1,721,058 research outputs found
Preliminary data on glyphosate, glufosinate, and metabolite contamination in Italian honey samples
Full text linkGlyphosate and glufosinate are among the most widely used pesticides in agriculture worldwide. Their extensive use leads to the presence of their residues on crops and in the surrounding environment. Beehives, bees, and apiculture products can represent potential sources for the accumulation of these substances and their metabolites, and the consequences for bee health, as well as the level of risk to human health from consuming contaminated food, are still unclear. Furthermore, information on the contamination levels of honey and other beehive products by these compounds remains poorly documented. This study is part of a broader research effort aimed at developing specific analytical methods for monitoring the level of these contaminants in bee products. The methodology employed enabled the acquisition of preliminary information concerning the levels of glyphosate and glufosinate contamination in honey samples obtained from various retailers in Italy to assess compliance with the limits established by Regulation 293/2013. The liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the 30 honey samples revealed quantifiable levels of glyphosate in eight samples, with contamination ranging from 5.4 to 138.5 ng/g. Notably, one sample of the wildflower type showed residue levels nearly three times the maximum residue limit. Additionally, trace levels of glyphosate contamination were detected in another ten samples. It is noteworthy that glufosinate and its metabolites were not detected in any of the analyzed samples within the established method's detection ranges
Glyphosate and Glufosinate Residues in Honey and Other Hive Products
Full text linkHive products have numerous beneficial properties; however, the hive’s health is affected by the surrounding environment. The widespread use of herbicides in agriculture, such as glyphosate and glufosinate, has raised alarm among consumers, beekeepers, and environmentalists due to their potential to harm bees and humans through the consumption of bee products. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the presence of glyphosate, glufosinate, and their metabolites in hive products, collecting and comparing available data from peer-reviewed research and surveys conducted across several countries. Moreover, it analyzes and discusses the potential impacts of these substances on human and bee health, analytical aspects, and recent regulatory developments. The data has revealed that these substances can be present in the different matrices tested, but the concentrations found are usually lower than the maximum residue limits set. However, the use of different methodologies with non-uniform analytical performances, together with an incomplete search for regulated analytes, leads to heterogeneity and makes comparisons challenging. In addition to the completion of studies on the toxicology of herbicide active ingredients, further monitoring actions are necessary, harmonizing analytical methodologies and data management procedures
Analysis of Cobalamin (Vit B12) in Ripened Cheese by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Mass Spectrometry
Full text linkThe analysis of natural cobalamins in dairy products still represents an analytical challenge. The matrix’s complexity, low concentration level, light sensitivity, and binding to proteins are just some of the aspects that make their quantification a difficult goal to achieve. Vitamin B12 plays a fundamental role in human nutrition, and its intake is closely linked to a diet that includes the consumption of food of animal origin. In the current literature, few studies have been carried out on the quantitation of cobalamin in ripened cheeses. A sensitive, selective, and robust ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed, validated, and applied on ripened cheeses from different species (cow, sheep, and goat) purchased from local Italian markets, highlighting species-dependent differences in vitamin B12 concentrations. The vitamin B12 extraction procedure was performed by converting all cobalamins to the cyanocobalamin form. Furthermore, solid-phase extraction was used for matrix clean-up and analyte preconcentration. The proposed method showed good performance in terms of linearity, sensitivity, reproducibility, and repeatability. The mean vitamin B12 content ranged from <LOQ to 38.9 ng/g. Sheep cheese showed the highest concentrations of vitamin B12, with a mean content of 29.0 ng/g
Comparison between two immunoenzimatic tests for determination of aflatoxin M1 concentration in milk
No full textLa contaminazione da aflatossine nel mais e nel latte è stato un problema emergente nell’autunno del 2003 in Italia. Per la valutazione delle contaminazioni da AFM1 nel latte possono essere utilizzate metodiche di screening (ELISA) e di conferma (HPLC). Nel lavoro sono state messe a confronto le performances di due differenti kit ELISA in campioni artificialmente contaminati a concentrazioni di AFM1 da 10 ppt a 80 ppt. I risultati evidenziano una notevole discrepanza tra i due test utilizzati, sia in termini di linearità della risposta che in termini di accuratezza e precisione
Vitamin B12 determination in milk, whey and different by-products of ricotta cheese production by ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry
Full text linkVitamin B12 (cobalamin) is a metal complex composed of a central cobalt ion bonded to six ligands. It is essential for major biological functions such as protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism, the maintenance of the central nervous system, and the formation of red blood cells. Since mammals cannot synthesize cobalamin, dietary intake represents the only natural source for humans. Dairy products can provide significant levels of cobalamin; moreover, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) panel has set the recommended intake at 4 μg/day for adults. Vitamin B12 content was determined in milk and several matrices related to the process of transformation of the residual whey from Parmigiano Reggiano cheese-making to obtain ricotta cheese. In addition, vitamin B12 degradation during ricotta cheese shelf-life was studied. The analyses were performed using an ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method. Results show that vitamin B12 amount in ricotta from dairy and experimental cheese-making brings respectively 1/8 to 1/4 of the adequate intake in adults established by EFSA. In addition, shelf-life experiment shows that cobalamine is fairly rapidly degraded in ricotta: light effect seems to be significant, even if the light exposure is short. The use of photoprotective packaging material increases B12 shelf-life in the early stage of storage
