Food fortification : the evidence, ethics and politics of adding nutrients to food

This research book presents a critical analysis of mandatory food fortification as a technology for protecting and promoting public health. Increasing numbers of foods fortified with novel amounts and combinations of nutrients are being introduced into the food supplies of countries around the world to raise populations’ nutrient intakes. Three topical food fortification case studies representing the different public health rationales for adding nutrients to food were assessed for their public health benefits, risks and ethical considerations: Universal salt iodisation (USI) to help prevent iodine deficiency disorders; mandatory flour fortification with folic acid (MFFFA) to help prevent neural tube defects; and mandatory milk fortification with vitamin D (MMFVD) to help prevent vitamin D deficiency. These assessments found that whereas USI performs strongly as a public health intervention, MFFFA and MMFVD are associated with more risks and less ethical justification than an alternative policy option. Food fortification can be a blunt policy response to complex policy problems. The findings highlight that the primary predictor of a mandatory food fortification policy’s benefits, risks and ethics is its ability to address the underlying cause of the policy problem. The analysis of the policy-making processes for each case study found that certain powerful actors use their influence to determine what counts as evidence in policy processes to privilege food fortification activities over alternative policy options. Policy-making frequently was notable for the low prominence it afforded ethical considerations and its lack of public engagement. Priority activities to help strengthen policy processes and outcomes are suggested.

Construction and demolition waste as a source of PVC for recycling

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Effect of boron and zinc fertilization on white oats grown in soil with average content of these nutrients

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of fertilization with zinc or boron on the growth and dry matter production, nutritional value and accumulation of nutrients in white oats. The study comprised two experiments conducted in glasshouses, the first consisting of the application of four doses of zinc (0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/dm³) in the form of zinc sulphate (20% Zn), and the second consisting of the application of four doses of boron (0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg/dm³) in the form of Borax (11% B). The experimental design in each case was a randomized block design, with five replicates. Fertilization with zinc and boron increased the growth of white oats, but had no significant effect on the nutritional value of the forage. Higher levels of absorption and accumulation of nutrients in plant tissues were observed following the application of boron and zinc at rates of up to 0.60 mg/dm³ of soil.

Nutrient cycling aspects in stands of Pinus-elliottii engelm var elliottii under differents resining intensities .2. nutrients contents in litter

Annual and monthly quantities of nutrients wich returned to the soil through litter fall in Pinus elliottii Engelm. var. elliottii stand were estimated durint a two years period, in Experimental Station of Mogi-Guacu, SP. From the trees of the stand was extracted oleoresin according two differents techniques and control. The annual average of nutrients that returned to the soil was 72.2 Kg/ha, in following order: N > Ca > K > Mg > P. No relationship appeared between nutrient concentrations plus quantities when they were compared with oleoresin yields treatments and control. The differences in annual quantities were possibly due to climatic factors. The soil profile showed short concentrations in nutrient contents. Thus, the forest may be suffering by nutrient deficiences.

An evaluation into the potential of biological processing for the removal of metals from sewage sludges

The use of sewage sludge in agricultural land as a means of sludge disposal and recycling has been shown to be economical and suitable because of the presence of nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. However, municipal sludges often contain high quantities of toxic metals and other compounds that must be removed for its safe use in agricultural soils. The biological leaching of metals from sewage sludges has been shown to be a promising technique for metal detoxifying in such complex matrix. The process efficiency is dependent on several physico-chemical parameters, such as total solids concentration, metal forms, pH-ORP, and temperature. Scale-up of the process has not yet been defined and is still pursuing the correct operational design. Current research involving the bioleaching of metals from sewage sludge and its application to land, which affects soil physical properties, are presented and discussed.

