Chronic pesticide poisoning from persistent low-dose exposures in Ecuadorean floriculture workers: toward validating a low-cost test battery

Chronic pesticide poisoning is difficult to detect. We sought to develop a low-cost test battery for settings such as Ecuador’s floriculture industry. First we had to develop a case definition; as with all occupational diseases a case had to have both sufficient effective dose and associated health effects. For the former, using canonical discriminant analysis, we found that adding measures of protection and overall environmental stressors to occupational category and duration of exposure was useful. For the latter, factor analysis suggested three distinct manifestations of pesticide poisoning. We then determined sensitivity and specificity of various combinations of symptoms and simple neurotoxicity tests from the Pentox questionnaire, and found that doing so increased sensitivity and specificity compared to use of acethylcholinesterase alone – the current screening standard. While sensitivity and specificity varied with different case definitions, our results support the development of a low-cost test battery for screening in such settings.

Poisoning the mind: Arsenic contamination of drinking water wells and children's educational achievement in rural Bangladesh

Bangladesh has experienced the largest mass poisoning of a population in history owing to contamination of groundwater with naturally occurring inorganic arsenic. Prolonged drinking of such water risks development of diseases and therefore has implications for children's cognitive and psychological development. This study examines the effect of arsenic contamination of tubewells, the primary source of drinking water at home, on the learning outcome of school-going children in rural Bangladesh using recent nationally representative data on secondary school children. We unambiguously find a negative and statistically significant correlation between mathematics scores and arsenic-contaminated drinking tubewells at home, net of the child's socio-economic status, parental background and school specific unobserved correlates of learning. Similar correlations are found for an alternative measure of student achievement and subjective well-being (i.e. self-reported measure of life satisfaction), of the student. We conclude by discussing the policy implication of our findings in the context of the current debate over the adverse effect of arsenic poisoning on children.

Contribution of non-volatile and volatile compounds to the umami taste and overall flavour of shiitake mushroom extracts and their application as flavour enhancers in cooked minced meat

Aqueous extracts of dried shiitake mushrooms (Lentinus edodes) were prepared as taste and flavour enhancers for meat formulations. Effects of time and temperature on the chemical and sensory properties of the extracts were examined. Extracts prepared at 70 °C had significantly higher concentrations (p<0.001) of the savoury tasting 5’-ribonucleotides than those prepared at 22 °C but increasing the extraction time from 30 to 360 mins only increased their recovery slightly (p=0.053). In contrast, higher temperature extracts had considerably smaller concentrations of the major volatile compounds, such as lenthionine, 1-octen-3-ol, 1,3-dithiethane and dimethyl disulfide, because of loss through volatilisation. A sensory discrimination test showed that the lower temperature extract was perceived to have less umami taste than the higher temperature extract (p=0.048). Incorporating the 70 °C shiitake extract into minced meat formulations led to significantly higher levels of savoury tasting 5’-ribonucleotides in the cooked meat but no significant difference in umami perception.

Detection of Paraquat in Oral Fluid, Plasma, and Urine by Capillary Electrophoresis for Diagnosis of Acute Poisoning

FAPESP

Biological control of Bradysia matogrossensis (Diptera : Sciaridae) in mushroom cultivation with predatory mites

Larvae of Sciaridae flies (Diptera) cause considerable damage to the mushroom Agaricus blazei (Murrill) ss. Heinemann in Brazil. Brazilian growers have had considerable difficulties in controlling this pest. The objective of this work was to test the effect of the predatory Laelapidae mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus (Womersley) as a control agent of Bradysia matogrossensis (Lane) in cultures of A. blazei. The work corresponded to an evaluation of the efficiency of that predator when released in boxes containing each about 15 L of commercial mushroom compost naturally infested with the pest. The results showed a significant effect of that predator on the population of B. matogrossensis. The release of either 665 or 1330 S. scimitus per box significantly reduced the pest population to levels that, according to grower's experience, apparently could not cause considerable damage. The positive results obtained warrant the conduction of complementary studies to determine the lowest rates of the predator that could still produce acceptable levels of control.

The predatory mite Stratiolaelaps scimitus as a control agent of the fungus gnat Bradysia matogrossensis in commercial production of the mushroom Agaricus bisporus

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Antimutagenic effect of Lentinula edodes (BERK.) Pegler mushroom and possible variation among lineages

This study was performed to evaluate the efficiency of four different lineages (95/01, L1, 96/22 and JABK) of Lentinula edodes (BERK.) Pegler mushroom (shiitake) for inhibiting the N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU) clastogenicity in vivo. Male Swiss mice (10 animals/group) were treated during 15 consecutive days with dried mushroom added to basal diet under three different concentrations (1, 5 and 10%). At day 15, mice were intraperitoneally injected with ENU (50 mg/kg body weight) and sacrificed 24 h later for evaluation of micronucleated bone marrow polychromatic erythrocytes (MNPCE). Negative and positive controls (10 animals each), receiving basal diet and saline or ENU ip injection, respectively, were also evaluated. Results showed that pretreatments with diets containing the lineages 95/01, L1 and 96/22 reduce the frequencies of MNPCE induced by ENU. The absence of an antimutagenic activity for the lineage JABK might be related to intrinsic differences among the lineages such as biochemical composition. Taken together, our data show that the differences in protective activities of the mushrooms need to be clarified in further studies and the mechanisms for such activities need to be investigated. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mechanism of anticlastogenicity of Agaricus blazei Murill mushroom organic extracts in wild type CHO (K-1) and repair deficient (xrs5) cells by chromosome aberration and sister chromatid exchange assays

