ODOUR PROFILING FROM DECOMPOSITION OF LOCAL FOOD WASTE

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (6-8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Siti Rohana Mohd Yatim ◽  
Ku Halim Ku Hamid ◽  
Kamariah Noor Ismail ◽  
Zulkifli Abdul Rashid

The aim of this study is to investigate odour emission profiles from storage of local food waste and to assess the potential health risk caused by exposure to volatile compounds. Food waste decomposition process was conducted for 14 days and kept at 20°C and 30°C in self-made bioreactor. VOCs emissions from both samples were collected at different stages of decomposition starting at day 0, day 1, day 3, day 5, day 7, day 10, day 12 and day 14. It was analyzed using TD-GC/MS. Findings showed that various VOCs were released during decomposition of food waste. Compounds produced were influenced by time, temperature and the physico-chemical characteristics of the compounds. The most abundant compound released was dimethyl disulfide. Potential health risk of exposure to this compound is represented by hazard ratio, HR, calculated at 1.6 x 1011. Since HR equal to or less than 1.0 is considered negligible risk, this indicates that the compound posed a potential risk to human health.

1985 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-124
Author(s):  
Donald V Reed

Abstract Through an approach called the Surveillance Index (SI), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is systematically evaluating the potential health risk of pesticides that may be present as residues in foods. The SI is being used as a primary tool in the establishment of monitoring priorities. Each pesticide is classified and assigned to one of 5 levels of potential risk. The SI documents that are prepared for individual pesticides (a) summarize the information used to assess potential dietary exposure and health risk, (b) provide the rationale for the assigned classification, and (c) identify needs and actions necessary to accomplish appropriate monitoring of the food supply. Reasons are described for the development of the SI, the content of the SI Documents, and the use of the SI in planning and redirecting FDA pesticide monitoring activities.


1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 73-76 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. S. W. Ho ◽  
T.-Y Tam

A total of 64 beach water samples with various bacteriological quality (Grades 1 to 4) were analysed for their bacteriological and parasitological contents (E coli and Giardia cysts respectively). Results indicated that Giardia cysts were detected in less than 10% of the Grade 1 beach water samples with E coli concentrations of <24/100mL. For Grades 2, 3 & 4 beach water samples, Giardia cysts were found, respectively, in 85, 50 and 64% of the samples. Except for one beach water sample which had an unusually high concentration of Giardia cysts (23 cysts/L), they were generally present at moderate concentrations (<10 cysts/L) in all other beach water samples. Despite moderate levels of Giardia cysts present in beach water of different grades, the potential health risk faced by swimmers bathing in local beach water needs to be carefully assessed as Giardia is known to have a low infectious dose.


2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1934578X1000500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niko S. Radulović ◽  
Polina D. Blagojević ◽  
Danielle Skropeta ◽  
Aleksandra R. Zarubica ◽  
Bojan K. Zlatković ◽  
...  

Tansy, Tanacetum macrophyllum (Waldst. & Kit.) Sch. Bip., is often misidentified by herb collectors as yarrow, Achillea grandifolia Friv. With the former, cases of poisoning induced by its ingestion are well documented, but the latter is widely used for ethnopharmacological purposes. The aim of this study was to estimate, based on the volatile metabolite profiles of the two species, the potential health risk connected with their misidentification. GC and GC-MS analysis of the essential oils hydrodistilled using a Clevenger-type apparatus from A. grandifolia, T. macrophyllum, and two plant samples (reputedly of A. grandifolia, but in fact mixtures of A. grandifolia and T. macrophyllum) obtained from a local market, resulted in the identification of 215 different compounds. The main constituents of A. grandifolia oil were ascaridole (15.5%), α-thujone (7.5%), camphor (15.6%), borneol (5.2%) and (Z)-jasmone (6.4%), and of T. macrophyllum oil, 1,8-cineole (8.6%), camphor (6.4%), borneol (9.1%), isobornyl acetate (9.5%), copaborneol (4.2%) and γ-eudesmol (6.2%). The compositions of the oils extracted from the samples obtained from the market were intermediate to those of A. grandifolia and T. macrophyllum. Significant differences in the corresponding volatile profiles and the literature data concerning the known activities of the pure constituents of the oils, suggested that the pharmacological action of the investigated species (or their unintentional mixtures) would be notably different. It seems, however, that misidentification of T. macrophyllum as A. grandifolia does not represent a health risk and that the absence of the toxic α-thujone from T. macrophyllum oil may in fact be regarded as a benefit.


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