Class separation of mutagenic polycyclic organic material in grilled and smoked foods

Zusammenfassung Es wird über ein Verfahren zur Abtrennung der in gegrillten und geräucherten Lebensmitteln enthaltenen mutagenen polycyclischen organischen Stoffe in einzelne Klassen berichtet. Das Verfahren umfaßt eine erste Extraktion mit Aceton, das Abscheiden von Fett und Proteinen durch Ausfällung bei –55 °C und eine Säure-Base-Extraktion. Die weitere Fraktionierung erfolgte durch Gelfiltration und Silicagel-Chromatographie. Bei vier Proben von gegrillten Würsten waren 80 bis 90% der extrahierten Mutagenität (TA98 + S9) in den basischen Fraktionen enthalten. Die in der Flamme gegrillten Würste hatten eine höhere Mutagenität als die auf Holzkohle gegrillten. Bei den geräucherten Fischen war die Mutagenität gering und verteilte sich gleichmäßig auf die basischen und die neutralen/sauren Fraktionen. Einige Proben zeigten schwache Direktmutagenität in den neutralen/sauren Fraktionen. Die Anwesenheit von Nitrit in den gegrillten Würsten hatte keinen erheblichen Einfluß auf die Mutagenität. Die Gaschromatographie, Selektive Ionregistrierung-Technik, wurde erfolgreich zur Identifizierung mehrerer PAH-Verbindungen eingesetzt, und mit ihr konnten mehrere Nitro-PAH und oxydierte Verbindungen vorläufig identifiziert werden. Der Nachweis der Mutagene in den basischen Fraktionen gestaltete sich jedoch wegen Peak-Schweifbildung und mit-eluierenden Materials kompliziert.Summary A method for class separation of mutagenic polycyclic organic material in grilled and smoked foods is described. The procedure involves an initial extraction with acetone, removal of fat and proteins by precipitation at –55 °C, and an acid-base extraction. Further fractionation was carried out by gel filtration and silica gel chromatography. In four samples of grilled sausages, 80%–90% of the extracted mutagenicity (TA98 + S9) was contained in the basic fractions. Flame-grilled sausages showed higher mutagenicity than charcoal-grilled ones. In a smoked fish sample, the mutagenicity was low and evenly distributed between the basic and the neutral/acidic fractions. A few samples showed a weak direct-acting mutagenicity in the neutral/acidic fractions. The presence of nitrite in grilled sausages did not influence the mutagenicity markedly. Gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring was used to successfully identify a number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and tentatively identify several nitro-PAHs and oxygenated compounds. However, the identification of mutagens in the basic fractions was complicated by peak tailing and the presence of co-eluting material.

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Abtrennung mutagenen polycyclischen organischen Materials in gegrillten und geräucherten Lebensmitteln

     

Effect of iridoid glycoside content on oviposition host plant choice and parasitism in a specialist herbivore

The Glanville fritillary butterfly Melitaea cinxia feeds upon two host plant species in Å land, Finland, Plantago lanceolataand Veronica spicata, both of which produce iridoid glycosides. Iridoids are known to deter feeding or decrease the growth rate of many generalist insect herbivores, but they often act as oviposition cues to specialist butterflies and are feeding stimulants to their larvae. In this study, two iridoid glycosides (aucubin and catalpol) were analyzed by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography. We measured the spatial and temporal variation of iridoid glycosides in natural populations of the host plants of M. cinxia. We also analyzed the aucubin and catalpol content in plants in relation to their use by ovipositing females, and in relation to the incidence of parasitism of M. cinxia larvae in natural populations. The mean concentrations of aucubin and catalpol were higher in P. lanceolata than in V. spicata, and catalpol concentrations were higher than aucubin concentrations in both host species. Plantago lanceolata individuals that were used for oviposition by M. cinxia had higher aucubin concentrations than random plants and neighboring plants. Additionally, oviposition and random plants had higher catalpol concentrations than neighboring plants, indicating that ovipositing females select for high iridoid glycoside plants or that oviposition induces iridoid glycoside production in P. lanceolata. Parasitism by the specialist parasitoid wasp Cotesia melitaearum occurred most frequently in larval groups that were feeding on plants with low concentrations of catalpol, irrespective of year, population, and host plant species. Therefore, parasitoids appear to avoid or perform poorly in host larvae with high catalpol content.     