Agaricus blazei Murill is a medicinal mushroom native to Brazil. The present work assessed the clastogenic and anticlastogenic potential of organic extracts (ethanol and chloroform/methanol) from the lineage AB97/11 in chinese hamster CHO-K-1 (wild type) and CHO-xrs5 (repair deficient) cells using the chromosome aberration (CA) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) assays. In these experimental conditions were observed: (a) anticlastogenic effect at concentrations of 0.06 and 0.09% of the EtOH extract and at the 0.03 and 0.06% concentrations of the C/MetOH extract in CHO-K-1; (b) absence of protector effect on CHO-xrs5 cells; and (c) absence of protector effect in the SCE assay. These results indicate that organic extracts of A. blazei lineage AB97/11 present bio-antimutagenic type protective activity. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

APPLICATION of THE HAZARD ANALYSIS and CRITICAL CONTROL POINT (HACCP) SYSTEM on THE MUSHROOM PROCESSING LINE FOR FRESH CONSUMPTION

The Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) is a preventive system that intends to guarantee the safety and harmlessness of food. It improves the quality of products as it eliminates possible defects during the process, and saves costs by practically eliminating final product inspection. This work describes the typical hazards encountered on the mushroom processing line for fresh consumption. Throughout the process, only the reception stage of mushrooms has been considered a critical control point (CCP). The main hazards at this stage were: the presence of unauthorised phytosanitary products; larger doses of such products than those permitted; the presence of pathogenic bacteria or thermo-stable enterotoxins. Putting into practice such knowledge would provide any industry that processes mushrooms for fresh consumption with a self-control HACCP-based system for its own productions.

Evaluation of harvested mushrooms and viability of Agaricus bisporus growth using casing materials made from spent mushroom substrate

P>The present work evaluates of harvested mushroom and viability of Agaricus bisporus growth in several casing materials based on spent mushroom substrate. The experiment consisted of eight casing layer, which six were made with spent mushroom substrate. The results confirm the usefulness of reincorporating the spent substrate in new cultivation cycles as an ingredient of casing mixtures. In general, biological efficiency was high, three of the SMS based-casings surpassing the threshold value of 100 kg 100 kg-1 of compost. The high electrical conductivity of mixtures containing a large proportion of spent substrate limits the extent to which it can be used, although mixing it with other materials (such as peat) reduces these values to acceptable levels. In short, it makes economic and environmental sense to reuse spent mushroom substrate as an ingredient of alternative casing materials.

Applicability of the use of waste from different banana cultivars for the cultivation of the oyster mushroom

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Physiochemical analysis and centesimal composition of Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom grown in residues from the Amazon

O presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a composição nutricional dos cogumelos produzidos em substratos alternativos à base de resíduos agrícolas e agroindustriais da Amazônia. Determinou-se C, N, pH, umidade, sólidos solúveis, proteína, lipídios, fibra total, cinzas, carboidratos e energia. Os substratos foram formulados a partir de serragem de Simarouba amara Aubl. (marupá), Ochroma piramidale Cav. ex. Lam. (pau de balsa) e do estipe de Bactris gasipaes Kunth (pupunheira) e de Saccharum officinarum (cana-de-açúcar). Os resultados demonstraram que: a composição nutricional do P. ostreatus variou com o substrato de cultivo e; O P. ostreatus pode ser considerado um importante alimento devido suas características nutricionais: altos teores de proteínas, carboidratos metabolizáveis e fibras; baixos teores de lipídios e de calorias.

Mineral supplementation and productivity of the Shiitake mushroom on eucalyptus logs

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

Nutritional and chemical composition of culinary-medicinal Royal Sun Agaricus (the Himematsutake mushroom) Agaricus brasiliensis S. Wasser et al. (agaricomycetideae)

The objective of the study was to determine the nutritional and chemical composition (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, calcium, and iron), water and ash content, and the caloric value of powdered fruiting bodies from six strains and from a mixture of strains of the culinary-medicinal mushroom Agaricus brasiliensis. The Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric and multiple comparisons tests and the Pearson correlation coefficient were used, with a 5% significance level. First, the results showed that strain 99/30 had a similar nutritional composition to the mixed sample. Second, when comparing strain nutrients to the mixture nutrients, the highest levels of carbohydrates, proteins, and calcium were in strain 99/25, and the highest levels of lipids were in strains 97/11, 99/28, and 99/30. Strain 99/30 was highest both in caloric value and moisture content. Finally, the mixture was established as a good source of macronutrients and micronutrients, and strain 99/30 was the closest to the mixture in nutritional composition.

Chemoprevention of preneoplastic liver foci development by dietary mushroom Agaricus blazei Murrill in the rat

The chemopreventive potential of an Agaricus blazei (Ab) Murrill mushroom meal was investigated in a medium-term rat liver carcinogenesis assay. Male Wistar rats initiated for hepatocarcinogenesis with diethylnitrosamine (DEN, 200 mg/kg i.p.) were fed during a 6-week period with the dry powdered mushroom strains Ab 29 or 26, each one with opened (OB) or closed basidiocarp (CB), mixed at 10% level in a basal diet. All experimental animals and controls were subjected to partial hepatectomy at week 3 and killed at week 8. Chemopreventive activity of the mushroom meal was observed for the Ab 29 (OB and CB) and Ab 26 (CB) strains in terms of the number of putative preneoplastic altered foci of hepatocytes which express either the enzyme glutathione S-transferase, placental form (GST-P+) or the transforming growth factor-alpha, and for the Ab 29 (OB) and Ab 26 (CB) strains on the size of GST-P-divided by foci. This was associated with inhibition of foci cell proliferation in the animals fed the Ab 29 (013) and Ab 26 (CB) strains. The results suggest that the protective influence of the Ab meal against the DEN potential for rat liver carcinogenicity depends on both the strain and period of mushroom harvest. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.