International legislation on trace elements as contaminants in food: a review

Environmental contaminants such as trace elements may be present in all foods. Foods, raw materials and ingredients for food production are to an increasing extent traded across borders. Hence, there is a need for international legislation on trace elements as contaminants in food. In 1961, the FAO and WHO established the Codex Alimentarius to elaborate international food legislation. Contaminants in food are handled by the Codex Committee for Food Additives and Contaminants (CCFAC). The Codex Alimentarius system for developing legislation concerning trace elements as contaminants in food is based upon the Codex General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food (GSCTF). By October 2001, the principles for setting maximum limits (MLs) for contaminants in food are agreed, and work is in progress on MLs for trace elements such as lead and cadmium in the various food categories. The status for the proposals is presented and discussed. The EU Regulation 466/2001 of 8 March 2001 sets MLs for lead and cadmium in various foods. This regulation will apply from 5 April 2002. The EU regulation is more detailed but similar to the Codex draft standards for lead and cadmium in food. In future, legislators and administrators in the Codex and EU and analytical chemists will discuss how to use more and better analytical data as risk-management tools to protect public health. Trace elements' speciation is an important aspect of this discussion.     

Effects of Salting, Drying, Cooking, and Smoking Operations on Volatile Compound Formation and Color Patterns in Pork

ABSTRACT: The traditional small-scale production of boucané, a cured smoked pork-belly product from Réunion, involves several unit operations that are performed in a single step. The aim of this study was to highligh the impact of 4 unit operations (salting, drying, cooking, and smoking) on stability, color, and flavor development in processed pork. These characateristics are the 3 main criteria of boucané's quality. Mass transfer, color, and volatile compounds were measured, analyzed, and compared in 4 products. Results indicated that a major quantity of volatile compounds detected in the processed meat were derived from the smoking process. Color variations were mainly explained by muscle pigment modification due to the cooking process, and by the input of volatile compounds of smoke.     

A new colloidal precursor cooperative conversion route to nanocrystalline quaternary copper sulfide

A novel milk-like Cu-thiourea colloid has been synthesized. Nanocrystalline quaternary copper sulfide Cu₂FeSnS₄ was obtained through the Cu-thiourea colloidal precursor cooperative conversion route at low temperature. The samples were characterized by means of X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy, and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy techniques. The reaction details and features were described and discussed.     

Acidity and basicity of hydrotalcite derived mixed Mg-Al oxides studied by test reaction of MBOH conversion and temperature programmed desorption of NH3 and CO2

Mg-Al hydrotalcites intercalated with five different interlayer anions—CO₃²⁻, SO₄²⁻, Cl⁻, HPO₄²⁻ or terephthalate—were synthesized by either the coprecipitation or ion-exchange method. The structure of the as-synthesized samples and the presence of intended anions in the interlayer gallery of hydrotalcites were determined by X-ray diffraction and FTIR spectroscopy. On calcination at 600 °C the materials were transformed into mixed metal oxides. The kind of the counterbalancing anions present in the parent hydrotalcite influences strongly textural parameters of the obtained Mg-Al oxides. Both temperature-programmed desorption of NH₃ and CO₂, and test reaction of 2-methyl-3-butyn-2-ol (MBOH) conversion were used to determine the acidity and basicity of the samples. The hydrotalcite derived mixed Mg-Al oxides showed the presence of Brønsted and Lewis acid and base sites. However, the strong basic character of the solids caused that acetone and acetylene were observed as the major products of MBOH conversion.     

The reaction of ceria coatings on mica with H2S: An in-situ X-ray diffraction study

Thin layers of ceria were deposited on the surface of mica platelets in solution. The reaction of such particles with hydrogen sulfide yields a red colored special effect pigment. The ceria layer reacts with H₂S to produce a variety of sulfide and oxysulfide phases. The reaction path discovered in situ by time and temperature resolved X-ray diffraction is CeO₂→CeS₂→C-Ce₂S₃→Ce₁₀S₁₄O. The reaction itself is extremely variable depending on gas flow, heating rates and decomposition atmospheres. Effects on the thin film are recorded by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and revealed a destruction of the layer once red Ce₁₀S₁₄O was formed. The product layer then reveals the typical nonwetting behaviour of a liquid on a surface.     