Geochemical Assessment of a Subtropical Reservoir: A Case Study in Curitiba, Southern Brazil

Suspended particles and dissolved substances in water provide reactive surfaces, influence metabolic activity and contribute to the net sediment deposition. It therefore plays an important part in the ecology and quality of the water mass. The water quality in reservoirs is crucial and it is naturally maintained by flushing and sedimentation, which continuously remove phosphorus from the water. In some reservoirs, however, these removal processes are countered by recycling of ions which could play a key role to start and/or maintain the eutrophic state. The combination of macro-, trace- and microanalysis techniques can be useful to trace pollution sources through a chemical fingerprint, whether be during an acute environmental disaster or a long-term release of pollutants. The water quality and total metal content of reservoir sediments were assessed in a reservoir, situated in the capital of the Parana State, in the South-Eastern part of Brazil. The goal of this paper was to determine the metal presence in the sediment and metal and ionic speciation in the Green River reservoir water. Water and bed sediment samples, collected from various sites during 2008 and 2009, were investigated using XRF, ICP-OES, ICP-MS, XRD and zeta potential measurements. Based on the results, the heavy metal concentration and chemical composition of the suspended matter in the water samples, as well as the sediment's chemical composition will be discussed.

Performance of constructed wetland system for public water supply

The project is being conducted in the town of Analândia, São Paulo, Brazil. The constructed wetlands system for water supply consists of a channel with floating aquatic macrophytes, HDS system (Water Decontamination with Soil - Patent PI 850.3030), chlorinating system, filtering system and distribution. The project objectives include investigating the process variables to further optimize design and operation factors, evaluating the relation of nutrients and plants development, biomass production, shoot development, nutrient cycling and total and fecal coliforms removal, comparing the treatment efficiency among the seasons of the year; and moreover to compare the average values obtained between February and June 1998 (Salati et al., 1998) with the average obtained for the same parameters between March and June 2000. Studies have been developed in order to verify during one year the drinking quality of the water for the following parameters: turbidity, color, pH, dissolved oxygen, total of dissolved solids, COD, chloride, among others, according to the Ministry of Health's Regulation 36. This system of water supply projected to treat 15 L s-1 has been in continuous operation for 2 years, it was implemented with support of the National Environment Fund (FNMA), administered by the Center of Environmental Studies (CEA-UNESP), while the technical supervision and design were performed by the Institute of Applied Ecology. The actual research project is being supported by FAPESP.

Nutrients and Nonessential Elements in Soil after 11 Years of Wastewater Irrigation

Irrigation of citrus (Citrus aurantium L. x Citrus paradise Macf.) with urban reclaimed wastewater (RWW) can be economical and conserve fresh water. However, concerns remain regarding its deleterious effects on soil quality. We investigated the ionic speciation (ISP) of RWW and potential impacts of 11 yr of irrigation with RWW on soil quality, compared with well-water (WW) irrigation. Most of nutrients (similar to 53-99%) in RWW are free ionic species and readily available for plant uptake, such as: NH4+, NO3-, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42-, H3BO3, Cl-, Fe2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, Co2+, and Ni2+, whereas more than about 80% of Cu, Cr, Pb, and Al are complexed with CO3-, OH-, and/or organic matter. The RWW irrigation increased the availability and total concentrations of nutrients and nonessential elements, and soil salinity and sodicity by two to three times compared with WW-irrigated soils. Although RWW irrigation changed many soil parameters, no difference in citrus yield was observed. The risk of negative impacts from RWW irrigation on soil quality appears to be minimal because of: (i) adequate quality of RWW, according to USEPA limits; (ii) low concentrations of metals in soil after 11 yr of irrigation with RWW; and (iii) rapid leaching of salts in RWW-irrigated soil during the rainy season.

Characterization of legacy organic carbon in a culturally eutrophic lake : the role of the historic carbon deposition in the time course and extent of lake recovery

