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Rutar JM, Strojnik L, Nečemer M, Bontempo L, Ogrinc N. Determining the Authenticity of Spirulina Dietary Supplements Based on Stable Isotope and Elemental Composition. Foods 2023; 12:foods12030562. [PMID: 36766091 PMCID: PMC9914286 DOI: 10.3390/foods12030562] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
While the demand for Spirulina dietary supplements continues to grow, product inspection in terms of authenticity and safety remains limited. This study used the stable isotope ratios of light elements (C, N, S, H, and O) and the elemental composition to characterize Spirulina dietary supplements available on the Slovenian market. Forty-six samples were labelled as originating from the EU (1), non-EU (6), Hawaii (2), Italy (2), Japan (1), Portugal (2), Taiwan (3), India (4), and China (16), and nine products were without a declared origin. Stable isotope ratio median values were -23.9‱ (-26.0 to -21.8‱) for δ13C, 4.80‱ (1.30-8.02‱) for δ15N, 11.0‱ (6.79-12.7‱) for δ34S, -173‱ (- 190 to -158‱) for δ2H, and 17.2‱ (15.8-18.8‱) for δ18O. Multivariate statistical analyses achieved a reliable differentiation of Hawaiian, Italian, and Portuguese (100%) samples and a good separation of Chinese samples, while the separation of Indian and Taiwanese samples was less successful, but still notable. The study showed that differences in isotopic and elemental composition are indicative of sample origins, cultivation and processing methods, and environmental conditions such that, when combined, they provide a promising tool for determining the authenticity of Spirulina products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jasmina Masten Rutar
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Lidija Strojnik
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Marijan Nečemer
- Department of Low and Medium Energy Physics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Luana Bontempo
- Department of Food Quality and Nutrition, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, Via Mach 1, 38010 San Michele all’Adige, Italy
| | - Nives Ogrinc
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Jožef Stefan International Postgraduate School, Jamova 39, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +386-1-5885-387
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Stępień KA, Krawczyk W, Giebułtowicz J. Dietary Supplements with Proline-A Comprehensive Assessment of Their Quality. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13020263. [PMID: 36836622 PMCID: PMC9958592 DOI: 10.3390/life13020263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2023] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Dietary supplements are food products commonly used worldwide to obtain nutritional and physiological effects. They can contain a wide variety of active substances and can be administered for health and disease. Their use can be beneficial if justified, and their quality is adequate. Unfortunately, data on the quality of supplements is scarce. As part of this work, we assess the quality of seven dietary supplements containing proline. The preparations were produced in the EU and the USA. The quality assessment consisted of the detection of potential impurities, the determination of the content of the main ingredient, and the release of proline. The technique used to analyse impurities and proline (Pro) content was liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. We detected five contaminants. The main ingredient content was in the range of 73-121% in capsules and 103-156% in tablets. Five of the seven analysed dietary supplements released below 80% Pro (for each tablet/capsule at pH 1.2). One of the supplements may be inactive because a very low release of Pro was reported. The results, we hope, will increase consumer awareness of the quality of these preparations and result in a change in the regulations governing the marketing of these preparations, at least by making release testing mandatory.
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Jariwala H, Haque F, Vanderburgt S, Santos RM, Chiang YW. Mineral-Soil-Plant-Nutrient Synergisms of Enhanced Weathering for Agriculture: Short-Term Investigations Using Fast-Weathering Wollastonite Skarn. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:929457. [PMID: 35937370 PMCID: PMC9353033 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.929457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Enhanced weathering is a proposed carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy to accelerate natural carbon sequestration in soils via the amendment of silicate rocks to agricultural soils. Among the suitable silicates (such as basalt and olivine), the fast-weathering mineral wollastonite (CaSiO3) stands out. Not only does the use of wollastonite lead to rapid pedogenic carbonate formation in soils, it can be readily detected for verification of carbon sequestration, but its weathering within weeks to months influences soil chemistry and plant growth within the same crop cycle of its application. This enables a variety of short-term experimental agronomic studies to be conducted to demonstrate in an accelerated manner what could take years to be observed with more abundant but slower weathering silicates. This study presents the results of three studies that were conducted to investigate three distinct aspects of wollastonite skarn weathering in soils in the context of both agricultural and horticultural plants. The first study investigated the effect of a wide range of wollastonite skarn dosages in soil (1.5-10 wt.%) on the growth of green beans. The second study provides insights on the role of silicon (Si) release during silicate weathering on plant growth (soybeans and lettuce). The third study investigated the effect of wollastonite skarn on the growth of spring rye when added to soil alongside a nitrogen-based coated fertilizer. The results of these three studies provide further evidence that amending soil with crushed silicate rocks leads to climate-smart farming, resulting in inorganic carbon sequestration, as well as better plant growth in agricultural (soybean and spring rye) and horticultural (green bean and lettuce) crops. They also demonstrate the value of working with wollastonite skarn as a fast-weathering silicate rock to accelerate our understanding of the mineral-soil-plant-nutrient synergism of enhanced weathering.
