Aflatoxins in cotton seeds and cotton seed cake from Pakistan

A study was conducted to evaluate the natural occurrence of aflatoxins (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) in cotton seeds (n = 110) and cotton seed cake (CSC; n = 110) from Pakistan. All samples were screened by Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA). Positive samples were further quantified by IAC-HPLC-FLD. Total contamination frequency and aflatoxins mean levels were 80% and 69 μg/kg in cotton seeds and the corresponding values for cotton seed cake 88% and 89 μg/kg, respectively. Aflatoxin B1was found in all positive samples and co-occurred with AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2. Sixty-four cotton seeds and 71 CSC samples contained aflatoxins levels higher than the ML set for animal feed (20 µg/kg). The results of the present study will help the regulatory authorities to formulate strategies for monitoring aflatoxins in animal feeds.

A simplified FTIR chemometric method for simultaneous determination of four oxidation parameters of frying canola oil

Transmission Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopic method using 100 μm KCl cell was applied for the determination of total polar compounds (TPC), carbonyl value (CV), conjugated diene (CD) and conjugated triene (CT) in canola oil (CLO) during potato chips frying at 180 °C. The calibration models were developed for TPC, CV, CD and CT using partial least square (PLS) chemometric technique. Excellent regression coefficients (R(2)) and root mean square error of prediction values for TPC, CV, CD and CT were found to be 0.999, 0.992, 0.998 and 0.999 and 0.809, 0.690, 1.26 and 0.735, respectively. The developed calibration models were applied on samples of canola oil drawn during potato chips frying process. A linear relationship was obtained between CD and TPC with a good correlation of coefficient (R(2)=0.9816). Results of the study clearly indicated that transmission FTIR-PLS method could be used for quick and precise evaluation of oxidative changes during the frying process without using any organic solvent.

Estimation of ibuprofen in urine and tablet formulations by transmission Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy by partial least square

A rapid, reliable and cost effective analytical procedure for the estimation of ibuprofen in pharmaceutical formulations and human urine samples was developed using transmission Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. For the determination of ibuprofen, a KBr window with 500 μm spacer was used to acquire the FT-IR spectra of standards, pharmaceuticals as well as urine samples. Partial least square (PLS) calibration model was developed based on region from 1807 to 1,461 cm(-1) using ibuprofen standards ranging from 10 to 100 μg ml(-1). The developed model was evaluated by cross-validation to determine standard error of the models such as root mean square error of calibration (RMSEC), root mean square error of cross validation (RMSECV) and root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP). The coefficient of determination (R(2)) achieved was 0.998 with minimum errors in RMSEC, RMSECV and RMSEP with the value of 1.89%, 1.63% and 4.07%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to urine and pharmaceutical samples and obtained good recovery (98-102%).

Rapid determination of free fatty acids in poultry feed lipid extracts by SB-ATR FTIR spectroscopy

A simple, rapid, and reproducible method has been developed for the quantitative determination of free fatty acid (FFA) content in lipids extracted from poultry feeds by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with the use of a single-bounce attenuated total reflectance (SB-ATR) accessory. An FTIR calibration curve was prepared by gravimetrically adding oleic acid (15-37%) to pure refined, bleached, and deodorized (RBD) canola oil and measuring the area of the COOH absorption band at 1710 cm-1. The oil from each of 12 poultry feed formulations was extracted using conventional Soxhlet extraction, and after evaporation of the solvent, the FFA content was determined by the conventional AOCS titrimetric procedure and by the SB-ATR/FTIR method. The SB-ATR/FTIR FFA predictions were related to those determined by the AOCS titrimetric method by linear regression, producing an R value of 0.999 and a SD of +/-0.28% FFA. Time-course spectra collected as lipids extracted into hexane indicated that a 15 min extraction was adequate to obtain a representative sample for FFA determination, with further extraction resulting in little, if any, change in the proportion of FFA in the lipid extract. Only a small volume of the hexane extract ( approximately 20 mL) yielded sufficient material for the SB-ATR/FTIR analysis. Thus, by shortening the extraction time and taking a small sample so as to reduce solvent removal time, the SB-ATR/FTIR procedure provides a very simple and rapid means of determining the FFA content of poultry feed lipids.