Simultaneous Sample Preparation Method for Determination of 3-Monochloropropane-1,2-Diol and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Different Foodstuffs

Occurrence of Hydroxytyrosol, Tyrosol and Their Metabolites in Italian Cheese

Tyrosol (T) and hydroxytyrosol (HT) are phenyl alcohol polyphenols with well-recognized health-promoting properties. They are widely diffused in several vegetables, especially in olive products (leaves, fruits and oil). Therefore, they could be present in food produced from herbivorous animals such as in milk and cheese. In this study, an analytical method to determine T, HT and some of their phase II metabolites (sulphates and glucuronides) in cheese was developed and validated. Samples were extracted with an acidic mixture of MeOH/water 80/20 (v/v) and, after a low temperature clean-up, the extracts were evaporated and injected in a liquid-chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-Q-Orbitrap). A validation study demonstrated satisfactory method performance characteristics (selectivity, linearity, precision, recovery factors, detection and quantification limits). The developed protocol was then applied to analyze 36 Italian cheeses made from ewe, goat and cow milk. The sum of detected compounds (T, tyrosol sulfate, hydroxytyrosol-3-O-sulfate and hydroxytyrosol-4-O-sulfate) reached as high as 2300 µg kg-1 on a dry weight basis, although in about 45% of cow cheeses it did not exceed 50 µg kg-1. Ewe cheeses were significantly richer of polyphenols (sum) as well as HT sulfate metabolites than cow cheeses. In conclusion, results shows that cheese cannot be considered an important dietary source of these valuable compounds.

Simultaneous Prediction, Determination, and Extraction of Four Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Environment Using a UCON-NaH2PO4 Aqueous Two-Phase Extraction System Combined with High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Ultraviolet Detection

In this paper, a new aqueous two-phase extraction system(ATPES) consisting of UCON (poly(ethylene glycol-ran-propylene glycol) monobutyl ether)-NaH₂PO₄ was established, and four trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs: fluorene, anthracene, pyrene and phenanthrene) in water and soil were analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-ultraviolet detection. In the multi-factor experiment, the central composite design (CCD) was used to determine the optimum technological conditions. The final optimal conditions were as follows: the concentration of UCON was 0.45 g·mL^-1, the concentration of NaH₂PO₄ was 3.5 mol·L^-1, and the temperature was 30 °C. The recovery of the four targets was 98.91-99.84% with a relative standard deviation of 0.3-2.1%. Then UCON recycling and cyclic tests were designed in the experiment, and the results showed that the recovery of PAHs gradually increased in the three extractions because of the remaining PAHs in the salt phase of last extraction. The recovery of PAHs in the UCON recycling test was less than that in the extraction test due to the wastage of UCON. In addition, a two-phase aqueous extraction model was established based on the random forest (RF) model. The results obtained were compared with the experimental data, and the root mean square error (RMSE) was 0.0371-0.0514 and the correlation coefficient R² was 96.20-98.53%, proving that the model is robust and reliable.

Analysis of heavy metals and PAHs in the waste resulting from hookah consumption: Ahvaz City, Iran

Hookah, a popular form of smoking tobacco, has been commonly used in Asia and Africa. However, the widespread consumption of hookah has a major impact on human health being. In addition to health risks, discarding the waste products of hookah would be a serious potential danger for environmental resources. In this study, the waste materials of hookah consumption (water, tobacco, and charcoal) were analyzed for the determination of the metals and PAHs using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), respectively. Results showed that the average concentration of iron in different flavors of tobacco had the highest amount (3654.2 ppb). Iron had the maximum concentration among the heavy metals, particularly in the mint flavor (10,863.3 ± 4.1). The highest ƩPAHs were related to the mint flavor (47.48 ± 15.21 ppb). Results showed that the aromatic tobacco available in the Ahvaz-Iran market is polluted by heavy metals. The high consumption of hookah in Ahvaz city and the presence of pollutants in hookah waste materials, apart from health risk aspects, can be potentially regarded as sources of environmental contamination. Therefore, education and preventive measures are necessary for this concern.

A boronic acid-modified C60 derivatization reagent for the rapid detection of 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-mass spectrometry

RATIONALE

3-Monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) is a well-known contaminant formed in food thermal processing, which could be found in a variety of foodstuffs. Due to its potential carcinogenicity, it was essential to quickly develop a rapid and high-throughput analytical method to monitor 3-MCPD in foodstuffs, which is described in this study.

METHODS

3-MCPD was extracted from foodstuffs and then was derivatized with a boronic acid-modified C₆₀ (B-C₆₀ ) through the boronic acid-diol reaction. Microwave heating was used to accelerate the derivatization reaction. Mass spectrometry (MS) analysis was conducted using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-MS (MALDI-MS). The application of the method was validated using various smoked food samples.

RESULTS

The chemical derivatization of 3-MCPD with B-C₆₀ enabled the addition of a C₆₀ -tag to 3-MCPD. High-throughput analysis of the sample within 0.5 h was realized. A good linear range from 0.02 to 1.5 μg mL^-1 for 3-MCPD was obtained, with a detection limit of 0.005 μg mL^-1 . The recoveries in spiked foodstuffs ranged from 85.4% to 115.1% with relative standard deviations of 2.0%-14.2%. This method was successfully applied to detect 3-MCPD in smoked foodstuffs.

CONCLUSIONS

A quantitative method was developed for the detection of 3-MCPD in foodstuffs using B-C₆₀ derivatization combined with MALDI-MS strategy. This proposed method may serve as a potential platform for the rapid and high-throughput analysis of 3-MCPD in foodstuffs for the purpose of food safety control.

Phyllostachys edulis forest reduces atmospheric PM2.5 and PAHs on hazy days at suburban area

This study is aim to illustrate Phyllostachys edulis' role in affecting air quality under hazy day and solar day. P. edulis is a crucial plants growing well at suburban area at China Southern. In this manuscript, on 2 weather conditions (hazy day; solar day), changes in atmospheric particulate matter (PM), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), associated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and PAHs in leaves and soils were measured, with PM-detection equipment and the GC-MC method, in a typical bamboo forest at suburban areas. The results showed that: (1) Bamboo forest decreased atmospheric PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ concentrations significantly by 20% and 15%, respectively, on the hazy day nightfall time, when they were times higher than that on any other time. Also, similar effects on atmospheric PAHs and VOCs were found. (2) Significant increases in PAHs of leaves and soil were found inside the forest on the hazy day. (3) Bamboo forest also reduced the atmospheric VOC concentrations, and changed the compounds of 10 VOCs present in the highest concentration list. Thus, bamboo forests strongly regulate atmospheric PM_2.5 through capture or retention, for the changes in atmospheric VOCs and increase in PAHs of leaves and soil.