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Viotti C, Albrecht K, Amaducci S, Bardos P, Bertheau C, Blaudez D, Bothe L, Cazaux D, Ferrarini A, Govilas J, Gusovius HJ, Jeannin T, Lühr C, Müssig J, Pilla M, Placet V, Puschenreiter M, Tognacchini A, Yung L, Chalot M. Nettle, a Long-Known Fiber Plant with New Perspectives. MATERIALS 2022; 15:ma15124288. [PMID: 35744347 PMCID: PMC9230748 DOI: 10.3390/ma15124288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The stinging nettle Urticadioica L. is a perennial crop with low fertilizer and pesticide requirements, well adapted to a wide range of environmental conditions. It has been successfully grown in most European climatic zones while also promoting local flora and fauna diversity. The cultivation of nettle could help meet the strong increase in demand for raw materials based on plant fibers as a substitute for artificial fibers in sectors as diverse as the textile and automotive industries. In the present review, we present a historical perspective of selection, harvest, and fiber processing features where the state of the art of nettle varietal selection is detailed. A synthesis of the general knowledge about its biology, adaptability, and genetics constituents, highlighting gaps in our current knowledge on interactions with other organisms, is provided. We further addressed cultivation and processing features, putting a special emphasis on harvesting systems and fiber extraction processes to improve fiber yield and quality. Various uses in industrial processes and notably for the restoration of marginal lands and avenues of future research on this high-value multi-use plant for the global fiber market are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloé Viotti
- UMR Chrono-Environnement, CNRS 6249, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France; (C.V.); (C.B.)
| | - Katharina Albrecht
- The Biological Materials Group, Department of Biomimetics, HSB—City University of Applied Sciences Bremen, Neustadtswall 30, 28199 Bremen, Germany; (K.A.); (L.B.); (J.M.)
| | - Stefano Amaducci
- Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy; (S.A.); (A.F.); (M.P.)
| | - Paul Bardos
- r3 Environmental Technology Ltd., Earley Gate, Reading RG6 6AT, UK;
| | - Coralie Bertheau
- UMR Chrono-Environnement, CNRS 6249, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France; (C.V.); (C.B.)
| | - Damien Blaudez
- LIEC, CNRS, Université de Lorraine, 54000 Nancy, France; (D.B.); (L.Y.)
| | - Lea Bothe
- The Biological Materials Group, Department of Biomimetics, HSB—City University of Applied Sciences Bremen, Neustadtswall 30, 28199 Bremen, Germany; (K.A.); (L.B.); (J.M.)
| | | | - Andrea Ferrarini
- Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy; (S.A.); (A.F.); (M.P.)
| | - Jason Govilas
- Department of Applied Mechanics, FEMTO-ST Institute, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France; (J.G.); (T.J.); (V.P.)
| | - Hans-Jörg Gusovius
- Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany; (H.-J.G.); (C.L.)
| | - Thomas Jeannin
- Department of Applied Mechanics, FEMTO-ST Institute, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France; (J.G.); (T.J.); (V.P.)
| | - Carsten Lühr
- Leibniz Institute for Agricultural Engineering and Bioeconomy (ATB), Max-Eyth-Allee 100, 14469 Potsdam, Germany; (H.-J.G.); (C.L.)
| | - Jörg Müssig
- The Biological Materials Group, Department of Biomimetics, HSB—City University of Applied Sciences Bremen, Neustadtswall 30, 28199 Bremen, Germany; (K.A.); (L.B.); (J.M.)
| | - Marcello Pilla
- Department of Sustainable Crop Production, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense 84, 29122 Piacenza, Italy; (S.A.); (A.F.); (M.P.)
| | - Vincent Placet
- Department of Applied Mechanics, FEMTO-ST Institute, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France; (J.G.); (T.J.); (V.P.)
| | - Markus Puschenreiter
- Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria; (M.P.); (A.T.)
| | - Alice Tognacchini
- Institute of Soil Research, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, 1180 Vienna, Austria; (M.P.); (A.T.)
| | - Loïc Yung
- LIEC, CNRS, Université de Lorraine, 54000 Nancy, France; (D.B.); (L.Y.)
| | - Michel Chalot
- UMR Chrono-Environnement, CNRS 6249, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, 25000 Besançon, France; (C.V.); (C.B.)
