The global distribution of acidifying wet deposition

The acid-base status of precipitation is a result of a balance between acidifying compounds--mainly oxides of sulfur and nitrogen--and alkaline compounds--mainly ammonia and alkaline material in windblown soil dust. We use current models of the global atmospheric distribution of such compounds to estimate the geographical distribution of pH in precipitation and of the rate of deposition of hydrogen ion or bicarbonate ion. The lowest pH values--mainly due to high concentration of sulfuric acid--occur in eastern parts of North America, Europe, and China. A comparison with observed pH values shows fair agreement in most parts of the world. However, in some areas, e.g. western North America, southwestern Europe, and northern China the estimated pH is too low, indicating that we have underestimated the deposition flux of alkaline material, probably mainly CaCO3. Our neglect of organic acids may have contributed to an overestimate of pH especially in certain tropical areas. To illustrate the potential effects of acidifying deposition on nitrogen saturated terrestrial ecosystems we also calculate the deposition of "potential acidity" that takes into account the microbial transformation of ammonium to nitrate in such ecosystems, resulting in the release of hydrogen ion. Compared to the deposition of acidity, with its maxima over Europe, eastern North America, and southern China, the deposition of potential acidity exhibits an additional maximum in India and Bangladesh and in several other smaller hot spots where the cycling of ammonia is enhanced by a dense cattle population. To the extent that soils in these areas of high potential acidity deposition actually become nitrogen saturated a depletion of base cations and other changes in soil chemistry and biology should be expected. Potential problem areas forfuture soil acidification include several regions with sensitive soils in southern, southeastern, and eastern Asia as well as in central parts of South America.     

Detection and quantification of pentosidine in foods

 Pentosidine, a crosslink amino acid in which one arginine and one lysine residue are linked together by a pentose, has been detected in foods for the first time using ion-exchange chromatography with direct fluorescence detection and subsequent ninhydrin derivatization. The method allows the simultaneous quantification of pentosidine along with all other amino acids of acid hydrolyzates at levels lower than 50 μg kg protein. Levels of pentosidine in all food samples investigated were very low (milk products between not detectable and 2–5 mg/kg protein; roasted coffee and some bakery products up to 35 mg/kg protein), indicating that pentosidine does not play a major part in the polymerization of food proteins. Received: 26 March 1996     

Chemopreventive effects of tea in prostate cancer: green tea versus black tea

The polyphenol compositions of green tea (GT) and black tea (BT) are very different due to post-harvest processing. GT contains higher concentrations of monomeric polyphenols, which affect numerous intracellular signaling pathways involved in prostate cancer (CaP) development. BT polymers, on the other hand, are poorly absorbed and are converted to phenolic acids by the colonic microflora. Therefore, after consumption of GT, higher concentrations of polyphenols are found in the circulation, whereas after BT consumption the phenolic acid levels in the circulation are higher. The majority of in vitro cell culture, in vivo animal, and clinical intervention studies examine the effects of extracts of GT or purified (-)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) on prostate carcinogenesis. These studies provide strong evidence supporting a chemopreventive effect of GT, but results from epidemiological studies of GT consumption are mixed. While the evidence for a chemopreventive effect of BT is much weaker than the body of evidence with regard to GT, there are several animal BT intervention studies demonstrating inhibition of CaP growth. This article will review in detail the available epidemiological and human clinical studies, as well as animal and basic mechanistic studies on GT and BT supporting a chemopreventive role in CaP.     

Carcass maturity and dicationic salts affect preblended, low-fat, low-sodium restructured beef

Preblending A- and C-maturity muscles with MgCl(2) and/or CaCl(2) was investigated in low-fat, low-sodium restructured beef. Products were formulated to contain: 1) 80% chunks, preblended 12h with 0.05% MgCl(2), 0.05% CaCl(2), or a combination of each (0.1%) and 0.4% sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) and 2) 20% mince preblended 12h with 0.05% of each dicationic salt or the combination of dicationic salts (0.1%), 0.4% STPP, and 1.0% NaCl. This formulation achieved a raw product NaCl content of 0.2%. Additionally, a control was formulated with chunks and mince that contained no dicationic salt. CaCl(2) decreased raw and cooked pH and cook yield, and increased cohesiveness; whereas, MgCl(2) increased cook yield and myosin solubility. Total protein solubility was not affected by muscle maturity or dicationic treatment. Myosin solubility of the combination treatment was greater for C-maturity muscle (57 months) compared to A-maturity muscle (20 months) formulations. Control, C-maturity muscle treatments contained more insoluble and total collagen (p < 0.05), and these treatments were more cohesive (p < 0.05) than control, A-maturity treatments. The combination of CaCl(2) and MgCl(2) increased hardness of A-maturity products, but it decreased hardness of C-maturity products. In addition to increasing hardness of A-maturity products, the combination treatment lowered (p < 0.05) cook yield for these products.     

