Lebensmittelinhaltsstoffe und ‐kontaminanten: Aus toxikologischer Sicht

Food contains a variety of compounds of natural origin that may be harmful when consumed too frequently or at a very high dose level or under inappropriate conditions. Examples for such constituents include the glucosinolates in cabbage or tyrpsin inhibitors in raw beans. Other constituents such as vicin in broad beans or glycyrrhizic acid in liquorice may be harmful for a subpopulation only, e.g., in patients suffering from high blood pressure or in individuals bearing certain genetic defects of metabolism. Furthermore, food may contain compounds which have been added by purpose (legal food additives) such as emulsifiers, preservatives, synthetic colors etc. These compounds are under strict regulation and their safety has been tested rigorously. Contaminants in food such as dioxins, pesticides, drug residues etc. may originate from illegal or inappropriate production or treatment. At lower levels they may reflect background contamination, e.g., in the environment. Finally, nutritional supplements and ingredients of ‘functional food’ require special toxicological testing and evaluation since not all compounds considered as ‘healthy’ in certain concentrations are also beneficial or safe when consumed at higher doses.     

The effect of specific nucleation on molecular and supermolecular orientation in isotactic polypropylene

The molecular and supermolecular orientation, morphology and structural changes observed during cold drawing of injection moulded isotactic polypropylene modified by specific α, and β nucleating agents were studied by polarised photoacoustic FTIR spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. Significantly lower molecular orientation was found in the core of the β-nucleated injection moulded specimens as compared to unmodified and α-nucleated materials. This has been ascribed to the fast growth of the β-crystallites which inevitably dislocates the flow-induced orientation within the crystalline regions and in their vicinity. Moreover, it was found that the presence of the developed β-crystallites distinctly diminishes the efficiency of the orientational solid-state drawing assessed on both levels of the hierarchical structure (molecular and crystalline). This structural observation is directly connected with macroscopic softening effect of the β-phase: lowering the yield stress and flattening the neck shoulder. Thus, the interrelation between the microstructural and macroscopic effects of the β-phase could be described as a feedback process.     

Modelling of the Phase Separation Behaviour of Semiflexible Diblock Copolymers

Silver salts are dissolved in poly(butyl methacrylate) to derive polymer electrolytes via coordinative interaction between the silver ion and the carbonyl oxygen atom. The dissolved silver ions react subsequently with propylene to form reversible silver/olefin complexes that can be utilized as olefin carriers for facilitated olefin transport. The complexation behavior and its effects on propylene transport were investigated by means of Raman and FT‐IR spectroscopy, as well as dielectric thermal analysis.