Radionuclides in whole diets of people living near the Sellafield nuclear complex, UK

The British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL) complex (Sellafield) in Cumbria discharges into the atmosphere, under authorization by the Environment Agency (and previously, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), radioactive waste consisting of gases, mists and dusts. As part of MAFF's radiological surveillance programme, the intake of radionuclides via food ingestion by members of the public living near this nuclear installation is routinely assessed from measurements made on local food and environmental samples and by using computer models simulating the dispersion and incorporation of radioactivity into foodstuffs. In this study, the individual diets of adults and children living near the Sellafield complex and those from a control group were assessed for their radionuclide content. The participants were selected via a food survey questionnaire which was aimed at identifying those who consume home grown fruits and vegetables or derive these from local sources. The diets were collected over a one-week period in August 1995 and following radiochemical analyses of the diets for^239+240Pu,¹³⁷Cs,⁹⁰Sr,¹⁴C, and¹²⁹I, the doses received by the participants from these nuclides were extrapolated over a one-year period and compared to doses calculated from food surveillance data and to doses predicted using the MAFF food-chain computer model.     

Effect of acidification on elemental and isotopic compositions of sediment organic matter and macro‐invertebrate muscle tissues in food web research

Stable isotope techniques in food web studies often focus on organic carbon in food sources which are subsequently assimilated in the tissue of consumer organisms through diet. The presence of non‐dietary carbonates in bulk samples can affect their δ¹³C values, altering how their results are interpreted. Acidification of samples is a common practice to eliminate any inorganic carbon present prior to analysis. We examined the effects of pre‐analysis acidification on two size fractions of sediment organic matter (SOM) from marine and freshwater wetlands and pure muscle tissue of a common freshwater invertebrate (Cherax destructor). The elemental content and isotopic ratios of carbon and nitrogen were compared between paired samples of acidified and control treatments. Our results showed that acidification does not affect the elemental or isotopic values of freshwater SOM. In the marine environment acidification depleted the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values of the fine fraction of saltmarsh and δ¹⁵N values of mangrove fine SOM. Whilst acidification did not change the elemental content of invertebrate muscle tissue, the δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values were affected. We recommend to researchers considering using acidification techniques on material prepared for stable isotope analysis that a formal assessment of the effect of acidification on their particular sample type should be undertaken. Further detailed investigation to understand the impact of acidification on elemental and isotopic values of organic matter and muscular tissues is required. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

土壤微生物ATP、脱氢酶和尿素酶活性的ED50值评价外源镧的生物毒性

０IntroductionRareearthsarenowappliedwidelyinChina，whichcanimprovecropsyieldsandthetheirqualit－ies犤１犦．Thebeneficialeffectsmaybeduetothestimu－latoryeffectsoftheseelementsonthenutrientuptakebyplantsorontheincreasingofchlorophyllsynthesisintheplants犤２犦．Whilealotofresearcheshavebeendoneontheimprovednutritionofcropsafterapplica－tionofrareearths，muchlessattentionhasbeenpaidtothedeteriorationofsoilqualityduetotheapplicationofrareearthsforyears犤３犦．Scientistshavediscoveredthataccumula…     

Single-stage anaerobic codigestion for mixture wastes of simulated Korean food waste and waste activated sludge

Korean food waste was treated with a single-stage anaerobic codigester (SSAD) using waste activated sludge (WAS) generated from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The stability and performance of the system was analyzed. The C/N ratio was improved with increasing food waste fraction of feed mixture. The pH, alkalinity, and free ammonia nitrogen concentration were the parameters used to evaluate the digester’s stability. The experimentally determined values of the parameters indicated that there were no methane inhibitions in the digester. Digester performance was determined by measuring the total chemical oxygen demand TCOD), volate solids (VS) removal, methane content in biogas, methane production rate (MPR), and specific methane productivity. Methane content in biogas and MPR were significantly dependent on hydraulic retention time (HRT) and ratio of food waste to WAS. The methane content in biogas decreased at shorter HRT or higher organic loading rate (OLR) with increased food waste fraction. Concerning the performance of the codigester, the optimum operating condition of the SSAD was found to be at an HRT of 10 d with a feed mixture ratio of 50% food waste and 50% WAS. A TCOD removal efficiency of 53.6% and a VS removal efficiency of 53.7% were obtained at an OLR of 5.96 kg of TCOD/(m³·d) and 3.14 kg of VS/(m³·d), respectively. A maximum MPR of 1.15 m³ CH₄/(m³·d) and an SMP of 0.37 m³ CH₄/kg of VS_feed were obtained at an HRT of 10 d with a methane content of 63%.     

