Composition of Brazil Nut (Bertholletia excels HBK), Its Beverage and By-Products: A Healthy Food and Potential Source of Ingredients

The consumption of plant-based beverages is a growing trend and, consequently, the search for alternative plant sources, the improvement of beverage quality and the use of their by-products, acquire great interest. Thus, the purpose of this work was to characterize the composition (nutrients, phytochemicals and antioxidant activity) of the Brazil nut (BN), its whole beverage (WBM), water-soluble beverage (BM-S), and its by-products of the beverage production: cake, sediment fraction (BM-D), and fat fraction (BM-F). In this study, advanced methodologies for the analysis of the components were employed to assess HPLC-ESI-QTOF (phenolic compounds), GC (fatty acids), and MALDI-TOF/TOF (proteins and peptides). The production of WBM was based on a hot water extraction process, and the production of BM-S includes an additional centrifugation step. The BN showed an interesting nutritional quality and outstanding content of unsaturated fatty acids. The investigation found the following in the composition of the BN: phenolic compounds (mainly flavan-3-ols as Catechin (and glycosides or derivatives), Epicatechin (and glycosides or derivatives), Quercetin and Myricetin-3-O-rhamnoside, hydroxybenzoic acids as Gallic acid (and derivatives), 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, ellagic acid, Vanillic acid, p-Coumaric acid and Ferulic acid, bioactive minor lipid components (β-Sitosterol, γ-Tocopherol, α-Tocopherol and squalene), and a high level of selenium. In beverages, WBM had a higher lipid content than BM-S, a factor that influenced the energy characteristics and the content of bioactive minor lipid components. The level of phenolic compounds and selenium were outstanding in both beverages. Hydrothermal processing can promote some lipolysis, with an increase in free fatty acids and monoglycerides content. In by-products, the BM-F stood out due to its bioactive minor lipid components, the BM-D showed a highlight in protein and mineral contents, and the cake retained important nutrients and phytochemicals from the BN. In general, the BN and its beverages are healthy foods, and its by-products could be used to obtain healthy ingredients with appreciable biological activities (such as antioxidant activity).

A Sediment Magnetic Record in the North Pacific Across the Mid-Pleistocene Transition and its Implication on Asian Dust Evolution

Eolian dust deposited in the North Pacific is an important archive of the evolutionary history of Asian interior source regions and climate system. Here, we present a ∼1 Myr sediment magnetic record from the central North Pacific to characterize eolian dust properties since the middle Pleistocene. For the studied sediments, magnetic components are mainly identified as biogenic magnetite and detrital magnetic minerals (dust and volcanic origins) based on coercivity analysis, microscopic observations, and sedimentological information. The detrital magnetic component is characterized by high coercivity (>100 mT) and shows a long-term increase in concentration since ∼1 Ma. In particular, the concentration shows a considerable increase at ∼0.8–0.7 Ma compared to the inorganic silicate fraction, indicative of magnetic mineral enrichment in detrital sediment fraction. At the same time, the coercivity distribution of the detrital component also decreases, which can be attributed to an increase in the ferrimagnetic mineral contribution. As the detrital sediments are primarily wind-blown particles, such ferrimagnetic enrichment implies a change in dust source materials after ∼0.8 Ma, which could be explained by the reorganization of atmospheric circulation and/or regional aridification in source regions across the mid-Pleistocene transition. The dust property change in source areas is likely to be synchronized across the North Pacific based on the similarity of the long-term trend of magnetic signals.

Analysis of Organic Matter Content in Water and Sediment in The Coastal Waters of Bengkalis Island, Riau Province

Anthropogenic activities in the coastal waters of Bengkalis Island, Riau Province are thought to have increased due to human activities (settlements, ports, agriculture, households and industry). This caused an increase in organic matter in water and sediment in coastal waters. The content of organic matter in water and sediment can be used as an indicator of the quality of coastal waters. The research aimed to analyze the content of organic matter in water and sediment in the coastal waters of Bengkalis Island. The used purposive sampling. The research was carried out in April – July 2021, consisting of 4 research stations and each station consisted of 3 sampling points. Sampling was carried out in the intertidal zone in the north and south of Bengkalis Island, namely station I (Air Putih Village), Station II (Jangkang Village), station III (Selat Baru Village) and station IV (Liong Estuary). The results of the analysis of organic matter content in seawater ranged from 32.39-34.89 mg/l, the highest was at station I and the lowest was at station II. The results of the analysis of organic matter content in sediment of Bengkalis Island ranged from 0.01-0.31%, the highest was at station I and the lowest was at station II. A simple linear regression test showed that the relationship between the organic matter content of seawater and sediments in the coastal waters of Bengkalis Island was classified as a strong relationship with a correlation coefficient (r) 0.720 and a coefficient of determination (R2) 0.518. The results also show that the coastal waters of Bengkalis Island have a type of sediment fraction which is dominated by sandy mud.