Thermal sintering studies of an autothermal reforming catalyst

This paper describes a novel approach to life studies on catalysts used in non-isothermal reactors, using a single long-term experiment. Temperature dependence of catalyst aging is determined by comparing the activity reduction of portions of the catalyst from different sections of the reactor, subjected to different temperatures. Time dependence is determined by fitting the drift in catalyst temperatures to a time-dependent reaction rate via a thermodynamic reactor model. Experimentally, a monolithic autothermal reforming catalyst was subjected to thermally accelerated aging under reforming conditions in an adiabatic laboratory mini-flow reactor for 1000 h. Methane was used as the fuel. The axial temperature profile of the catalyst was monitored using thermocouples placed at various locations along the catalyst. A gradual change in temperature profile, with increasing temperatures due to decreasing steam-reforming activity, was observed. The aged monolith was cut up into short pieces centered on the thermocouple locations. The pieces, each aged at a different temperature due to its location, were tested individually for activity. The reduced activities were correlated with the aging temperature to obtain the temperature dependence of thermal sintering rates. A generalized power-law equation (GPLE) model for sintering was fit to the activity data. A plug flow reactor (PFR) model describing the reaction was built and the sintering kinetics were incorporated. The PFR model was used to predict changes in catalyst performance due to sintering under normal operating conditions. Thermal sintering deactivation for this catalyst was found to be within acceptable limits for commercial applications.     

Organic and inorganic carbon concentrations and fluxes from managed and unmanaged boreal first-order catchments

Seasonal and between stream variation (catchment dependent variation) in losses of organic and inorganic carbon via downstream transport and outgassing of CO₂ into the atmosphere were studied in 11 small boreal catchments situated in close proximity to each other. Of these catchments four were undrained peatland rich catchments, four drained peatland rich catchments and three managed mineral soil-dominated catchments. Downstream export of total inorganic carbon (TIC) varied between 870 and 1400 kg km^− 2 a^− 1 and was rather consistent between the catchments, except in the case of the mineral soil-dominated catchment Kangaslampi, where export was only 420 kg km^− 2 a^− 1. The export of total organic carbon (TOC) varied between 2300 and 14,800 kg km^− 2 a^− 1 and was highest in peatland rich catchments. Peatland drainage decreased TIC and TOC concentrations in the long term, but did not affect lateral carbon export due to increased runoff from the catchments. Partial pressure of CO₂ in streams was the highest in undrained peatland rich catchments, but the outgassing of CO₂ into the atmosphere was also high from drained peatlands due to the higher discharge rate and long ditch networks. In mineral soil-dominated catchments both downstream export of carbon and emission into the atmosphere were low. TOC exports were compared in two climatically different years (2003 and 2007). The results indicate that climate change might alter the timing of the TOC export from the catchments, the importance of the spring ice melt diminishing and both snow cover and snow free period export increasing.     

Ubimedia based on readable and writable memory tags

Ubimedia is a concept where media files are embedded in everyday objects and the environment. We propose an approach where the user can read and write these files with his/her personal mobile phone simply by touching the physical objects. This facilitates easy access and storage of, e.g. video and audio files related to the physical object in question. This paper describes our work in developing a technical solution for ubimedia and studying user acceptance of forthcoming ubimedia services. Our technical development of the ubimedia concept has been focused on a mobile phone platform with a tag reader/writer, memory tags with large storage capacity, and the communication between the phone and the tags. Currently, the technical design is in test and evaluation phase. The preliminary results show that the concept works and it can be implemented technically. In parallel with the technical development, we have studied usage possibilities for ubimedia and user acceptance of future ubimedia services. User acceptance has been studied in a web survey and in user evaluations of proofs-of-concept. In addition, an ethical assessment has been carried out. The users appreciated especially the simplicity, speed, low cost and reliability of ubimedia. Ethical concerns were related to control over the download with regard to viruses and other unwanted content.     

