Uncertainties in the determination of pyrrolizidine alkaloid levels in naturally contaminated honeys and comparison of results obtained by different analytical approaches

The contamination of honey with hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) is a well-known hazard for food safety. While management strategies and controls of the honey industry aim to reduce the PA levels, uncertainties remain with regard to the safety of regionally produced and marketed honey. In addition, a previous study showed large differences of results obtained after various periods of storage and apparent differences between the analytical results of different laboratories. Therefore, this study aimed at examining these uncertainties by monitoring the impact of storage on the PA and PA N-oxide (PANO) content of two freshly harvested honeys and on possible demixing effects caused by pollen settling. Additionally, three analytical approaches – target analysis with matrix-matched calibration or standard addition and a sum parameter method – were applied for a comparative analysis of 20 honeys harvested in summer 2016. All samples originated from Schleswig-Holstein in Northern Germany where the PA plant Jacobaea vulgaris is currently observed on a massive scale. The results of the time series analyses showed that PANO levels markedly decreased within a few weeks and practically reached the LOD 16 weeks after harvest. Tertiary PAs, by contrast, remained stable and did not increase as a consequence of PANO decrease. The experiments on a putative demixing, which may result in a heterogeneous distribution of PAs/PANOs, revealed that there was no such effect during storage of up to 12 weeks. A comparison of the PA/PANO levels obtained by different analytical approaches showed that in some cases the sum parameter method yielded much higher levels than the target approaches, whereas in other cases, the target analysis with standard addition found higher levels than the other two methods. In summary, the results of this study highlight uncertainties regarding the validity and comparability of analytical results and consequently regarding health risk assessment.     

Note of Caution for the Aqueous Behaviour of Metal-Based Drug Candidates

Poor aqueous solubility is one of the recurrent drawbacks of many compounds in medicinal chemistry. To overcome this limitation, the dilution of drug candidates from stock solutions of an organic solvent is common practice. However, the precise characterisation of these compounds in aqueous solutions is often neglected, leading to some uncertainties regarding the nature of the actual active species. In this communication, we demonstrate that two ruthenium complexes previously reported by our group for their chemotherapeutic potential against cancer, namely [Ru(DIP)₂(sq)](PF₆) and [Ru(DIP)₂(3-methoxysq)](PF₆), where DIP is 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline, sq=semiquinonate and 3-methoxysq=3-methoxysemiquinonate, form colloids in water-DMSO (1 % v/v) mixtures that are invisible to the naked eyes. [Ru(DIP)₂(3-methoxysq)](PF₆) was found to form a highly stable and monodispersed colloid with nanoaggregates of ∼25 nm. In contrast, [Ru(DIP)₂(sq)](PF₆) was found to form large reticulates of mostly spherical aggregates which size was found to increase over time. The difference in size and shape distribution of drug candidates is of tremendous significance as the study of their biological activity might be severely affected. Overall, we strongly believe that these observations should be taken into account by the scientific community working on the development of metal-based drugs with poor water solubility.     

Physicochemical and technological properties of beef burger as influenced by the addition of pea fibre

This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical characteristics and sensory attributes of beef burgers with the addition of pea fibre as a partial substitute of meat or fat. Three formulations were prepared: control (CON) – similar to the commercial formulation; fibre/less meat (FLM)—5% meat reduction and addition of 1% pea fibre; fibre/less fat (FLF)—7% fat reduction and addition of 1% pea fibre. Non-significant differences were obtained for pH, colour parameters (L* and b*), texture profile, cooking loss and size reduction among formulations. Moreover, sensory analysis with consumers of beef burgers did not indicate differences among the formulations for all the analysed attributes. Therefore, pea fibre is a promising partial replacer for meat and fat in beef burgers due to the preservation of technological parameters and sensory acceptance.     

Increasing Volumetric CO2 Uptake of Hypercrosslinked Polymers through Composite Formation

To overcome the drawbacks of solid microporous materials for CO₂ capture, this proof‐of‐concept study demonstrates a low‐cost and rapid method for producing composites consisting of hypercrosslinked polymers (HCP) with a polyethyleneimine (PEI) binder. The resulting materials capture CO₂ through physical and chemical absorption simultaneously. Compared with HCP, the composites exhibit higher CO₂ uptake, higher volumetric density, and improved tolerance to water which is attributed to the PEI binder.     

How to Valorize Peanut Shells by a Simple Thermal-Catalytic Method

Topics in Catalysis - In this work, a simple thermal-catalytic system was used to valorize peanut shells (Arachis hypogaea), the residual biomass from the peanut industry. To accomplish this...     

Valorisation of potato wastes

Potato processing industry has a high degree of discarding, which currently has low added value being used primarily for animal feed. However, potato wastes offer a broad range of interesting components such as antioxidants, starch, protein or fibre with potential applications in the food and non-food industries. The recovery of these high valuable fractions using efficient multistage and multiproduct processes could be of great interest. This short review provides a general overview on the integral valorisation of potato wastes, offering an updated vision of the main residual parts generated during potato harvesting and processing, the high valuable obtained components focusing on the bioactive ones and the potential of the emerging extraction techniques over conventional ones. In addition, innovative applications are discussed to highlight the scientific and applied interest of these underutilised and undervalued fractions and to emphasise the integral valorisation of raw materials.     

Selection of Technological Bases in Manufacturing

The role of the following factors in the selection of technological bases for manufacturing is considered: the accessibility of the machined surfaces; their parameters and dimensional relationships; their position relative to the forces acting; and the uniformity of the margin distribution.