The time course of lake recovery after a reduction in external loading of nutrients is often controlled by conditions in the sediment. Remediation of eutrophication is hindered by the presence of legacy organic carbon deposits, that exert a demand on the terminal electron acceptors of the lake and contribute to problems such as internal nutrient recycling, absence of sediment macrofauna, and flux of toxic metal species into the water column. Being able to quantify the timing of a lake’s response requires determination of the magnitude and lability, i.e., the susceptibility to biodegradation, of the organic carbon within the legacy deposit. This characterization is problematic for organic carbon in sediments because of the presence of different fractions of carbon, which vary from highly labile to refractory. The lability of carbon under varied conditions was tested with a bioassay approach. It was found that the majority of the organic material found in the sediments is conditionally-labile, where mineralization potential is dependent on prevailing conditions. High labilities were noted under oxygenated conditions and a favorable temperature of 30 °C. Lability decreased when oxygen was removed, and was further reduced when the temperature was dropped to the hypolimnetic average of 8° C . These results indicate that reversible preservation mechanisms exist in the sediment, and are able to protect otherwise labile material from being mineralized under in situ conditions. The concept of an active sediment layer, a region in the sediments in which diagenetic reactions occur (with nothing occurring below it), was examined through three lines of evidence. Initially, porewater profiles of oxygen, nitrate, sulfate/total sulfide, ETSA (Electron Transport System Activity- the activity of oxygen, nitrate, iron/manganese, and sulfate), and methane were considered. It was found through examination of the porewater profiles that the edge of diagenesis occurred around 15-20 cm. Secondly, historical and contemporary TOC profiles were compared to find the point at which the profiles were coincident, indicating the depth at which no change has occurred over the (13 year) interval between core collections. This analysis suggested that no diagenesis has occurred in Onondaga Lake sediment below a depth of 15 cm. Finally, the time to 99% mineralization, the t99, was viewed by using a literature estimate of the kinetic rate constant for diagenesis. A t99 of 34 years, or approximately 30 cm of sediment depth, resulted for the slowly decaying carbon fraction. Based on these three lines of evidence , an active sediment layer of 15-20 cm is proposed for Onondaga Lake, corresponding to a time since deposition of 15-20 years. While a large legacy deposit of conditionally-labile organic material remains in the sediments of Onondaga Lake, it becomes clear that preservation, mechanisms that act to shield labile organic carbon from being degraded, protects this material from being mineralized and exerting a demand on the terminal electron acceptors of the lake. This has major implications for management of the lake, as it defines the time course of lake recovery following a reduction in nutrient loading.

(Table 1) Activity of alkali phosphatase in suspended matter at 20°C and environmental temperatures, and recycling time of organic phosphorus in the Barents and Norwegian seas

Alkali phosphatase activity and hydrochemical structure of waters in the Barents and Norwegian seas were investigated. In a sea with the seasonal bioproduction cycle alkali phosphatase activity is also seasonal, rising with trophic level of waters. At the end of hydrological and biological winter activity is practically zero. Alkali phosphatase activity is especially important in summer, when plankton has consumed winter supply of phosphate in the euphotic layer and nutrient limitation of primary production begins. In summer production and destruction cycle, apparent time for recycling of phosphorus by phosphatase in suspended matter in the euphotic layer of the Barents Sea and Norwegian Sea averages from 7 to 30 hours.

Neodymium isotope ratios of fish debris from late Cretaceous black shales

Neodymium isotopes of fish debris from two sites on Demerara Rise, spanning ~4.5 m.y. of deposition from the early Cenomanian to just before ocean anoxic event 2 (OAE2) (Cenomanian-Turonian transition), suggest a circulation-controlled nutrient trap in intermediate waters of the western tropical North Atlantic that could explain continuous deposition of organic-rich black shales for as many as ~15 m.y. (Cenomanian-early Santonian). Unusually low Nd isotopic data (epsilon-Nd(t) ~-11 to ~-16) on Demerara Rise during the Cenomanian are confirmed, but the shallower site generally exhibits higher and more variable values. A scenario in which southwest-flowing Tethyan and/or North Atlantic waters overrode warm, saline Demerara bottom water explains the isotopic differences between sites and could create a dynamic nutrient trap controlled by circulation patterns in the absence of topographic barriers. Nutrient trapping, in turn, would explain the ~15 m.y. deposition of black shales through positive feedbacks between low oxygen and nutrient-rich bottom waters, efficient phosphate recycling, transport of nutrients to the surface, high productivity, and organic carbon export to the seafloor. This nutrient trap and the correlation seen previously between high Nd and organic carbon isotopic values during OAE2 on Demerara Rise suggest that physical oceanographic changes could be components of OAE2, one of the largest perturbations to the global carbon cycle in the past 150 m.y.