In situ 13C solid-state polarization transfer NMR to follow starch transformations in food

Convenience food products tend to alter their quality and texture while stored. Texture-giving food components are often starch-rich ingredients, such as pasta or rice. Starch transforms depending on time, temperature and water content, which alters the properties of products. Monitoring these transformations, which are associated with a change in mobility of the starch chain segments, could optimize the quality of food products containing multiple ingredients. In order to do so, we applied a simple and efficient in situ ¹³C solid-state magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR approach, based on two different polarization transfer schemes, cross polarization (CP) and insensitive nuclei enhanced by polarization transfer (INEPT). The efficiency of the CP and INEPT transfer depends strongly on the mobility of chain segments—the time scale of reorientation of the CH-bond and the order parameter. Rigid crystalline or amorphous starch chains give rise to CP peaks, whereas mobile gelatinized starch chains appear as INEPT peaks. Comparing ¹³C solid-state MAS NMR experiments based on CP and INEPT allows insight into the progress of gelatinization, and other starch transformations, by reporting on both rigid and mobile starch chains simultaneously with atomic resolution by the ¹³C chemical shift. In conjunction with ¹H solid-state MAS NMR, complementary information about other food components present at low concentration, such as lipids and protein, can be obtained. We demonstrate our approach on starch-based products and commercial pasta as a function of temperature and storage.     

High catalytic activity and stability of palladium nanoparticles prepared by the laser electrodispersion method in chlorobenzene hydrodechlorination

Palladium nanoparticles deposited on thermally oxidized silicon and on the carbon support Sibunit by the laser electrodispersion method are extremely active in the gas-phase hydrodechlorination of chlorobenzene at 100–200°C. High conversion of chlorobenzene (above 90%) has been achieved with catalysts with an unusually low metal content (from 10^?4 to 10^?3 wt %). The cyclohexane-to-benzene ratio in the reaction products depends on the process duration, palladium content, and support nature. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) data, palladium in the catalysts retains its metallic state over a long time under the reaction conditions. Possible causes of the high catalytic activity (10⁵ mol (mol Pd)^?1 h^?1) of the palladium nanoparticles and their stability to chlorination are discussed.     

The effect of salt content on the structure of iota‐carrageenan systems: 23Na DQF NMR and rheological studies

²³Na NMR spectroscopy has been used to study the effects of Na⁺ ion concentrations on the structure of 1% (w/w) iota‐carrageenan systems, a natural gelling polysaccharide used as a thickener in the food industry. Rheological and ²³Na T₁ relaxation time measurements revealed that gel formation correlates with decreases in ion mobility over the range of 0–3% (w/w) sodium content. ²³Na single‐quantum (SQ) and double‐quantum‐filtered (DQF) NMR experiments performed on these systems provided evidence for a ‘bound’ sodium ion fraction in a specifically ordered environment. These results have allowed us to propose a model for the carrageenan gelation mechanism in the presence of Na⁺ ions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure–retardation factor relationship of natural amino acids in two different mobile phases of RP-TLC

Abstract

Separation of amino acids (AAs) and their simple and inexpensive determination/identification is an interesting topic in biological and protein science, different food industries, and drug factories. Also, the presentation of the chromatographic behavior of compounds in a predictive model can be effective to estimate the structural/chemical properties of analyte and mobile phases. In this work for the first time, retardation factor (R_F) of 42 AAs in reversed-phase thin layer chromatography (RP-TLC) was modeled. Acetonitrile-sodium azide solution and 1,2 dioxane-sodium azide solution were two mobile phases which have been studied in this work. Results showed that the values of R_F are correlated with the structural properties of AAs and these properties had some similarities and differences in two noted mobile phases. For the TLC data in two mobile phases, five parametric linear models were suggested (R²_train = 0.93 and 0.97; R²_test = 0.93 and 0.99). The models were also evaluated with different statistical approaches. It was shown that increasing the sum of geometrical distances between N and O in AAs causes decreasing their R_F in RP-TLC using both mobile phases. Other structural effects of AAs on their separation in the desired RP-TLC system were also discussed.     

Near‐Infrared Luminescence Sensing of Glutamic Acid,Aspartic Acid,and Their Dipeptides with Tris(β‐diketonato)lanthanide Probes

A series of tris(β‐diketonato)lanthanides with Yb³⁺, Eu³⁺, and Nd³⁺ centers were characterized as luminescent sensing probes specific to glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and their dipeptides, which are important substrates involved in nervous systems, taste receptors, and other biological systems. In particular, tris(6,6,7,7,8,8,8‐heptafluoro‐2,2‐dimethyloctane‐3,5‐dionato)ytterbium(III) exhibited a near‐infrared emission around 980 nm in response to these biological substrates. Near‐infrared‐emissive complexes have several advantages over common luminescent probes; therefore, the proposed lanthanide complexes have potential analytical applications in proteomics, metabolics, food science, astrobiology, and related technologies.     

