scholarly journals Variation of Deoxynivalenol levels in Corn and Its Products Available in Retail Markets of Punjab, Pakistan and Estimation of Risk Assessment

Author(s):  
Shahzad Zafar Iqbal ◽  
Ahmad Faizal Abdull Razis ◽  
Sunusi Usman ◽  
Nada Basheir Ali ◽  
Muhammad Rafique Asi

The study focused on investigating the natural incidence of deoxynivalenol (DON) in corn and products from corn producing districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The analysis was carried out using HPLC with UV detector and immunoaffinity cleanup columns. The detection limit (LOD) and limit of quantification were 25 and 50 µg/kg, respectively. Total 1220 samples of corn and products were analyzed to detect the DON, and 539 (44.2%) samples were observed to be contaminated with DON (n ≥ LOD). Furthermore, 92 (7.5%) samples of corn & products have DON levels, elevated than the proposed limits of the EU. The data is significantly different from a normal distribution for DON in corn and products samples and from different locations (p < 0.05) for Shapiro-Wilk and Kolmogorov-Smirnov values. However, a significant difference in DON levels was found between corn and corn derived-products types (p ≤ 0.05). The lowest and highest exposure & hazard quotient (HQ) of 0.92 and 9.68 µg/kg bw/d were documented in cornflour samples.

Toxins ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 296
Author(s):  
Shahzad Zafar Iqbal ◽  
Ahmad Faizal Abdull Razis ◽  
Sunusi Usman ◽  
Nada Basheir Ali ◽  
Muhammad Rafique Asi

This study investigated the natural incidence of deoxynivalenol (DON) in corn and corn products from corn-producing districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The analysis was carried out using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detector and immunoaffinity cleanup columns. The detection limit (LOD) and limit of quantification were 25 and 50 µg/kg, respectively. A total of 1220 samples of corn and corn products were analyzed to detect DON, and 539 (44.2%) samples were observed to be contaminated with DON (n ≥ LOD). Furthermore, 92 (7.5%) samples of corn and corn products had DON levels that were higher than the proposed limits of the EU. The data are significantly different from a normal distribution of DON in samples of corn and corn products from different locations (p < 0.05) for Shapiro–Wilk and Kolmogorov–Smirnov values. However, a significant difference in DON levels was found between corn and corn-derived products (p ≤ 0.05). The lowest and highest exposures, and hazard quotient (HQ) values of 0.92 and 9.68 µg/kg bw/day, were documented in corn flour samples.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Calogero Di Bella ◽  
Antonino Calagna ◽  
Gaetano Cammilleri ◽  
Pietro Schembri ◽  
Daniela Lo Monaco ◽  
...  

A risk assessment, related to the consumption of farmed sea bass, was carried out by meta-analysis, taking into account the concentration of trace metals (Cd, Pb, Hg) reported in the literature, the estimated weekly intake (EWI), the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI), and the target hazard quotient (THQ). The concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Hg in farmed sea bass marketed in Sicily (Southern Italy) were also assessed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) to have screening data for the comparison with literature results. In any case, the results obtained by meta-analysis and by screening were lower than the pre-established legal limits for each metal. The meta-analysis results showed very low levels of Cd (0.031 μg g–1 w.w.), Pb (0.110 μg g–1 w.w.), and Hg (0.023 μg g–1 w.w.). The EWI estimation confirmed safety limits for human health (0.004, 0.015, and 0.003 μg kg–1 for Cd, Pb, and Hg, respectively). Even the THQ demonstrated that farmed sea bass represent a secure food for humans (0.0006, 0.0005, and 0.0048 for Cd, Pb, and Hg, respectively). The comparison with our screening data showed a significant difference only for the Pb levels (p &lt; 0.05). The results obtained were compared with the same indexes relative to other food types (meat, cereals, vegetables, etc.). The EWI and THQ calculated were always lower than same indexes relative to other food types considered.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-124
Author(s):  
Truong Vinh Doan ◽  
Vinh Xuan Le ◽  
Hien Thi To ◽  
Thuan Thi Ngo

Chlorophenol is a group of toxic and presistent compounds in soil. Investigation on an appropriate procedure is very important to quantify all chlorophenol congeners. All parameters in ultrasonic combined with soild phase C18 extraction (SPE_C18), and then high performance liquid chromatography/ UV detector were selected and optimised. Various soil samples contaminated by chlorophenols containing from 0.67% to 2.36% of organic matter and clay content from 1.37%–22.30% were selected and examined. The results showed that a group of 3–chlorophenol, 3,4–dichlorophenol, 3,5–dichlorophenol, 3,4,5– trichlorophenol, 2,3,4,6–tetrachlorophenol, 2,3,4,5– tetrachlorophenol, pentachlorophenol contaminated in soils has high recovery efficiencies (>70%) with low standard devitation (<7%). This method is suitable to analyze chlorophenol in soil with limit of detection (LOD) about 0.2mg/kg and limit of quantification (LOQ) about 1mg/kg. This research is helpful in risk assessment of chlorophenols contaminated in soil and suitable in Vietnam.


