Tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (TOTM) as a potential industrial reference fluid for viscosity at high temperatures and high pressures: New viscosity, density and surface tension measurements

Tris(2-ethylhexyl) trimellitate (TOTM) was recently suggested as a reference fluid for industrial use associated with high viscosity at elevated temperature and pressure. Viscosity and density data have already been published on one sample covering the temperature range (303-373) K and at pressures up to about 65 MPa. The viscosity covered a range from about (9 to 460) mPa s. In the present article we study several other characteristics of TOTM that must be available if it were to be adopted as a standard. First, we present values for the viscosity and density obtained with a different sample of TOTM to examine the important feature of consistency among different samples. Vibrating-wire viscosity measurements were performed at pressures from (5 to 100) MPa, along 6 isotherms between (303 and 373) K. Density measurements were carried out from (293 to 373) K up to 68 MPa, along 4 isotherms, using an Anton Paar DMA HP vibrating U-tube densimeter. Secondly, we report a study of the effect of water contamination on the viscosity of TOTM, performed using an Ubbelhode viscometer under atmospheric pressure. Finally, in order to support the use of TOTM as a reference liquid for the calibration of capillary viscometers, values of its surface tension, obtained by the pendant drop method, are provided. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessment of genotoxicity of aflatoxin M1 and B1 contaminated milks after in vitro human digestion

Introduction - Milk is considered a complete food from the nutritional point of view. Milk can be exposed to various types of contamination, such as mycotoxins. These metabolites are naturally occurring toxic compounds produced by fungi. Several studies on milk samples have reported the presence of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and M1 (AFM1), due to the high incidence in samples intended for human consumption, carcinogenicity proven AFB1 and resistance of the contaminants to the process of digestion, making those available for intestinal absorption. Considering these aspects, the objective of this study was to evaluate the genotoxicity of milk samples contaminated by AFB1 and AFM1 before and after the action of lactic acid bacteria using Caco-2 intestinal human cells.