Beyond Megaprojects?. Water Alternatives for Mass Tourism in Coastal Mediterranean Spain

Water availability in adequate quantities and qualities is a fundamental requirement for tourism. In the Mediterranean, one of the world’s leading tourist destinations, water availability is subject to modest and erratic precipitation figures which may decline with climate change. The tourist industry therefore may have to assure future supplies by either recurring to new technologies such as desalination or increasing efficiency in water use. A third and yet little explored alternative would be to seek for complementary of uses with irrigation, the traditional user in many coastal Mediterranean areas and holder of substantial amounts of water. In this paper we present the example of the Consorcio de Aguas de la Marina Baja to show how Benidorm, in Mediterranean Spain and one of the most important tourist centers of the Mediterranean, obtains part of its water through agreements with farmers by which these trade their water with Benidorm and other towns’ treated wastewater of enough quality to be used for irrigation, and obtain several compensations in return. The advantages and disadvantages of the water trade between farmers and tourist interests in the Benidorm area are discussed and we argue that solutions to the pending water crisis of many coastal Mediterranean tourist areas may not need to rely uniquely on expensive technologies to generate new resources but may attempt other alternatives.     

Floral classification of Yucatan Peninsula honeys by PCA & HS‐SPME/GC–MS of volatile compounds

In the current work, we focus on the application of principal component analysis (PCA) to differentiate the floral origin of three types of honeys of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico [Tahonal (Viguiera dentata Blake, var. heliantoides), Dzidzilché (Gymnopodium floribundum Rolfen) and Haabín (Piscidia piscipula L.)], by using the volatile compounds of the honey obtained by HS‐SPME/GC–MS with PDMS/DVB fibres. About 70 peaks were detected in each honey sample, many of them were found with similar retention times in the analysed honeys. The PCA with three factors (nearly 68% of the total variance) discriminates between the three types of honeys, which leads us to conclude that it is possible to successfully differentiate samples from different unifloral honeys according to their volatile composition.     

Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria to Inhibit Rope Spoilage in Wheat Sourdough Bread

The ability of selected lactic acid bacteria to inhibit the growth of rope-forming Bacillus strains in laboratory experiments and in wheat bread was investigated. Growth of Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis was inhibited by Lactobacillus plantarum VTT E-78076 and Pediococcus pentosaceus VTT E-90390 in an automated turbidometry assay and in test bakings. Rope spoilage of wheat bread was inhibited by adding 20-30 g of sourdough/100 g of wheat dough if the sourdough was fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum VTT E-78076,Pediococcus pentosaceus VTT E-90390 or Lactobacillus brevis (commercial starter culture) and the pH values of sourdoughs were adjusted below 4.0 and the amount of total titratable acidity value was >12. Addition of lactic acid alone in concentrations comparable with those formed in sourdoughs did not prevent rope spoilage.     

Class separation of mutagenic polycyclic organic material in grilled and smoked foods

A method for class separation of mutagenic polycyclic organic material in grilled and smoked foods is described. The procedure involves an initial extraction with acetone, removal of fat and proteins by precipitation at -55 degrees C, and an acid-base extraction. Further fractionation was carried out by gel filtration and silica gel chromatography. In four samples of grilled sausages, 80%-90% of the extracted mutagenicity (TA98 + S9) was contained in the basic fractions. Flame-grilled sausages showed higher mutagenicity than charcoal-grilled ones. In a smoked fish sample, the mutagenicity was low and evenly distributed between the basic and the neutral/acidic fractions. A few samples showed a weak direct-acting mutagenicity in the neutral/acidic fractions. The presence of nitrite in grilled sausages did not influence the mutagenicity markedly. Gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring was used to successfully identify a number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and tentatively identify several nitro-PAHs and oxygenated compounds. However, the identification of mutagens in the basic fractions was complicated by peak tailing and the presence of co-eluting material.