Vortex-assisted ionic liquid-based dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for assessment of chromium species in artificial saliva extract of different chewing tobacco products

An Environmental-friendly Procedure Based on Deep Eutectic Solvent for Extraction and Determination of Toxic Elements in Fish Species from Different Regions of Iraq

In this study, an eco-friendly procedure was established by vortex-assisted liquid-phase microextraction based on deep eutectic solvent (VA-LPME-DES) combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS). The performance of this method was demonstrated by the extraction and analysis of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg) in fish samples. The hydrophobic DES is considered as a green extractant (environmentally friendly and less toxic than common organic solvents) and is a suitable alternative to common toxic organic solvents and is made of l-menthol and ethylene glycol (EG) with a molar ratio of 1:1. Under optimized conditions, the method linearity was in the ranges of 0.15-150 µg kg-1 with the coefficient of determinations (r2) higher than 0.996. Accordingly, the detection limits for Pb, Cd, and Hg were 0.05, 0.05, and 0.10 µg kg-1, respectively. The analysis of fish samples showed that the concentration of toxic elements in fish caught from the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is much higher than the concentration of these elements in locally farmed trout fish. Also, the analysis of fish-certified reference materials with presented procedure produced results that were in good agreement with the certified values. The results showed that VA-LPME-DES is a very cheap, fast, and environmental-friendly procedure for the analysis of toxic elements in different types of fish species.

Application of an in-situ formulated magnetic deep eutectic solvent for the determination of triazine herbicides in rice

In this work, a rapid, convenient, sensitive, and cost-effective in-situ formed magnetic deep eutectic solvent based on a dispersive liquid-liquid extraction method was developed for the determination of triazine herbicides in rice. A novel tetrabutylammonium chloride (TBAC) based magnetic deep eutectic solvent (MDES), [TBAC/ethylene glycol][FeCl₄] was generated by means of an simple in-situ reaction of the deep eutectic solvent (DES) with iron chloride in the sample solution. The solvent which has high affinity for target analytes and magnetic ability was successfully employed as an extraction solvent and simplified both the extraction and separation procedure. A series of parameters influencing the extraction efficiency were investigated. Under optimal conditions, calibration curves for the target triazine herbicides were obtained in the ranges of 5-1000 ng g^-1, with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9910. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) were in the range of 1.49-3.10 ng g^-1 and 4.96-10.34 ng g^-1, respectively. The precision of intra- and inter-day were under 6.2% and 9.6%, respectively, and the precision between laboratories were lower than 7.5%. The accuracy of the method varied from 84.9 to 117.5%. Furthermore, the method showed satisfactory matrix effect and robustness. These results indicate that the technique is suitable for rice sample analysis.

Accumulation of Essential and Trace Elements in Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) and Guar Gum Cultivated in Semi-arid Regions of Sindh, Pakistan

For physiological and biochemical studies, it is considered essential to have knowledge about the accumulation of mineral elements in plants and their distribution in different parts of the fruit and these data being essential for geographical origins of different food commodities. In the age of food industry globalization, the origin of food is essential to know for human health protection, to stimulate fine agronomic actions and to bar the use of toxic materials to stimulate plant's growth. This research work was formulated to assess the essential trace and toxic elements in Guar (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba) and guar gum cultivated in semi-arid regions of Sindh, Pakistan. For pretreatment of the guar samples, microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure (MAD) was developed for the elemental analysis in the guar samples. The validity of designed method was checked by using certified reference samples of BCR 189 whole meal flour. The digested specimens were analyzed by flame and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentration of essential trace and toxic elements was found to be within the international level. In addition, human health Risk assessment was accessed by measuring daily intake of all understudy minerals, which was within permissible exposure limit set by USEPA & Health Canada. The Target Hazard Quotient (THQs) of guar and its gum were generally less than 1, as per USEPA; owing to these facts, food grade guar gum can be produced from guar cultivated in Thar, Pakistan.

Selenium Contents in Different Types of Raw and Processed Meat Products, Consumed Among the General Population of Pakistan

The present study was undertaken to generate a database for selenium (Se) content present in minced and processed meat products abundantly available in the market and to estimate the dietary Se intake in different types of minced/raw and processed meat in Pakistan. The concentration of Se was determined in meat samples of different brands of beef, chicken, and mutton, consumed among the local population of different cities of Pakistan. For pretreatment of the meat samples, microwave-assisted acid digestion procedure (MAD) was developed for the Se analysis in the meat samples of different brands. The validity of the designed method was checked by certified reference samples of BOVM-1 (bovine muscle certified reference material 1). Digested meat samples were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results showed that among different meat types, average Se concentration of beef was close to those of chicken samples. The mean Se concentration in the meat observed in reducing order was established in mutton (120 μg/kg), beef (91 μg/kg), and chicken (90 μg/kg). These results suggest that mutton and chicken samples have significant differences in their average concentrations. There was no significant difference in the average concentration of beef and chicken (p > 0.05), while there was a significant difference in average concentrations of Se in beef and mutton (p < 0.01) meat samples. Mutton minced meat contains higher Se than different branded processed products. As far as variation in brands was concern among mutton samples, B1-minced mutton meat sample contain higher Se (107 μg/kg) followed by B3-shish kabab (123 μg/kg) and B3-meat balls (129 μg/kg). Among minced and processed chicken products, Se ranged from 83 to 97 μg/kg. Whereas in beef samples, B1-minced meat and B3-chapli kabab contain higher Se, i.e., 99 and 92 μg/kg respectively compared with other beef brands. Taking into account, the average daily intake of meat by Pakistani's, the dietary Se daily intake was 4.184, 9.263, and 6.605 μg per capita for mutton, beef, and chicken, respectively.

Miniaturized sample preparation methods for saliva analysis

Saliva, as the first body fluid encountering with the exogenous materials, has good correlation with blood and plays an important role in bioanalysis. However, saliva has not been studied as much as the other biological fluids mainly due to restricted access to its large volumes. In recent years, there is a growing interest for saliva analysis owing to the emergence of miniaturized sample preparation methods. The purpose of this paper is to review all microextraction methods and their principles of operation. In the following, we examine the methods used to analyze saliva up to now and discuss the potential of the other microextraction methods for saliva analysis to encourage research groups for more focus on this important subject area.