1,721,066 research outputs found

    Genotoxicity of aqueous extract from heated cooking oils and its suppression by lactobacilli

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    In the present study the mutagenic and genotoxic effects of aqueous extracts from six cooking oils (extra vergine olive, peanut, sunflower, soybean, corn, and various seeds oils) heated to the respective smoke point were investigated. The Ames test and the SOS Chromotest were carried out for this evaluation. The same oils were also tested after their re-frying, simulating domestic reuse process. Furthermore, the ability of different lactobacilli to reduce the potential genotoxic activity of the fried and re-fried oils was determined applying SOS Chromotest after co-incubation of samples with lactobacilli. The results showed that all the fried oils did not produce mutagenic effects while they induced a SOS response with the highest induction factor for the corn oil. Double heat-treatment caused an increase of the genotoxic activity until two times the first heating. The most susceptible oil to the re-frying procedure was the sunflower oil. The antigenotoxicity results were expressed as percent of genotoxicity inhibition. All the tested strains of lactobacilli exhibited antigenotoxic properties on the fried oils. © 2009 SAGE Publications

    Quality evaluation multiapproach of sediments in water bodies in Southern Italy

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    This study reports the toxicity of sediments from rivers and canals collected at two six-month intervals from 19 sampling points of the province of Naples in Southern Italy. The toxicity of the pore-water from sediments was determined with a battery composed of different freshwater microbiotests. The toxicity varied substantially from station to station, but none of the Toxkit tests was either the most or the least sensitive for all stations. Chemical analyses were accomplished on some heavy metals. Furthermore, the in situ biological communities of macroinvertebrates were assessed. Most of tested sediments were found to be very toxic for several if not all the microbiotests as well as the biological communities (EBI). Comparison between toxicological data and heavy metals revealed a positive correlation for zinc and copper. This study confirms that only an integrated approach is suitable for the evaluation of contaminated sediments and that single parameters are not always able to define a situation of environmental deterioration

    Occurrence of Salmonella and Listeria spp. on retail poultry products in South Italy and comparison of conventional and rapid methods for their detection

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    Salmonella and Listeria spp. are frequently detected in poultry meats. Conventional isolation and identification methods to detect these microrganisms in food are laborious and time-consuming. In the present study the occurrence of Salmonellae and Listeriae on 362 samples of retail poultry in Caserta, South Italy was evaluated and standard microbiological and rapid methods were compared. Furthermore, the samples were collected and analyzed twice a week, on Monday and Friday to establish their possible variability from storage. Both methods showed a strong contamination of samples by Listeria spp. (about 50% for both methods) with 12% Listeria monocytogenes while the contamination of Salmonella was poorer (14-15%). The two procedures showed a good agreement for the detection of Listeriae while the sensitivity of the Rapid test for Salmonellae was poorer (75%). Data about sampling on Monday and Friday highlighted a significant increase in Listeria spp. at the end of the week

    A multispecies study to assess the toxic and genotoxic effect of pharmaceuticals: Furosemide and its photoproduct

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    Pharmaceutical products for humans and animals, as well as their related metabolites end up in the aquatic environment after use. Recent investigations show that concentrations of pharmaceuticals are detectable in the order of ng/l-μg/l in municipal wastewater, groundwater and also drinking water. Little is known about the effects, and the hazard of long-term exposure to low concentrations of pharmaceuticals for non-target aquatic organisms. This study was designed to assess the ecotoxicity of furosemide, a potent diuretic agent, and its photoproduct in the aquatic environment. Bioassays were performed on bacteria, algae, rotifers and microcrustaceans to assess acute and chronic toxicity, while the SOS Chromotest and the Ames test were utilized to detect the genotoxic potential of the investigated compounds. A first approach to risk characterization was to calculate the environmental impact of furosemide by measured environmental concentration and predicted no effect concentration ratio (MEC/PNEC). To do so we used occurrence data reported in the literature and our toxicity results. The results showed that acute toxicity was in the order of mg/l for the crustaceans and absent for bacteria and rotifers. Chronic exposure to these compounds caused inhibition of growth population on the consumers, while the algae did not seem to be affected. A mutagenic potential was found for the photoproduct compared to the parental compound suggesting that byproducts ought to be considered in the environmental assessment of drugs. The risk calculated for furosemide suggested its harmlessness on the aquatic compartment. © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

    Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE) of leachates from landfills

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    The toxicity of leachates from two municipal solid waste landfills (Caserta, Southern Italy) was characterized using Toxicity Identification Evaluation (TIE). All the samples exhibited acute toxicity towards the freshwater cladoceran crustacean Daphnia magna, the test organism recommended by Italian regulations. Results show that toxicity is especially due to cations chelated by EDTA, basic chemicals and apolar compounds retained by solid phase extraction as well as total suspended solids
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