Assessing infant exposure to persistent organic pollutants via dietary intake in Australia

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs); organochlorine pesticides (OCPs); and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) persist in the environment, bioaccumulate, and pose a risk of causing adverse human health effects. Typically, exposure assessments undertaken by modeling existing intake data underestimate the concentrations of these chemicals in infants. This study aimed to determine concentrations of POPs in infant foods, assess exposure via dietary intake and compare this to historical exposure. Fruit purees, meat and vegetables, dairy desserts, cereals and jelly foods (n = 33) purchased in 2013 in Brisbane, Australia were analyzed. For OCPs and PCBs, concentrations ranged up to 95 pg/g fw and for PBDEs up to 32 pg/g fw with most analytes below the limit of detection. Daily intake is dependent on type and quantity of foods consumed. Consumption of a 140 g meal would result in intake ranging from 0 to 4.2 ng/day, 4.4 ng/day and 13.3 ng/day, for OCPs, PBDEs and PCBs, respectively. PBDEs were detected in 3/33 samples, OCPs in 9/33 samples and PCBs in 13/33 samples. Results from this study indicate exposure for infants via dietary (in contrast to dust and breast milk) intake in Australia contribute only a minor component to total exposure.

PCBs and OCPs in human milk and selected foods from Luqiao and Pingqiao in Zhejiang, China

This study was conducted to measure the levels of 23 PCB congeners and 6 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in human milk and three food types collected from Luqiao and Pingqiao in Zhejiang Province, China. An effort was also made to explore the potential health risk for the mothers and breast-fed infants living in these two localities. Luqiao was selected as the sampling site because it is the largest place for the disassembly of obsolete transformers and electrical waste in China. Pingqiao, located 100 kin NW of Luqiao, is not known to be a place for any electronic or electrical waste and hence was chosen as the control site. Both localities are important agricultural places in the province. The organochlorines were measured in the samples using the GC-PECD technique. Micro-EROD bioassay method was also used as a complement of the chemical analysis to estimate the TEQ levels of dioxin-like PCBs in human milk. The data showed that the human milk, rice, hen egg, and fish samples from Luqiao were more heavily contaminated with PCBs than those from Pingqiao, suggesting that the mothers and their breast-fed infants in Luqiao tended to receive greater exposure to PCBs than those living in Pingqiao. The OCP levels in the two localities were found comparable, suggesting that the major source of contamination with these pesticides was from their agricultural uses. Significant correlation (R-2 = 0.87, P < 0.001) of PCB TEQs was found between the bioassay and chemical analysis method, suggesting that micro-EROD is an effective method for comprehensive determination of TEQ levels in human milk. Comparison with literature data showed that the PCB levels in milk samples from Luqiao were significantly higher than those from localities in other Chinese provinces and comparable to those in developed or industrialized countries. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Biotransfer of persistent organic pollutants from a large site in China used for the disassembly of electronic and electrical waste

Samples of groundwater, river water, river sediment, paddy soil, rice seeds, hen eggs, fish, umbilical cord blood, and newborn meconium were collected from October 2002 to October 2003 near a large site in China used for the disassembly of obsolete transformers and other electronic or electrical waste. Six indicator PCB congeners, three non-ortho dioxin-like PCB congeners, and six organochlorine pesticides were determined in the samples by GC with electron capture detector. The results demonstrated that the local environment and edible foods had been seriously polluted by toxic PCBs and organochlorine pesticides. The actual daily intakes (ADIs) of these pollutants were estimated for local residents living in the area. The intake data showed that the contents of PCBs in these local residents were substantial, as the ADI estimates greatly exceed the reference doses set by the World Health Organization and the United States Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The presence of the indicator PCB congeners in the cord blood and the meconium samples, as well as significant correlations (r(2) > 0.80, p < 0.05) between these levels, suggests a potential biotransfer of these indicators from mothers to their newborns. This preliminary study showed that obsolete transformers and other electronic or electrical waste can be an important source for the emission of persistent organic pollutants into the local environment, such as through leakage, evaporation, runoff, and leaching. Contamination from this source appears to have reached the level considered to be a serious threat to environmental and human health around the disassembly site.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS) (I): Toxicity, population exposure and involved foods

Food is one of the main exogenous sources of genotoxic compounds. In heated food products, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) represent a priority group of genotoxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic chemical pollutants with adverse long-term health effects. People can be exposed to these compounds through different environments and via various routes: inhalation, ingestion of foods and water and even percutaneously. The presence of these compounds in food may be due to environmental contamination, to industrial handling and processing of foods and to oil processing and refining. The highest levels of these compounds are found in smoked foods, in seafood which is found in polluted waters, in grilled meats and, to a lesser extent, in vegetable fats and oils. Lower levels of PAHs are found in vegetables and in cereals and its products.