Bisphenol A in edible part of seafood
Full text linkBisphenol A (BPA) is a man-made compound, mainly used as a monomer to produce polycarbonate (PC), epoxy resins, non-polymer additives to other plastics, which have many food related applications, such as food storage containers, tableware and internal coating of cans, as well as non-food applications such as electronic equipment, construction materials and medical devices. BPA exposure can occur when the residual monomer migrates into packaged food and beverages. Moreover, due to the ubiquitous presence of this compound, the general population can be exposed to environmental sources such as water, air and soil. Many studies have investigated the potential health hazards associated with BPA, which can elicit toxic and cancerogenic effects on humans. According to the European Food Safety Authority opinion, diet is considered to be the main source of exposure, especially canned food; moreover, among non-canned food, meat and fish products have the highest levels of BPA contamination. This review focuses on BPA contamination in seafood, analysing worldwide literature (from January 2010 to October 2015) on BPA contamination of edible parts. The authors try to identify differences between canned and non-canned seafood in literature, and gaps in the state of art. The data evaluated underline that all concentrations for both canned and non-canned seafood were below the specific migration limit set by the European Community Directive for BPA in food. Moreover, the canned seafood is more contaminated than the non-canned one
A single LC‐MS/MS validated method for tulathromycin quantification in plasma, seminal plasma, and urine to be applied in a pharmacokinetic study in bull
Full text linkTulathromycin is a macrolide antibiotic generally used for the treatment of respiratory diseases in cattle and swine. This work proposes an improvement of a previously published LC‐MS/MS method for tulathromycin determination in pig serum, here validated in three different bull matrices: plasma, seminal plasma, and urine. The approach is based on a quick protein precipitation with acetonitrile, filtration, and sample dilution before injection, allowing to rapidly process large batches of samples. Analytes separation was obtained using a BEH C18 (50 × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) column, maintained at 40°C with a chromatographic run of 5 min. The method was fully validated over concentration ranges suitable for field levels of tulathromycin found in each matrix (0.01–1 μg/ml for plasma, 0.05–5 μg/ml for seminal plasma, and 0.1–10 μg/ml for urine), showing good linearity during each day of testing (R (2) always >0.99). Accuracy and precision were within ±15% at all QC concentrations in all the three matrices. Furthermore, the use of tulathromycine‐d7 as internal standard mitigated the potential impacts of matrix effect. The validated technique was successfully applied to samples collected during a pharmacokinetic study in bulls, allowing to monitor tulathromycin concentrations over time in the three matrices. To our knowledge, this is the first validated approach for LC‐MS/MS quantification of tulathromycin in seminal plasma and urine
Determinazione di fumonisina B1 in latte mediante LC-MS/MS
No full textThe aim of the present work was to develop a sensitive and selective method for identification and quantification of fumonisin B1 (FB1) in milk. FB1 was isolated from milk, by a single step immunoaffinity column and was detected using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry in positive electrospray ionization (ESI+). The analysis were carried out in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode using the two main product ions.
The good performances of the proposed method can assure a correct fumonisin detection in milk even at relatively low concentrations
Perfluoroalkyl contaminants in eggs from backyard chickens reared in Italy
Full text linkPer- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent and bioaccumulative compounds with adverse impacts on the environment and human health. Diet is one of the main sources of exposure to PFASs. Recently, the EFSA established a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) limit (4.4ng/kg b.w.) for a mixture of the four major PFASs. Eggs and egg products can contribute to this intake, with their contamination possibly dependent on the husbandry system. Monitoring Italian eggs from backyard chickens revealed a relatively uniform PFAS contamination, with perfluoro-1-octanesulfonate being the most abundant. Contamination was detected to be significantly higher in eggs from backyard chickens than in eggs from commercial laying hens, consistent with a previous Italian study. According to the recently set TWI value, the consumption of eggs from backyard chickens could contribute significantly to dietary intake of PFASs (up to 29% of the TWI in children, considering the lower bound approach)
An LC-MS/MS method for the determination of budesonide and 16α-hydroxyprednisolone in dog plasma
Full text linkAlthough budesonide is frequently used in veterinary medicine for the treatment of canine respiratory and bowel inflammatory diseases, knowledge is lacking regarding its kinetics in this species. We developed and validated a liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method for the determination of budesonide and its metabolite 16a-hydroxyprednisolone in dog plasma. The analytes were extracted by solid phase extraction and analysis was performed by high performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry, with positive electrospray ionization.
This method allows budesonide and one of its main metabolites to be simultaneously quantified in dog plasma at fairly low concentrations.
The proposed protocol is very easy and fast to execute, without compromising analytical performances. A small amount (0.5mL) of plasma is required, making this approach suitable for pharmacokinetic studies also in small sized dogs
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