Absolute Antioxidant Activity of Five Phenol-Rich Essential Oils

Essential oils (EOs) have promising antioxidant activities which are gaining interest as natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants in the food and cosmetic industries. However, quantitative data on chain-breaking activity and on the kinetics of peroxyl radical trapping are missing. Five phenol-rich EOs were analyzed by GC-MS and studied by oxygen-uptake kinetics in inhibited controlled autoxidations of reference substrates (cumene and squalene). Terpene-rich Thymus vulgaris (thymol 4%; carvacrol 33.9%), Origanum vulgare, (thymol 0.4%; carvacrol 66.2%) and Satureja hortensis, (thymol 1.7%; carvacrol 46.6%), had apparent k_inh (30 °C, PhCl) of (1.5 ± 0.3) × 10⁴, (1.3 ± 0.1) × 10⁴ and (1.1 ± 0.3) × 10⁴ M⁻¹s⁻¹, respectively, while phenylpropanoid-rich Eugenia caryophyllus (eugenol 80.8%) and Cinnamomum zeylanicum, (eugenol 81.4%) showed apparent k_inh (30 °C, PhCl) of (5.0 ± 0.1) × 10³ and (4.9 ± 0.3) × 10³ M⁻¹s⁻¹, respectively. All EOs already granted good antioxidant protection of cumene at a concentration of 1 ppm (1 mg/L), the duration being proportional to their phenolic content, which dictated their antioxidant behavior. They also afforded excellent protection of squalene after adjusting their concentration (100 mg/L) to account for the much higher oxidizability of this substrate. All investigated EOs had k_inh comparable to synthetic butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) were are eligible to replace it in the protection of food or cosmetic products.     

Contents of Functionally Bioactive Peptides,Free Amino Acids,and Biogenic Amines in Dutch-Type Cheese Models Produced with Different Lactobacilli

Cheese ripening involves a number of biochemical processes, mainly of a proteolytic nature, which are initially triggered principally by milk-coagulating enzymes and, afterward, by microorganisms or enzymes of microbial origin. The proteolytic reactions affect, primarily, the synthesis of macro- and medium-molecular peptides from casein. In turn, the advanced proteolysis ends in the formation of short peptides and free amino acids. Further reactions may lead to the formation of nutritionally unfavorable biogenic amines. The present study aimed to determine changes in the contents of bioactive peptides (anserine and L-carnosine), free amino acids, and biogenic amines throughout the ripening of cheese models produced with the addition of Lactobacillus genus bacteria. The contents of amino acids varied considerably in the cheese models, depending on the bacterial strain added and ripening time. After five weeks of ripening, the total content of free amino acids in the cheese models ranged from 611.02 (a cheese model with Lactobacillus casei 2639) to 1596.64 mg kg⁻¹ (a cheese model with Lb. acidophilus 2499). After the same time, the contents of the total biogenic amines in the cheese models with the addition of lactobacilli were lower than in the control cheese model (except for the model with Lb. rhamnosus 489). Anserine was detected in all cheese models (79.29–119.02 mg kg⁻¹), whereas no L-carnosine was found over a five-week ripening period in the cheese models with Lb. delbrueckii 490 and Lb. casei 2639. After a five-week ripening, the highest total content of bioactive peptides was determined in the cheese models containing Lb. acidophilus 2499 (136.11 mg kg⁻¹).     

Partial least squares modeling of combined infrared, H NMR and C NMR spectra to predict long residue properties of crude oils