Willingness to pay for imported and seasonal foods: a UK survey

We report results from an investigation into consumer preferences for locally produced foods. Using a choice experiment we estimate willingness to pay for foods of a designated origin together with certification for organic and free of genetically modified (GM)ingredients. Our results indicate that there is a preference for locally produced food that is GM free, organic, and produced in the traditional season.

Roman diet and trade: evidence from organic residues on pottery sherds recovered at the Roman town of Calleva Atrebatum (Silchester Hants.)

The analysis of organic residues from pottery sherds using Gas-Chromatography with mass-spectroscopy (GC-MS) has revealed information about the variety of foods eaten and domestic routine at Silchester between the second and fourth–sixth centuries A.D. Two results are discussed in detail: those of a second-century Gauloise-type amphora and a fourth-century SE Dorset black-burnished ware (BB1) cooking pot, which reveal the use of pine pitch on the inner surface of the amphora and the use of animal fats (ruminant adipose fats) and leafy vegetables in cooking at the Roman town of Silchester, Hants.

Nutritional composition, phenolic compounds, nitrate content in eatable vegetables obtained by conventional and certified organic grown culture subject to thermal treatment

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

Organic and conventional fertilisation procedures on the nitrate, antioxidants and pesticide content in parts of vegetables

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

Analysis of total glucosinolates and chromatographically purified benzylglucosinolate in organic and conventional vegetables

The limited availability of foods that are free of pesticides has led Brazil to search for alternative production methods to meet the desires of consumers. Currently, organic cultivation represents a production system that complies with general expectations of producers and consumers. Organic cultivation is particularly interesting mainly because of its effect on plant secondary metabolite content, which may help plants to naturally combat pests; in humans, these substances can also contribute to the prevention of chronic diseases. We report on the extraction of glucosinolates (both as total glucosinolates and as benzylglucosinolate) with trifluoroacetic acid addition in a 70:30 MeOH:water (v/v). Total glucosinolates, determined by a thioglucosidase coupled assay, were measured in different Brassicaceae species and were similar to values reported in the literature. For broccoli, analyses were carried out separately on inflorescences, leaves and stalks; analyses were also conducted on thermally processed samples to simulate cooking. Furthermore, when the analysis was conducted on conventional and organic products, the highest concentrations of these substances were most often found in organically cultivated Brassicaceae. The benzylglucosinolate concentrations were evaluated on the same samples using HPLC. The concentration of benzylglucosinolate was significantly higher in organically cultivated vegetables, as well. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Probiotic yogurts manufactured with increased glucose oxidase levels: Postacidification, proteolytic patterns, survival of probiotic microorganisms, production of organic acid and aroma compounds

We investigated the effect of increased glucose oxidase concentration as a technological option to decrease oxidative stress during the processing of probiotic yogurts. Probiotic yogurts were produced with increased concentrations of glucose oxidase (0, 250, 500, 750, or 1,000 mg/kg) and submitted to physicochemical and microbiological analysis at 1, 15, and 30 d of refrigerated storage. Higher concentrations of glucose oxidase (750 and 1,000 mg/kg) and a longer storage time were found to have an influence on the characteristics of the probiotic yogurt, contributing to more extensive post-acidification, an increase in the dissolved oxygen level, and higher proteolysis. In addition, increased production of aroma compounds (diacetyl and acetaldehyde) and organic acids (mainly lactic acid) and a decrease in the probiotic bacteria count were reported. The use of glucose oxidase was a feasible option to minimize oxidative stress in probiotic yogurts. However, supplementation with excessive amounts of the enzyme may be ineffective, because insufficient substrate (glucose) is present for its action. Consumer tests should be performed to evaluate changes in the sensory attributes of the probiotic yogurts with increased supplementation of glucose oxidase. In addition, packaging systems with different permeability to oxygen should be evaluated.

Save the Planet - Buy Organic: The Role of Consumers in the Sustainable Agricultural Movement

The severity of the environmental situation in agriculture is described. Progress made so far is then listed and critiqued. Misconceptions that sustainable agriculture cannot produce as much food as industrial agriculture, as well as the false impression that sustainably-produced foods must cost more are discussed. In conclusion, the only force strong enough to convince farmers to switch to sustainable practices is the consumer. Advertisements and educational campaigns will inform consumers about industrial agriculture. The shift in demand for sustainable goods will eventually cause prices to fall, allowing more consumers to purchase these formally expensive goods. This process will make a sustainable agricultural revolution possible and profitable.

Allen's commercial organic analysis; a treatise on the properties, modes of assaying, and proximate analytical examination of the various organic chemicals and products employed in the arts, manufactures, medicine, etc., with concise methods for the detection and estimation of their impurities, adulterations, and products of decomposition ...