Chronological Trends and Mercury Bioaccumulation in an Aquatic Semiarid Ecosystem under a Global Climate Change Scenario in the Northeastern Coast of Brazil

Due to global warming, in the northeastern semiarid coastal regions of Brazil, regional and global drivers are responsible for decreasing continental runoff and increasing estuarine water residence time, which promotes a greater mobilization of bioavailable mercury (Hg) and allows increasing fluxes and/or bioavailability of this toxic trace element and an acceleration of biogeochemical transformation of Hg. In this work, an application of dendrochemistry analysis (annular tree rings analysis) was developed for the reconstruction of the historical pattern of mercury contamination in a contaminated area, quantifying chronological Hg contamination trends in a tropical semiarid ecosystem (Ceará River Estuary, northeastern coast of Brazil) through registration of mercury concentration on growth rings in specimens of Rhizophora mangle L. and using the assessment in sediments as a support for the comparison of profiles of contamination. The comparison with sediments from the same place lends credibility to this type of analysis, as well as the relationship to the historical profile of contamination in the region, when compared with local data about industries and ecological situation of sampling sites. In order to evaluate the consequences of the described increase in Hg bioavailability and bioaccumulation in aquatic biota, and to assess the biological significance of Hg concentrations in sediments to fish and wildlife, muscle and liver from a bioindicator fish species, S. testudineus, were also analyzed. The results of this work reinforce the indicators previously described in the semiarid NE region of Brazil, which showed that global climate change and some anthropogenic factors are key drivers of Hg exposure and biomagnification for wildlife and humans. Considering the Hg concentration present in the top layers of sediment (~20 cm around 15 to 20 years) with the outer layers in the tree ring cores and in the sediment’s cores from Pacoti estuary and the Ceará estuary, overall the data indicate an increase in mercury in recent years in the Hg surface sediments, especially associated with the fine sediment fraction, mainly due to the increased capacity of small particles to adsorb Hg. There was revealed a positive and significant correlation (p < 0.05) between Hg trends in sediments and Hg trends in annular tree rings. This shared Hg pattern reflects local environmental conditions. The Hg concentration values in S. testudineus from both study areas are not restrictive to human consumption, being below the legislated European limit for Hg in foodstuffs. The results from S. testudineus muscles analysis suggest a significant and linear increase in Hg burden with increasing fish length, indicating that the specimens are accumulating Hg as they grow. The results from both rivers show an increase in BSAF with fish growth. The [Hg] liver/[Hg] muscles ratio >1, which indicates that the S. testudineus from both study areas are experiencing an increase in Hg bioavailability. Possible climate-induced shifts in these aquatic systems processes are inducing a greater mobilization of bioavailable Hg, which could allow an acceleration of the biogeochemical transformation of Hg.

Monitoring of Sedimentation on Geosynthetic Bags Installation Area in Banyuurip Mangrove Center, Ujung Pangkah, Gresik, Indonesia

Banyuurip is one of the villages in Ujung Pangkah District which has potential natural resource that is mangrove forests. However, the occurrence of abrasion and conversion of mangrove land has impacted mangrove ecosystem. Rehabilitation efforts by replanting mangroves have been carried out, but they have not been effective in overcoming the current problems. The reduction of mangrove area that led the decreased of mangrove’s function can affect the livelihood of the local community, including fishermen. The installation of geosynthetic bags, which are sand-filled bags arranged on the ground, is done as an alternative solution in Banyuurip Village which functions as coastal protection and a sediment trap. The utilization of geosynthetic material is often used to help the coastal problem, the used of geosynthetic material is rarely carried out in mangrove areas. This study aims to determine the sediment characteristics, sedimentation rates, and sedimentation process based on the relationship between current velocity and sedimentation rate. The result shows that generally the type of sediment fraction in this location is silt (79,12% - 80,12%) and the rest is clay. The current installation of geosynthetic bags can result in the land extension from the trapped sediment behind the structure. In addition, the current velocity conditions and the sediment transport process also affect the sedimentation process that occurs. The average sedimentation rates around the geosynthetic bags installation area ranged from 150.72-305.01 mg.cm-2.day-1. This study may provide a basic information for further development in Banyuurip Mangrove Center and other mangrove conservation area.