Research has been carried out to determine the potential of partial least squares (PLS) modeling of mid-infrared (IR) spectra of crude oils combined with the corresponding ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data, to predict the long residue (LR) properties of these substances. The study elaborates further on a recently developed and patented method to predict this type of information from only IR spectra. In the present study, PLS modeling was carried out for 7 different LR properties, i.e., yield long-on-crude (YLC), density (D_LR), viscosity (V_LR), sulfur content (S), pour point (PP), asphaltenes (Asph) and carbon residue (CR). Research was based on the spectra of 48 crude oil samples of which 28 were used to build the PLS models and the remaining 20 for validation. For each property, PLS modeling was carried out on single type IR, ¹³C NMR and ¹H NMR spectra and on 3 sets of merged spectra, i.e., IR + ¹H NMR, IR + ¹³C NMR and IR + ¹H NMR + ¹³C NMR. The merged spectra were created by considering the NMR data as a scaled extension of the IR spectral region. In addition, PLS modeling of coupled spectra was performed after a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the IR, ¹³C NMR and ¹H NMR calibration sets. For these models, the 10 most relevant PCA scores of each set were concatenated and scaled prior to PLS modeling. The validation results of the individual IR models, expressed as root-mean-square-error-of-prediction (RMSEP) values, turned out to be slightly better than those obtained for the models using single input ¹³C NMR or ¹H NMR data. For the models based on IR spectra combined with NMR data, a significant improvement of the RMSEP values was not observed neither for the models based on merged spectra nor for those based on the PCA scores. It implies, that the commonly accepted complementary character of NMR and IR is, at least for the crude oil and bitumen samples under study, not reflected in the results of PLS modeling. Regarding these results, the absence of sample preparation and the straightforward way of data acquisition, IR spectroscopy is preferred over NMR for the prediction of LR properties of crude oils at site.     

Natural radionuclides in Syrian diet and their daily intake

More than one hundred different food stuffs (meat, vegetables cereals, seafood,..) have been collected during 1998, 1999 and 2000 and analyzed for radioactivity as part of the National Food Monitoring Program in Syria. Results have shown that most of the observed concentrations were within the range of the worldwide values with the exception of relatively high levels of ²¹⁰Po being observed in fish, vegetables, mushrooms, herbs and flowers. The daily intakes of the radionuclides studied have been evaluated. Relatively high values, in comparison with some countries, were found for ²¹⁰Po (1.9 Bq/day). This is due to high content of ²¹⁰Po in wheat (2.3 Bq/kg) consumed by Syrians, the daily consumption of wheat by Syrians is about 526 g. In addition, natural and artificial radionuclides in some manufactured food of Syrian infant and their intake rates have been determined. Seventeen manufactured food and eleven types of canned milk were collected from the local market and their radioactivity analyzed. ²¹⁰Po activity concentration varied between 0.38 and 2.89 Bq/kg dry wt. in canned milk while the highest concentration in infant food was found to be 1.69 Bq/kg dry wt. Other radionuclide concentrations were below the limit of detection of 3 Bq/kg dry wt. and 4 Bq/kg dry wt. for ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra, respectively, while uranium concentration varied between 2.2 and 10.5 μg/kg dry wt. in milk samples and 0.78-6.0 μg/kg dry wt. in other food samples. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Microencapsulated Red Powders from Cornflower Extract—Spectral (FT-IR and FT-Raman) and Antioxidant Characteristics

Although the health benefits of cornflower extracts are known, their application in food production has not been widely investigated. This study assessed microencapsulated red powders (RP) prepared from the aqueous extract of blue cornflower petals. Microencapsulation was performed by freeze-drying using various stabilizers, such as maltodextrin, guar gum, and lecithin. The microencapsulated RP were characterized by spectral (FT-IR and FT-Raman), mineral, structural, and antioxidant analyses. The FT-IR and FT-Raman band related to guar gum, lecithin, and maltodextrin dominated over the band characteristic of anthocyanins present in the cornflower petal powders. The main difference observed in the FT-Raman spectra was attributed to a shift of bands which is reflection of appearance of flavium cation forms of anthocyanins. The microencapsulated RP had total phenolic content of 21.6–23.4 mg GAE/g DW and total flavonoid content of 5.0–5.23 mg QE/g. The ABTS radical scavenging activity of the tested powders ranged from 13.8 to 20.2 EC₅₀ mg DW/mL. The reducing antioxidant power (RED) of the powders was estimated at between 31.0 and 38.7 EC₅₀ mg DW/mL, and OH^• scavenging activity ranged from 1.9 to 2.6 EC₅₀ mg DW/mL. Microencapsulated cornflower RP can be valuable additives to food such as sweets, jellies, puddings, drinks, or dietary supplements.     