Activity of ETS enzymes and phosphatase in the Sea of Okhotsk and Kuril region in summer 1992 and 1993

An estimate of rate of transformation of organic matter and regeneration of nutrients (in particular phosphorus) was calculated for different regions of the Sea of Okhotsk. The rate was estimated by means of rate of complete oxidation of organic matter to CO2 and H2O catalyzed by enzymes of the electron transport system (ETS) and rate of hydrolytic splitting of phosphate from organic phosphorus compounds catalyzed by alkaline phosphatase. Organic matter destruction rate was at its maximum on the shelf of Kamchatka and Sakhalin, as well as in the layer of maximum oxygen gradients in deep waters. It was found that zones of intensive primary production were characterized by high rates of phosphorus regeneration, which provided for 80% of primary production when concentration of mineral phosphorus was low.

RGS-r, a retinal specific RGS protein, binds an intermediate conformation of transducin and enhances recycling

G proteins regulate intracellular signaling by coupling a cycle of guanine nucleotide binding and hydrolysis to transient changes of cellular functions. The mechanisms that control the recycling of transducin, the “pace-setting” G protein that regulates mammalian phototransduction, are unclear. We show that a novel retinal specific RGS-motif protein specifically binds to an intermediate conformation involved in GTP hydrolysis by transducin and accelerates phosphate release and the recycling of transducin. This specific interaction further rationalizes the kinetics of the phototransduction cascade and provides a general hypothesis to explain the mechanism of interaction of RGS proteins with other G proteins.

Association of Rab25 and Rab11a with the Apical Recycling System of Polarized Madin–Darby Canine Kidney Cells

Recent evidence suggests that apical and basolateral endocytic pathways in epithelia converge in an apically located, pericentriolar endosomal compartment termed the apical recycling endosome. In this compartment, apically and basolaterally internalized membrane constituents are thought to be sorted for recycling back to their site of origin or for transcytosis to the opposite plasma membrane domain. We report here that in the epithelial cell line Madin–Darby Canine Kidney (MDCK), antibodies to Rab11a label an apical pericentriolar endosomal compartment that is dependent on intact microtubules for its integrity. Furthermore, this compartment is accessible to a membrane-bound marker (dimeric immunoglobulin A [IgA]) internalized from either the apical or basolateral pole, functionally defining it as the apical recycling endosome. We have also examined the role of a closely related epithelial-specific Rab, Rab25, in the regulation of membrane recycling and transcytosis in MDCK cells. When cDNA encoding Rab25 was transfected into MDCK cells, the protein colocalized with Rab11a in subapical vesicles. Rab25 transfection also altered the distribution of Rab11a, causing the coalescence of immunoreactivity into multiple denser vesicular structures not associated with the centrosome. Nevertheless, nocodazole still dispersed these vesicles, and dimeric IgA internalized from either the apical or basolateral membrane was detected in endosomes labeled with antibodies to both Rab11a and Rab25. Overexpression of Rab25 decreased the rate of IgA transcytosis and of apical, but not basolateral, recycling of internalized ligand. Conversely, expression of the dominant-negative Rab25T26N did not alter either apical recycling or transcytosis. These results indicate that both Rab11a and Rab25 associate with the apical recycling system of epithelial cells and suggest that Rab25 may selectively regulate the apical recycling and/or transcytotic pathways.

Fusion of Endosomes Involved in Synaptic Vesicle Recycling

Recycling of vesicles of the regulated secretory pathway presumably involves passage through an early endosomal compartment as an intermediate step. To learn more about the involvement of endosomes in the recycling of synaptic and secretory vesicles we studied in vitro fusion of early endosomes derived from pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Fusion was not affected by cleavage of the SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins synaptobrevin and syntaxin 1 that operate at the exocytotic limb of the pathway. Furthermore, fusion was inhibited by the fast Ca2+ chelator 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetra-acetic acid but not by the slow Ca2+ chelator EGTA. Endosome fusion was restored by the addition of Ca2+ with an optimum at a free Ca2+ concentration of 0.3 × 10−6 M. Other divalent cations did not substitute for Ca2+. A membrane-permeant EGTA derivative caused inhibition of fusion, which was reversed by addition of Ca2+. We conclude that the fusion of early endosomes participating in the recycling of synaptic and neurosecretory vesicles is mediated by a set of SNAREs distinct from those involved in exocytosis and requires the local release of Ca2+ from the endosomal interior.