Honey moisture reduction using several thermal methods and their effects on its quality

Honey is thermally heated at various methods to decrease the moisture content and prolong the shelf life. The heating methods might decrease the quality of honey's physicochemical and biochemical properties. The present study thermally treated the honey with a pasteurizer, evaporator, and dehumidifier. The most thermally affected to decrease the moisture content were treatment by dehumidifier (14.09%), subsequent evaporation (8.41%), and pasteurization (8.41%). After heating, significant differentiation was also observed in the variation of both HMF (Hydroxymethylfurfural) content and diastase activity according to the botanical origin of the honey sample. In line with the biochemical analysis of honey, total phenolic decreased significantly during the pasteurization treatment. Evaporation was the most resistant thermal treatment due to its ability to maintain the level of HMF and the enzyme diastase as a standard for honey quality. However, changes made in physicochemical and biochemical quality are still in compliance with national and international legal limits.

Investigation of Beta-Lactam and Tetracycline Group Antibiotic Residues in Bovine Liver, Kidney and Muscle Tissue

In this study, beta-lactam and tetracycline antibiotic residues were investigated in cattle liver, kidney and muscle samples. For this purpose, a total of 75 bovine tissue samples (each of 25 from liver, kidney, muscle) taken from 25 cattle slaughtered in a local slaughterhouse in Sivas were used as materials. ELISA method was applied in the analysis and it was studied with commercial test kits. According to the results of the analysis; beta-lactam and tetracycline residues were detected in all bovine tissue samples. Beta-lactam level was determined between 0.75-1.07 ppb (mean 0.94 ± 0.01) in liver samples, 0.67-1.05 ppb (mean 0.81 ± 0.01) in kidney samples and 0.70-2.57 ppb (mean 0.97 ± 0.07) in muscle samples. Tetracycline level was detected in the range of 4.48-8.50 ppb (mean 6.14 ± 0.17) in liver samples, 1.73-6.39 ppb (mean 4.90 ± 0.24) in kidney samples and 3.31-7.45 ppb (mean 5.67 ± 0.25) in muscle samples. The residue levels determined in the examples complied with the legal limits reported in the European Commission and the Turkish Food Codex Communiqué.

Microbiological stability of homeopathic medicines using purified water as vehicle

Background: Homeopathic medicines are prepared in homeopathic pharmacies. This leads to freedom of prescription but requires more knowledge of the clinicians to achieve the best results. Preparations made of purified water receive a validity of 24 hours, but there are prescriptions for up to 30 days. This contradiction raises tensions among physicians, pharmacists and patients. Aims: to evaluate the increase in microbiological contamination in homeopathic medicines using purified water as vehicle compared with the microbiological stability of purified water. Contribute to the quality of homeopathic medicine and treatment. Methodology: daily microbiological analysis for one week to assess the growth of heterotrophic bacteria, Pseudomonas, yeasts and molds. The reference used was the USP 32/NF 27 and the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia 5th edition. Results: there was a higher growth of microorganisms on the medicine, compared with purified water. From the 2nd day on, this growth has been beyond the legal limits. Discussion: medicines for oral use are not sterile preparations, but they must remain stable during its shelf life. Our results indicate that contamination occurs from the earliest days of use. This shows the need to change the prescription in relation of the vehicle, to ensure hygiene and avoid potential contamination of the patient. It is necessary to prevent conflict of information between pharmacists and patients, and the contradiction of the doctor's advice, besides the potential risk of responsibility to be attributed to the pharmacy. It is necessary to promote a discussion between pharmacists and clinicians, to spread this information for those that prescribe. Conclusion: there was an increased of microbiological contamination of the medicines dispensed in purified water, which harms the quality of homeopathic medicine and homeopathic treatment.

Supply Chains, COVID-19 and the GATT Security Exception: Legal Limits of ‘Pandemic Exceptionalism’

The increasingly fraught relationship between trade and security has manifested through expanding conceptions of security to include notions of economic self-sufficiency. Some suggest that this trend will be accelerated by COVID-19 to permanently enshrine exceptionalism in trade (‘pandemic exceptionalism’), arguably enabling invocations of the security exception to justify potentially protectionist measures where it is considered, by an invoking WTO Member, as necessary to protect its ‘essential security interests’. This article explores the security implications of the pandemic’s disruption of international supply chains and growing calls to ‘reshore’ production in order to examine whether COVID-19 could enable an indefinite expansion of the security exception under Article XXI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994. The analysis contrasts the subjective and objective elements of Article XXI(b)(iii) to highlight the role of judicial settlement and objective determination in imposing legal limits on ‘pandemic exceptionalism’.

Environmental Aspects of Historical Ferromanganese Tailings in the Šibenik Bay, Croatia

The former manganese ferroalloy plant and the remaining tailings are affecting the quality of the environment in Šibenik Bay, Croatia, even though industrial activities ceased more than 25 years ago. This study has revealed that the main manganese mineral phases present in the recently collected tailings, as well as in the dust collected on the roof of the plant during the production period, are bustamite and Mn-oxides. The same type of Mn mineral phases was also found in recently collected sediments from Šibenik Bay. Detailed chemical and phase analyses (XRD, BCR sequential analysis, aqua regia and lithium borate fusion) of the dust sample revealed high manganese values (24.1%), while granulometric analysis showed that 50% of the particles are smaller than PM2.5. The influence of the tailings is visible in the sediment, but the concentrations of the potentially toxic elements determined by the sequential BCR analysis are within the legal limits. Some higher values (20.3 g/kg Mn, 595 mg/kg Pb and 494 mg/kg Zn) are detected in the tailings, which are still exposed to weathering and as such should be additionally monitored. On the other hand, this material contains a considerable number of elements that could be considered lucrative (∑ REE up to 700 mg/kg, Mn up to 23 g/kg, Fe up to 37 g/kg and Al up to 25 g/kg), opening the possibility of reuse and recovery.

Molds and Aflatoxins in Traditional Moldy Civil Cheese: Presence and Public Health Concerns

The purpose of this study was to detect the mold biota, the contamination levels of total aflatoxin (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2) and aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in moldy civil cheese. A total of 100 moldy civil cheese were collected from randomly selected retailers. Mold biota was determined with conventional and ITS sequence analysis, and Aflatoxin (AF) analysis was performed usingEnzyme-Linled Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). In the analyzed samples, Penicillium roqueforti (100%) was isolated as the dominant species followed by P. verrucosum (83%), Aspergillus flavus (17%). Fifteen (15 %) of moldy civil cheese samples contained AF with levels ranging from 12 to 378 ng/kg.Likewise, AFM1 was found in 25 (25 %) of samples (ranging from 5.46 to 141.56 ng/kg), among which 5 (5 %) were above the legal limits. Considering the presence of A. flavus, total AF and AFM1 contamination in the analyzed cheese samples it could be emphasized that moldy civil cheese might pose a hazard for public health.