Yield Stress Model for Natural Debris Flows in Presence of Fine and Coarse–Grained Sediments

When dealing with natural geo–hazards, it is important to understand the influence of sediment sorting on debris flows. The presence of coarse fraction is one of the aspects which affects the rheological behaviour of natural viscous granular fluid mixtures. In this paper, experiments on reconstituted debris flow mixtures with different coarse–to–fine sediment ratios are considered. Such mixtures behave just as non–Newtonian yield stress fluids and their rheological behaviour is largely affected by the presence of coarse fraction. Experimental results demonstrate that yield stress is very sensitive not only to bulk sediment concentration but also to coarse sediment fraction. A novel yield stress model is presented. It accounts for an empirical grading function depending on the coarse–to–fine grain content. The yield stress model performed satisfactorily in comparison with the experiments, showing that it is almost independent of the coarse–to–fine grain fraction in case of dominant coarse sediment content.

Partitioning of Metal Contaminants between Bulk and Fine-Grained Fraction in Freshwater Sediments: A Critical Appraisal

The distribution of six common metal contaminants (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) in the bulk (<2 mm) and fine fractions (<63 µm) of freshwater sediments was compared to conclude on the long-existing dilemma which fraction should be used in the investigation of the metal contamination. The environments included in the study (24 rivers, 8 lakes) were very different with respect to sediments origin and composition and they provided a good review of the possible scenarios. For the river sediments, particularly those having >40% of sand fraction, metal concentrations were up to seven times higher in the fine fraction, implying the necessity for considering sand dilution effect in compositional data analysis. The same samples were also characterized with higher organic matter content (OM) in the fine fraction. Lake environments were characterized by fine-grained sedimentation and the difference between metal concentrations in the bulk and fine fraction was not so expressed. The preparation of samples for the geochemical and compositional data mining should be carried out in accordance with the sedimentological characteristics of the investigated environment. It implies that the insight into geological setting and determination of sedimentological characteristics should be an obligatory part of monitoring/investigating metal contamination in freshwater sediments. For river sediments, the analysis of the fine sediment fraction or correction for sediment lithology are advisable.

Marine-Sediment Characteristics and Thickness Over The Eroded Sayung Coast, Demak, Indonesia

An over whelming erosion occurred in Sayung waters is related to sedimentary processes. That is why the deeper determination of sediment characteristics through direct survey and acoustic data retrieval is crucial. Several previous related studies had been conducted revealing the rate and model of sedimentation. This study aimed to describe the sedimentary processes according to its features and deposition. In this study, we conducted a grab-sampling, bathymetry surveys and also hydrodynamical model. Grain size analysis was employed to observe the characteristics of sediment and its deposition environment. At the same time, we applied dual-frequency bathymetry data for estimating sediment thickness which reflects the accumulation sediment over Sayung waters. We found that sediment texture varies from sand to clay, while coarse sediment fraction is dominant in the western part. Near the coastline area of Sayung waters reflecting the more potent transport mechanism in the deposition environment, proven by the less-accumulated sediment from 0-2.5 km from the coastline. In sea-ward regions, we observed the finer sediment fraction, showing that the low-transport mechanism takes place. The topographical alteration has intensively occurred at 2.5-3.2 km from the coastline. Tidal current has an essential role in inducing local transport whereby the speed varies ranging from 0-0.14 m/s, other than that, the more substantial current features have observed in Surodadi and Bedono coast moving perpendicularly toward the beach. In contrast, in the southern Sayung waters, the current profiles tend to be weak inducing higher sedimentation. Besides, the emergence of the sandbar has a role in reflecting sediment texture predomination in Sayung waters.