Author(s):  
Reza Aghlmand ◽  
Saeed Rasi Nezami ◽  
Ali Abbasi

In recent years, in addition to water resources’ quantity, their quality has also received much attention. In this study, the quality of the urban water distribution network in northwestern Iran was evaluated using the water quality index (WQI) method. Then, some important trace elements were investigated, and finally, the health risk assessment was evaluated for both carcinogenic elements (Ni, Cd, Cr, Pb, and As) and non-carcinogenic elements (Ca, Mg, Na, K, F, NO3, and Cu) using carcinogenic risk (CR) and hazard quotient (HQ), respectively. In the present study, the WQI was calculated based on both World Health Organization (WHO) and Iranian drinking water standards. Comparing the results of these standards revealed that the WQI based on the Iranian standard was slightly higher. Regarding the calculated WQI for the study region, the status of water quality for drinking consumption is in the good water quality class (25 < WQI < 50). It was observed that Cu and Cd have the highest and lowest concentrations in all sampling points, respectively. Hazard Index (HI) results showed that the non-carcinogenic substances studied had a low risk for both adults and children (<1.0). However, the CR results showed that Ni, Cd, and As were above the desired level for both children and adults. The results of this study can be applied for efficient water management and human health protection programs in the study area.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (7) ◽  
pp. 1940-1944
Author(s):  
Sevcan Altun ◽  
Aykut Aksu ◽  
Osman Imamoglu ◽  
Murat Erdogdu ◽  
Kursat Karacabey

The aim of this study is to investigate the nutritional approaches of student athletes studying at the university during the coronavirus outbreak period. Participants consisted of students studying and doing sports at the University. 446 students, 246 males and 200 females, participated in the study. Besides the personal form, students were filled the questionnaire testing questionnaire. Students voluntarily participated. The surveys were done on social media. Nutritional habits questionnaire consists of 12 questions. In the preparation of the survey questions, the questions proved validity of the researches which have been done on the subject before have been used. SPSS 23.00 package program was used in statistical analyses. Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed to test whether the data was normally distributed and it was determined that the data showed normal distribution. Independent t-test, paired t-test, unidirectional variance analysis and LSD tests were used in statistical operations. There was no significant difference in students' nutrition approaches by gender, both in the pre-outbreak period and in the outbreak period points (p> 0.05). Nutrition scores were significantly increased during the outbreak period (p <0.001). A significant difference was found between the students who felt bad before the epidemic and those who felt well before the epidemic and their nutritional scores according to the levels they felt (p <0.05). A significant difference was found between the pre-outbreak period and post-epidemic nutrition scores of the sports faculty students (p <0.05). During the coronavirus epidemic, university student athletes have either increased their nutritional opportunities or have changed their eating habits positively to keep their immune systems strong or both. The fact that sports faculty students have better nutrition compared to other faculty students can be attributed to their taking courses in nutrition, health and similar. It is recommended to give lectures or seminars on nutrition to athlete students. Keywords: Student, Nutrition, Sports Nutrition, Nutritional Approach, Covid-19


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
C. Tonini ◽  
M.S. Oliveira ◽  
E.B. Parmeggiani ◽  
D.A.F. Sturza ◽  
A.O. Mallmann ◽  
...  