Website application for calculating cesium-137 ingestion doses from consumption of locally grown foods in the Marshall Islands

Fallout deposition from the US nuclear weapons test program at Bikini and Enewetak Atolls (1946–1958) resulted in widespread nuclear fallout contamination of the northern Marshall Islands. About 85–90 % of the nuclear test-related dose delivered to resident populations is derived from ingestion of cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs) contained in locally grown tree-crop food products. The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has developed a series of interactive internet applications to provide the public with an open access platform to learn more about radiological conditions in the Marshall Islands. The ingestion dose calculator application described here is one such feature whereby users can calculate hypothetical ingestion doses from ¹³⁷Cs based on interactive user input matched to environmental data on the activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs contained in food plants such as coconut, breadfruit, Pandanus, and arrowroot. Users are asked to enter a date, an island and atoll location, a plant food type, and a daily intake amount (highlighted by the number of portions eaten per day in estimated gram equivalents). The application computes the user daily dose and the user equivalent annualized dose, and then compares the results with default settings based on dietary models developed for the Marshall Islands from independent dietary surveys. The default diets are based on a local plus imported food diet (or IA diet model) and an imported foods unavailable diet (or IUA diet model). Environmental data are decay corrected to the date entered by the user using an effective half-life of ¹³⁷Cs of 8.5 years (http://marshallislands.llnl.gov).     

Partial least squares modeling of combined infrared, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra to predict long residue properties of crude oils

Research has been carried out to determine the potential of partial least squares (PLS) modeling of mid-infrared (IR) spectra of crude oils combined with the corresponding ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data, to predict the long residue (LR) properties of these substances. The study elaborates further on a recently developed and patented method to predict this type of information from only IR spectra. In the present study, PLS modeling was carried out for 7 different LR properties, i.e., yield long-on-crude (YLC), density (D_LR), viscosity (V_LR), sulfur content (S), pour point (PP), asphaltenes (Asph) and carbon residue (CR). Research was based on the spectra of 48 crude oil samples of which 28 were used to build the PLS models and the remaining 20 for validation. For each property, PLS modeling was carried out on single type IR, ¹³C NMR and ¹H NMR spectra and on 3 sets of merged spectra, i.e., IR + ¹H NMR, IR + ¹³C NMR and IR + ¹H NMR + ¹³C NMR. The merged spectra were created by considering the NMR data as a scaled extension of the IR spectral region. In addition, PLS modeling of coupled spectra was performed after a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of the IR, ¹³C NMR and ¹H NMR calibration sets. For these models, the 10 most relevant PCA scores of each set were concatenated and scaled prior to PLS modeling. The validation results of the individual IR models, expressed as root-mean-square-error-of-prediction (RMSEP) values, turned out to be slightly better than those obtained for the models using single input ¹³C NMR or ¹H NMR data. For the models based on IR spectra combined with NMR data, a significant improvement of the RMSEP values was not observed neither for the models based on merged spectra nor for those based on the PCA scores. It implies, that the commonly accepted complementary character of NMR and IR is, at least for the crude oil and bitumen samples under study, not reflected in the results of PLS modeling. Regarding these results, the absence of sample preparation and the straightforward way of data acquisition, IR spectroscopy is preferred over NMR for the prediction of LR properties of crude oils at site.     

The dietary intake of238U,234U,230Th,232Th,228Th and226Ra from food and drinking water by inhabitants of the Walbrzych region

Intake with food and water of the natural radionuclides of the uranium and thorium series was determined for adult population of the south-western region in Poland, where in the 1950-ies an exploration of uranium ore was conducted. Concentration of the radionuclides was determined in food products and drinking water and their annual intake was estimated on the basis of the average annual consumption. The intake of²³⁸U,²³⁴U and²³⁰Th occurred mainly with water (33% to 68%), whereas the intake of²³²Th,²²⁸Th and²²⁶Ra was mainly with vegetables, potatoes, milk and flour. From the intake and dose coefficients the annual effective doses from the ingested radionuclides were calculated. The total dose was 5.6 Sv, of which 74% originated from²²⁶Ra.     

Enantioanalysis of L-Histidine Using Enantioselective,Potentiometric Membrane Electrodes Based on Maltodextrins

Three enantioselective, potentiometric electrodes (EPMEs) based on maltodextrins with different values of dextrose equivalent (DE) (maltodextrin I: DE 4.0–7.0; maltodextrin II: DE 13–17; maltodextrin III DE 16.5–19.5) were proposed for the assay of L-histidine in histidine raw materials and from its pharmaceutical formulation. The slopes of the electrodes were 58.3, 58.9, and 58.5 mV/decade of concentration for maltodextrin I, II, and III-based electrodes, respectively, and the detection limits were 1.97 × 10^?12 mol/L, 1.72 × 10^?12 mol/L, and 1.4 × 10^?11 mol/L, respectively. All the electrodes are enantioselective and selective over polyvinylpyrrolidone, creatine, and creatinine. The L-histidine can be determined in the presence of D-histidine with recovery values higher than 99.10%. The proposed electrodes were successfully used for uniformity content tests of L-histidine in food supplements; the average recovery was higher than 97.30%. The surfaces of the electrodes were stable and easily renewable by simply polishing the alumina paper.