Dissolved oxygen gradients in hyporheic zones depend on fine sediment and associated respiration rates

&lt;p&gt;Dissolved oxygen (DO) in the hyporheic zone (HZ) is a crucial parameter for the survival of many stream organisms and is involved in a multitude of aerobic chemical reactions. However, HZ DO budgets are easily perturbed by climate change and anthropogenic processes that have caused increased deposition of fine sediments (&lt; 2 mm) in many stream beds. The fine sediment fraction hampers exchange of DO-rich stream water with the HZ. In this study we performed a raster sampling approach (0.90 cm length x 1.50 cm width; 30 cm distance between sampling points) at sediment depths of 10 and 25 cm with a focus on DO and its stable isotopes (&amp;#948;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;DO&lt;/sub&gt;). The aim was to analyze small-scale turnover patterns in a forested (site 1) and an anthropogenically influenced stream section (site 2) in a 3&lt;sup&gt;rd&lt;/sup&gt; order stream in southern Germany. Grain size analyses showed similar average fine sediment fractions at site 1 (42.5 &amp;#177;13.7 %) and site 2 (46.3 &amp;#177;10.8 %). They increased with depth at both sites (38.5 &amp;#177; 6.3 %, 0-15 cm; 46.5 &amp;#177; 17.4 %, 15-30 cm at site 1 and 40.6 &amp;#177;4.5 %, 0-15 cm; 52.0 &amp;#177;12.2 %, 15-30 cm at site 2). DO concentrations in the HZ ranged from 1.4 to 4.5 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; (2.0 &amp;#177;0.7 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;) and 1.5 to 1.8 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; (1.7 &amp;#177;0.1 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;) at site 1 and from 1.2 to 2.9 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; (1.6 &amp;#177;0.5) and 1.0 to 2.4 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt; (1.6 &amp;#177;0.4) at site 2 at 10 and 25 cm depth, respectively. The low DO concentrations in the HZ suggest high DO consumption rates and reduced exchange with stream water. This is possibly a result of increased fine sediment proportions. However, other factors such as organic carbon contents and increased respiration rates may also influence DO gradients. In contrast, the stream water had an average DO concentration of 9.8 &amp;#177;0.2 mg L&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;. Associated &amp;#948;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;DO&lt;/sub&gt; values of the open water (23.4 &amp;#177;0.1 &amp;#8240;) differed from those of sediment waters that showed averages of +22.5 &amp;#177;0.5 &amp;#8240; and +22.4 &amp;#177;0.3 &amp;#8240; at site 1 and +22.5 &amp;#177;0.4 &amp;#8240; and +22.3 &amp;#177;0.2 &amp;#8240; at site 2 at 10 and 25 cm depth, respectively. These sedimentary values indicated dominant photosynthesis, even though due to absence of light in the subsurface this process seems unlikely. Therefore, kinetically-driven processes such as diffusion, interactions with Fe or unknown DO sources within the HZ might have caused such &lt;sup&gt;16&lt;/sup&gt;O-enriched values. Our findings suggest that the analyses of DO, &amp;#948;&lt;sup&gt;18&lt;/sup&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;DO&lt;/sub&gt; and fine sediment gradients in the HZ should be combined with stable carbon isotope measurements to further our understanding of hyporheic processes relevant for stream biota.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;

Recycling and Reuse of Sediments in Agriculture: Where Is the Problem?

Though suggested by international conventions for a long time, there are still several technical and legislative limitations to a complete reuse and recycling of dredged sediments. In particular, reuse of unpolluted sediments can be practiced, whereas sediment recycling is still affected by several downsides, and a significant proportion of the recycled fine sediments has no practical use and must be landfilled. However, the silty clayey fraction of the recycled sediments is rich in organic matter and macro- and micronutrients useful for plant growth. Nevertheless, sediment recycling in agriculture is not possible, even in non-food agricultural sectors, due to the lack of a permissive legislation and of consolidated supply chains. In addition to plant nutrients, the silty-clay sediment fraction may also accumulate organic and inorganic pollutants, and while the organic pollutants can be effectively biodegraded, metals and metalloids may concentrate at concentrations higher than the limits set by the environmental and agricultural legislations. In this paper, I briefly summarize the scientific evidence on the potential reuse and recycling of sediments in agriculture, and I discuss the main reasons for hindrance of sediment recycling in agriculture. I also present evidence from a real industrial biodegradation process that produces bioremediated fine sediment fractions with suitable properties as a mineral ingredient for plant-growing media. I propose that nutrient-rich recycled sediments could be reconsidered as a component material category in the new EU regulation on fertilizers.