The inclusion of anti-mycotoxin additives (AMA) in the diet of production animals has been widely used to avoid mycotoxin exposure. In order to confirm the efficacy of such products in vivo, measurement of mycotoxins and/or their metabolites in biological fluids is preconized. This study aimed at determining the serological biomarkers of zearalenone (ZEN), α-zearalenol, β-zearalenol, α-zearalanol, β-zearalanol (β-ZAL) and zearalanone, to evaluate the efficacy of an AMA in beef heifers. The trial lasted 37 days: 11 days of adaptation, 21 days of actual experiment, and 5 days of regression. Twenty-four heifers were randomly assigned to receive one of the following treatments (n=6/group): (T1) basal diet (control); (T2) basal diet + 5 mg/kg of ZEN; (T3) basal diet + 5 mg/kg of ZEN + 2.5 kg/t of AMA; and (T4) basal diet + 5 mg/kg of ZEN + 5.0 kg/t of AMA. Blood sampling was performed on different days after the diet was given. The samples were centrifuged to obtain the blood serum, and then analysed by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). β-ZAL was detected above the limit of quantification both in the unconjugated (>0.60 ng/ml) and conjugated (>0.90 ng/ml) forms. The remaining metabolites presented concentrations under the limit of detection. In the efficacy evaluation of the AMA, there was no significant difference (P>0.05) between the treatments with and without additive at the tested levels of inclusion. Thus, β-ZAL may be employed as a biomarker of ZEN exposure via diet to evaluate the efficacy of an AMA through serological parameters. The technique applied in this study proved to be an adequate alternative for in vivo confirmation of the efficacy of products in adsorbing the toxin.


Author(s):  
Maryam Zare Jeddi ◽  
Mohamad Eshaghi Gorji ◽  
Ivonne Rietjens ◽  
Jochem Louisse ◽  
Yuri Bruinen de Bruin ◽  
...  

This study aimed to estimate the exposure and related health risks of phthalates, and to assess the health risks from combined exposure to three of the phthalates sharing the same mode of action (anti-androgenicity) in children. We determined the internal exposure of 56 Iranian children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years by analyzing seven urinary metabolites of five phthalates. The estimated daily intake values derived from the biomonitoring data ranged from 0.01 µg/kg bw/day for butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), to 17.85 µg/kg bw/day for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). The risk assessment revealed that not only the exposure to the individual phthalates, but also the combined exposure to the three anti-androgenic phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP) did not raise a safety concern (hazard index values averaged 0.2). The range of maximum cumulative ratio values varied from around 1 for most individuals to around 2 in some individuals, indicating that the combined exposures were dominated by one and in some cases by two of the three anti-androgenic phthalates, especially dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and/or DEHP. Based on biomonitoring data, the overall combined exposure of Iranian children to phthalates does not raise a concern, while reduction of exposure is best focused on DEHP and DBP that showed the highest hazard quotient.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Hadjigeorgiou ◽  
Elpidoforos S. Soteriades ◽  
Anastasios Philalithis ◽  
Anna Psaroulaki ◽  
Yiannis Tselentis ◽  
...  

This paper is a comparative survey of the National Food Safety Systems (NFSS) of the European Union (EU) Member-States (MS) and the Central EU level. The main organizational structures of the NFSS, their legal frameworks, their responsibilities, their experiences, and challenges relating to food safety are discussed. Growing concerns about food safety have led the EU itself, its MS and non-EU countries, which are EU trade-partners, to review and modify their food safety systems. Our study suggests that the EU and 22 out of 27 Member States (MS) have reorganized their NFSS by establishing a single food safety authority or a similar organization on the national or central level. In addition, the study analyzes different approaches towards the establishment of such agencies. Areas where marked differences in approaches were seen included the division of responsibilities for risk assessment (RA), risk management (RM), and risk communication (RC). We found that in 12 Member States, all three areas of activity (RA, RM, and RC) are kept together, whereas in 10 Member States, risk management is functionally or institutionally separate from risk assessment and risk communication. No single ideal model for others to follow for the organization of a food safety authority was observed; however, revised NFSS, either in EU member states or at the EU central level, may be more effective from the previous arrangements, because they provide central supervision, give priority to food control programs, and maintain comprehensive risk analysis as part of their activities.


Author(s):  
Eugenio Mattei ◽  
Federica Censi ◽  
Giovanni Calcagnini ◽  
Rosaria Falsaperla

Workers with cardiac active implantable medical devices (AIMD), such as a pacemaker (PM) or an implantable defibrillator (ICD), are considered by the occupational health and safety regulation framework as a particularly sensitive risk group that must be protected against the dangers caused by the interference of electromagnetic field (EMF). In this paper, we first describe the general methodology that shall be followed for the risk assessment of employees with a cardiac AIMD exposed to EMF, according to the EU regulation, and in particular to the EN 50527-2-1:2016 and 50527-2-2:2018 standards. Then, three case studies related to specific EMF sources are presented, to better describe how the initial analysis of the risk assessment can be performed in practice, and to understand if a further specific risk assessment analysis is required or not.


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