Synthesis of LiFePO4 with fine particle by co-precipitation method

LiFePO₄ is a potential candidate for the cathode material of the lithium secondary batteries. A co-precipitation method was adopted to prepare LiFePO₄ because it is simple and cheap. Nitrogen gas was needed to prevent oxidation of Fe²⁺ in the aqueous solution. The co-precipitated precursor shows the high reactivity with the reductive gas, and the single phase of LiFePO₄ is successfully synthesized with the aid of carbon under less reductive conditions. LiFePO₄ fine powder prepared by co-precipitation method shows high rate capability, impressive specific capacity and cycle property.     

CuMgAl类水滑石的制备和表征

用盐-碱制备法合成了CuMgAl三元类水滑石化合物。探讨了原料配比、合成方式、水热处理温度和时间对合成过程的影响,筛选出合成HTLcs的适宜条件,并对HTLcs结构的热稳定性进行初步研究。结果表明,制备HTLcs主要取决于pH值,同时由于Cu2+的姜-太勒效应,合成结构单一的CuMgAl类水滑石要求原料配比中n(Cu)∶n(Mg)不得超过1.0,CuMgAl-HTLcs热稳定性较差,300℃焙烧2h结构破坏,600℃开始烧结,在300~500℃之间,随焙烧温度提高所得复合氧化物比表面积增大,最高可达200 m2/g。     

Performance evaluation of a water/silicone oil two‐phase partitioning bioreactor using Rhodococcus erythropolis T902.1 to remove volatile organic compounds from gaseous effluents

BACKGROUND: In the framework of biological processes used for waste gas treatment, the impact of the inoculum size on the start‐up performance needs to be better evaluated. Moreover, only a few studies have investigated the behaviour of elimination capacity and biomass viability in a two‐phase partitioning bioreactor (TPPB) used for waste gas treatment. Lastly, the impact of ethanol as a co‐substrate remains misunderstood. RESULTS: Firstly, no benefit of inoculation with a high cellular density (>1.5 g L^?1) was observed in terms of start‐up performance. Secondly, the TPPB was monitored for 38 days to characterise its behaviour under several operational conditions. The removal efficiency remained above 63% for an inlet concentration of 7 g isopropylbenzene (IPB) m^?3 and at some time points reached 92% during an intermittent loading phase (10 h day^?1), corresponding to a mean elimination capacity of 4 × 10^?3 g L^?1 min^?1 (240 g m^?3 h^?1) for a mean IPB inlet load of 6.19 × 10^?3 g L^?1 min^?1 (390 g m^?3 h^?1). Under continuous IPB loading, the performance of the TPPB declined, but the period of biomass acclimatisation to this operational condition was shorter than 5 days. The biomass grew to approximately 10 g L^?1 but the cellular viability changed greatly during the experiment, suggesting an endorespiration phenomenon in the bioreactor. It was also shown that simultaneous degradation of IPB and ethanol occurred, suggesting that ethanol improves the biodegradation process without causing oxygen depletion. CONCLUSION: A water/silicone oil TPPB with ethanol as co‐substrate allowed the removal of a high inlet load of IPB during an experiment lasting 38 days. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

镁钴铝类水滑石催化合成安息香甲醚

采用共沉淀法制备了镁钴铝类水滑石化合物(MgCoAl-HTLcs),并用 X 射线衍射、扫描电子显微镜、NH_3程序升温脱附等方法对 MgCoAl-HTLcs 进行了表征,并以 MgCoAl-HTLcs 为催化剂催化苯甲醛与甲醇反应合成安息香甲醚,研究了n(Mg):n(Co):n(Al)、催化剂用量、原料配比、反应温度、反应时间对合成反应的影响。表征结果显示,MgCoAl-HTLcs 的晶相完整,表面主要为弱酸、弱碱性。催化合成安息香甲醚的适宜条件为:MgCoAl-HTLcs 催化剂用量0.10 g(约为原料总质量的0.23%),n(Mg):n(Co):n(Al)=0.4:1.6:1.0,V(苯甲醛):V(甲醇)=3:50,反应温度50℃,反应时间150 min。在此条件下,苯甲醛的平衡转化率达77.49%,安息香甲醚选择性接近100%。为洁净合成安息香甲醚开辟了一条新的途径。