- Faculté des Sciences et Technologies, Université de Lorraine, 54000 Nancy, France
- Correspondence:
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Can Mesoporous Silica Speed Up Degradation of Benzodiazepines? Hints from Quantum Mechanical Investigations. MATERIALS 2022; 15:ma15041357. [PMID: 35207897 PMCID: PMC8875265 DOI: 10.3390/ma15041357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 02/04/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This work reports for the first time a quantum mechanical study of the interactions of a model benzodiazepine drug, i.e., nitrazepam, with various models of amorphous silica surfaces, differing in structural and interface properties. The interest in these systems is related to the use of mesoporous silica as carrier in drug delivery. The adopted computational procedure has been chosen to investigate whether silica–drug interactions favor the drug degradation mechanism or not, hindering the beneficial pharmaceutical effect. Computed structural, energetics, and vibrational properties represent a relevant comparison for future experiments. Our simulations demonstrate that adsorption of nitrazepam on amorphous silica is a strongly exothermic process in which a partial proton transfer from the surface to the drug is observed, highlighting a possible catalytic role of silica in the degradation reaction of benzodiazepines.
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Xu D, Lin H, Qiu W, Ge M, Chen Z, Wu C, You Y, Lu X, Wei C, Liu J, Guo X, Shi J. Hydrogen-bonded silicene nanosheets of engineered bandgap and selective degradability for photodynamic therapy. Biomaterials 2021; 278:121172. [DOI: doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.121172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
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Hydrogen-bonded silicene nanosheets of engineered bandgap and selective degradability for photodynamic therapy. Biomaterials 2021; 278:121172. [PMID: 34653935 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.121172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2021] [Revised: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Silicon, a highly biocompatible and ubiquitous chemical element in living systems, exhibits great potentials in biomedical applications. However, the silicon-based nanomaterials such as silica and porous silicon have been largely limited to only serving as carriers for delivery systems, due to the lack of intrinsic functionalities of silicon. This work presents the facile construction of a two-dimensional (2D) hydrogen-bonded silicene (H-silicene) nanosystem which is highlighted with tunable bandgap and selective degradability for tumor-specific photodynamic therapy facilely by surface covalent modification of hydrogen atoms. Briefly, the H-silicene nanosheet material is selectively degradable in normal neutral tissues but rather stable in the mildly acidic tumor microenvironment (TME) for achieving efficient photodynamic therapy (PDT). Such a 2D hydrogen-bonded silicene nanosystem featuring the tunable bandgap and tumor-selective degradability provides a new paradigm for the application of multi-functional two-dimensional silicon-based biomaterials towards the diagnosis and treatments of cancer and other diseases.
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Brand W, van Kesteren PCE, Peters RJB, Oomen AG. Issues currently complicating the risk assessment of synthetic amorphous silica (SAS) nanoparticles after oral exposure. Nanotoxicology 2021; 15:905-933. [PMID: 34074217 DOI: 10.1080/17435390.2021.1931724] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic amorphous silica (SAS) is applied in food products as food additive E 551. It consists of constituent amorphous silicon dioxide (SiO2) nanoparticles that form aggregates and agglomerates. We reviewed recent oral toxicity studies with SAS. Some of those report tissue concentrations of silicon (Si). The results of those studies were compared with recently determined tissue concentrations of Si (and Si-particles) in human postmortem tissues. We noticed inconsistent results of the various toxicity studies regarding toxicity and reported tissue concentrations, which hamper the risk assessment of SAS. A broad range of Si concentrations is reported in control animals in toxicity studies. The Si concentrations found in human postmortem tissues fall within this range. On the other hand, the mean concentration found in human liver is higher than the reported concentrations causing liver effects in some animal toxicity studies after oral exposure to SAS. Also higher liver concentrations are observed in other, negative animal studies. Those inconsistencies could be caused by the presence of other Si-containing chemical substances or particles (which potentially also includes background SAS) and/or different sample preparation and analytical techniques that were used. Other factors which could explain the inconsistencies in outcome between the toxicity studies are the distinct SAS used and different dosing regimes, such as way of administration (dietary, via drinking water, oral gavage), dispersion of SAS and dose. More research is needed to address these issues and to perform a proper risk assessment for SAS in food. The current review will help to progress research on the toxicity of SAS and the associated risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Walter Brand
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Petra C E van Kesteren
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Ruud J B Peters
- Wageningen Food Safety Research (WFSR), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Agnes G Oomen
- National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands
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