完全回收排风携带的粉尘,排风捕粉的结构形式是关键,采用旋风加布袋两级串联的形式进行捕粉,粉尘回收得率接近100%,效果比较好.     

速溶茶粉喷雾干燥生产排风中粉尘回收方法及注意事项

速溶茶粉容重较小,颗粒小,易吸潮;排风携带的粉尘颗粒更微细,回收这部分细粉比较困难,因此,生产过程中跑粉现象比较多见。如何完全回收排风携带的粉尘,排风捕粉的结构形式是关键,采用旋风加布袋两级串联的形式进行捕粉,粉尘回收得率接近100%,效果比较好。     

Weight of foods and number of portions consumed are not proxies for expressing nutrient intakes in field studies

In order to determine whether simplified indicators for usual consumption of selected food groups, specifically those derived from either the percentage of the number of daily portions, the percentage of total daily weight consumed, or both, could serve as proxies for the conventional expression of daily energy intake, these indicators were computed and compared from food-frequency data in a data set. Food consumption was reported in frequency categories and portion sizes per month, per week, or per day, and the cumulative sum was divided by 365 to provide a daily average. The survey was done in the township of Santa Cruz and three hamlets of a rural county seat in Guatemala. Data from food-frequency questionnaires from 269 individuals (55 men and 214 women aged 16 to 86 years) were analyzed. For foods of plant origin, the percentage of total energy, percentage of total food weight, and percentage of total number of portions consumed showed low correlations (r < .45). When subdivided into specific foods and food groups (fruits and vegetables, red meat, etc.), marked differences were revealed across sites and among different indicators of consumption. Despite the simplicity of calculation, neither the percentage of weight of food in a group nor the percentage of portions consumed could serve reliably as proxies for their contributions to the percentage of total energy in this rural population in Guatemala.     

Contamination of some foodstuffs marketed in Italy by fatty acid esters of monochloropropanediols and glycidol

ABSTRACT

Fatty acid esters of 3-monochloropropanediol (3-MCPD), 2-MCPD and glycidol (Gly) are food-processing contaminants that cause concerns about possible adverse health effects. The present study evaluates the contamination levels of the three ester classes in 130 samples of foodstuffs marketed in Italy covering 10 food categories, namely margarines, oils, roasted coffee, breakfast cereals, salted crackers, cookies, infant biscuits, rusks, breads and potato crisps. The analytical method employed is a so-called indirect method that entails MCPD/glycidol cleavage from their esterified forms, cleanup, derivatisation and GC-MS analysis. The MCPDs and glycidol concentrations (from esters) were found to be equal or a little higher than the levels reported in previous studies conducted in other European countries and described in the literature. 3-MCPD was the predominant compound in all foodstuffs analysed with the exception for rusks where Gly levels were slightly higher. Considering the sum of MCPD and Gly esters, the most contaminated foodstuffs were seed oils, followed by margarines and cookies, whereas roasted coffee, bread, rusks, cornflakes and infant biscuits were less contaminated with MCPDs and Gly concentrations often below LOQ or LOD values. Refined olive oil, potato chips and salted crackers showed contamination levels intermediate between the two above groups. The results of this study also confirm that the use of palm oil as an ingredient or frying medium is an important cause of increase of the levels of MCPD and Gly esters, especially in salted crackers, rusks and potato crisps. Finally, the Italian intake of 3-MCPD due to the various foods analysed has been calculated and related to TDI. The MoE for Gly was also estimated.     

Beverage caffeine intakes in young children in Canada and the US.

PURPOSE: Throughout childhood there is a shift from predominantly milk-based beverage consumption to other types of beverages, including those containing caffeine. Although a variety of health effects in children and adults have been attributed to caffeine, few data exist on caffeine intake in children aged one to five years. METHODS: Because beverages provide about 80% of total caffeine consumed in children of this age group, beverage consumption patterns and caffeine intakes were evaluated from two beverage marketing surveys: the 2001 Canadian Facts study and the 1999 United States Share of Intake Panel study. RESULTS: Considerably fewer Canadian children than American children consume caffeinated beverages (36% versus 56%); Canadian children consume approximately half the amount of caffeine (7 versus 14 mg/day in American children). Differences were largely because of higher intakes of carbonated soft drinks in the US. CONCLUSIONS: Caffeine intakes from caffeinated beverages remain well within safe levels for consumption by young children.     

Non-dioxin-like PCBs in crops and related products: Levels and intakes in Serbia

Levels of six non-dioxin-like indicator PCBs in 36 composite samples of agricultural crops, related by-products and foodstuffs were pooled from a total of 938 individual samples collected in Serbia in 2002 and 2004. After extraction and cleanup, PCBs were determined by capillary GC using ECD. The highest total PCB levels were found in dried sugar beet pulp (2.89 ng g^-1 whole weight (ww)) and crude sunflower oil (1.83 ng g^-1 lipid), while the lowest levels were found in molasses (0.05 ng g^-1 ww). The calculated daily intake of PCBs for the crop products included in this study were compared with the maximum permissible risk (MPR) level established by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. Cereal products (flour, bread, pastry, pasta, cookies) were made a relatively large contribution (23% of MPR), while sugar (2% of MPR) and oil (4% of MPR) made a low and fairly uniform contribution to intake. The levels and intake of PCBs in Serbia were compared with data from other recent international surveys.