Identification of temperature-dependent water quality changes during a deep well injection experiment in a pyritic aquifer

Artificial recharge is a technique used increasingly to supplement drinking water supplies. To assess the potential water quality changes that occur during subsurface passage, a comprehensive deep-well injection experiment was carried out for a recharge scheme, where pretreated, aerobic surface water was injected at 300 m depth into an anaerobic aquifer. Water quality parameters were recorded over the 854-days long injection phase. The evolution of the major ion and redox chemistry was analyzed with a three-dimensional reactive multicomponent transport model. It was found that the oxidation of pyrite was the main driverforwater quality changes and that reaction rates depended significantly on the spatially/temporally varying groundwater temperature. With the temperature-dependency of the oxidation reactions incorporated into the model, the simulations give an accurate picture of the temporal and spatial evolution of the hydrochemical changes that occurred during the experiment. To delineate the influence of physical and chemical processes on local concentration changes the results of the reactive transport model simulations were compared with the corresponding results from nonreactive simulations. The study emphasizes the suitability of mechanistic multicomponent reactive transport modeling as an integrative tool for data analysis when physical transport and chemical processes interact.     

Prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes in the bacterial flora of integrated fish farming environments of pakistan and Tanzania

The use of a wide variety of antimicrobials in human and veterinary medicine, including aquaculture, has led to the emergence of antibiotic resistant pathogens. In the present study, bacteria from water, sediments, and fish were collected from fish farms in Pakistan and Tanzania with no recorded history of antibiotic use. The isolates were screened for the presence of resistance genes against various antimicrobials used in aquaculture and animal husbandry. Resistant isolates selected by disk diffusion and genotyped by Southern hybridization were further screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and amplicon sequencing. The prominent resistance genes identified encoded tetracycline [tetA(A) and tetA(G)], trimethoprim [dfrA1, dfrA5, dfrA7, dfrA12, and dfrA15], amoxicillin [bla(TEM)], streptomycin [strA-strB], chloramphenicol [cat-1], and erythromycin resistance [mefA]. The int1 gene was found in more than 30% of the bacterial isolates in association with gene cassettes. MAR indices ranged from 0.2 to 1. The bla(NDM-1) gene was not identified in ertapenem resistant isolates. It is hypothesized that integrated fish farming practices utilizing domestic farm and poultry waste along with antibiotic residues from animal husbandry may have contributed to a pool of resistance genes in the aquaculture systems studied.     

Studies on the formation of lysinomethylalanine and histidinomethylalanine in milk products

From reaction mixtures consisting ofN-acetyldehydroaminobutyric acid methyl ester andN -acetyl-l-lysine orN -acetyl-l-histidine, respectively, distinct amounts of the cross-link amino acidsN -(2-amino-2-carboxy-l-methylethyl)-l-lysine (lysinomethylalanine, LMeAL) andN -(2-amino-2-carboxy-1-methyl-ethyl)-l-histidine (histidinomethylalanine, HMeAL) were isolated via preparative ion-exchange chromatography and identified by¹H- and¹³C-nuclear magnetic resonance. In the amino acid chromatogram, both compounds eluted clearly separated from other basic amino acids. However, neither LMeAL nor HMeAL could be detected in numerous acid hydrolysates of a range of milk products. In model studies, threonine showed a significantly lower tendency for an alkali-induced -elimination reaction compared to serine. The reactivity of the resulting dehydroaminobutyric acid towards nucleophiles was more than tenfold lower as compared to dehydroalanine. Thus, the formation of LMeAL as well as of HMeAL during food processing is negligible.

---

Studien zur Bildung von Lysinomethylalanin und Histidinomethylalanin in Milchprodukten

Zusammenfassung Aus Reaktionsansätzen bestehend ausN-Acetyldehydroaminobuttersäurenthylester undN -Acetyl-l-lysin beziehungsweiseN -Acetyl-l-histidin konnten die Crosslink-AminosäurenN -(2-Amino-2-carboxy-1-methyl-ethyl)-l-lysin (Lysinomethylalanin, LMeAL) undN -(2 amino-2-carboxy-2 -methyl-ethyl)-l-histidin (Histidinomethylalanin, HMeAL) durch präparative Ionenaustauschchromatographie isoliert und anschließend durch 1H-und¹³C-NMR identifiziert werden. Das Aminosäurechromatogramm zeigte eine eindeutige Trennung beider Aminosäurederivate von anderen basischen Aminosäuren. Dennoch konnten in einer großen Zahl von Säurehydrolysaten der verschiedensten Milchprodukte weder LMeAL noch HMeAL nachgewiesen werden. In Modelluntersuchungen erfolgte die -Elimination an Threonin im Vergleich zu Serin in einem deutlich geringeren Maße. Die Reaktivität der dabei entstehenden Dehydroaminobuttersäure gegenüber Nucleophilen war mehr als zehnfach geringer als die von Dehydroalanin. Damit kann die Bildung sowohl von LMeAL als auch von HMeAL bei der Verarbeitung von Nahrungsmitteln als vernachlässigbar gering eingeschätzt werden.

---

---

Dedicated to Prof. Dr. W. Baltes on the occasion of his 65th birthday