Vols. 3-9 edited by W.A. Davis and Samuel S. Sadtler.

Choosing organics: A path analysis of factors underlying the selection of organic food among Australian consumers

Path analysis of attitudinal, motivational, demographic and behavioural factors influencing food choice among Australian consumers who had consumed at least some organic food in the preceding 12 months showed that concern with the naturalness of food and the sensory and emotional experience of eating were the major determinants of increasing levels of organic consumption. Increasing consumption was also related to other 'green consumption' behaviours such as recycling and to lower levels of concern with convenience in the purchase and preparation of food. Most of these factors were, in turn, strongly affected by gender and the level of responsibility taken by respondents for food provisioning within their households, a responsibility dominated by women. Education had a slightly negative effect on the levels of concern for sensory and emotional appeal due to lower levels of education among women. Income, age, political and ecological values and willingness to pay a premium for safe and environmentally friendly foods all had extremely minor effects. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Organic acids in Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana): The good (ellagic), the bad (oxalic) and the uncertain (ascorbic)

The phenolic ellagic acid (EA) is receiving increasing attention for its nutritional and pharmacological potential as an antioxidant and antimicrobial agent. The Australian native Kakadu plum (Terminalia ferdinandiana) fruit is an abundant source of this phytochemical. The fruit also contains large amounts of vitamin C (mainly as ascorbic acid, AA) and possibly the undesirable oxalic acid (OA). Regular consumption of high oxalate foods poses a variety of health risks in humans including interference with calcium absorption and kidney stone formation. Oxalate is also the end-product of AA metabolism so that consumption of fruit with heightened AA content has the potential to elevate urinary oxalate levels. The aims of this study were to investigate the distribution of EA and the presence of other bioactives in other Kakadu plum tissues. Chemical analysis of Kakadu plum fruit and leaves for EA (free and total), OA (water-soluble and total), calcium (Ca) and AA indicated that EA and AA concentrations were high in the fruit while the leaves had significantly higher EA levels but little or no detectable AA. OA content in fruit and leaves was substantial with the fruit being placed in the high-Oxalate category. These findings suggest that there is potential to elevate oxalate levels in the urine of susceptible people and intake of fruit-derived products should be closely monitored. By measuring tissues collected from specific trees, high EA-producing or low OA-containing individuals were identified.

From the field to the table: ionizing radiation as a feasible postharvest treatment for fresh and dried plant foods

Food irradiation is a treatment that involves subjecting in-bulk or packaged food to a controlled dose of ionizing radiation, with a clearly defined goal. It has been used for disinfestation and sanitization of food commodities and to retard postharvest ripening and senescence processes, being a sustainable alternative to chemical agents 1 . Doses up to 10 kGy are approved by several international authorities for not offering negative effects to food from a nutrition and toxicology point of view 2 . However, the adoption of this technology for food applications has been a slow process due to some misunderstandings by the consumer who often chooses non-irradiated foods. In this study, the effects of the ionizing radiation treatment on physical, chemical and bioactive properties of dried herbs and its suitability for preserving quality attributes of fresh vegetables during cold storage were evaluated. The studied herbs, perennial spotted rockrose (Tuberaria lignosa (Sweet) Samp.) and common mallow (Malva neglecta Wallr.) were freeze-dried and then irradiated up to 10 kGy in a Cobalt-60 chamber. The selected vegetables, watercress (Nasturtium officinale R. Br.) and buckler sorrel (Rumex induratus Boiss. Reut.) were rinsed in tap water, packaged in polyethylene bags, submitted to irradiation doses up to 6 kGy and then were stored at 4 C for a period of up to 12 days. Physical, chemical and bioactive parameters of irradiated and non-irradiated samples were evaluated using different methodologies the colour was measured with a colorimeter, individual chemical compounds were analyzed by chromatographic techniques, antioxidant properties were evaluated using in vitro assays based on different reaction mechanisms, and other quality analyses were performed following official methods of analysis. The irradiation treatment did not significantly affect the colour of the perennial spotted rockrose samples, or its phenolic composition and antioxidant activity 3 . Medium doses preserved the colour of common mallow and a low dose did not induce any adverse effect in the organic acids profile. The green colour of the irradiated vegetables was maintained during cold storage but the treatment had pros and cons in other quality attributes. The 2 kGy dose preserved free sugars and favoured polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) while the 5 kGy dose favoured tocopherols and preserved the antioxidant properties in watercress samples. The 6 kGy dose was a suitable option for preserving PUFA and the ω-6 ω-3 fatty acids ratio in buckler sorrel samples. This comprehensive experimental work allowed selecting appropriate processing doses for the studied plant foods in order to preserve its quality attributes and edibility.