Irradiation detection of herbal ingredients used in plant food supplements by Electron Spin Resonance on samples pre-treated with alcoholic extraction

This study aimed to verify the applicability of the EN 1787 method for the detection of irradiation in herbal ingredients used in Plant Food Supplements (PFSs). In matrices such as herbs and spices the main limit of the method is the presence of intrinsic radicals responsible for spurious signals leading to complex ESR spectra. To overcome this limit, before ESR measurement a treatment with alcohol has been proposed (Delincée and Soika, 2002; Ahn et al., 2012, 2014). As reported in the literature, this treatment is expected to reduce/eliminate the confounding signals so that the samples may be correctly classified. In this study the efficacy of the pre-treatment was tested on raw herbal ingredients largely used for PFSs, namely Camellia sinensis, Cinnamomum verum, Curcuma longa, Ginkgo biloba, Silybum marianum, Vaccinium myrtillus and Zingiber officinale. Non-irradiated and irradiated (5, 10 kGy) samples were analysed before and after pre-treatment. The results showed a general decrement of signal intensity. In some cases, this was associated with the elimination of some spurious signals, which, however, did not always ensue in an easier interpretation of the ESR spectra. Only for two matrices (Camellia sinensis and Vaccinium myrtillus) was alcoholic extraction crucial for the correct classification of the samples

An inter-laboratory comparison to evaluate the suitability of EN 1787 standard to detect irradiation in plant-origin foods with health benefits

This paper reports the results of a study carried out to verify the applicability of the EN 1787 method, which uses the Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) technique for the identification of irradiated plant-origin foods with health benefits. The method was tested on samples of herbal ingredients of Plant Food Supplements (PFSs), nuts and fresh blueberries. Untreated and irradiated samples of Camellia sinensis (leaves) Ginkgo biloba (leaves), Glycine max (seeds), Silybum marianum (fruits), Vaccinium myrtillus (fruits), almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, pistachios, walnuts and fresh blueberries were analysed. The work includes an inter-laboratory blind test involving five Italian laboratories that perform routine analyses for the official control of irradiated food. A total of 180 untreated and irradiated samples of PFS ingredients, nuts and fresh blueberries were analysed. The analyses on the irradiated samples were replicated even a long time after irradiation (up to two years depending on the matrix) to test the reliability of the method throughout the shelf life of the products. The results were matrix-dependent: all the 5 kGy irradiated nuts and the 1 kGy-irradiated blueberries were correctly classified, whereas herbal ingredients showed complex ESR spectra with spurious signals which often prevented the correct classification of the sample

Free amino acid content in standard infant formulas: comparison with human milk

To compare the concentration of non-protein nitrogen (NPN) and free amino acids (FAA) in powdered and liquid commercial formulas with that in human milk

Free glutamine and glutamic acid increase in human milk through a three-month lactation period

Previous short observational studies on the free amino acid (FAA) content of human milk have shown that glutamine and glutamic acid increase in the first 4 to 6 weeks of life

Il trattamento degli alimenti con radiazioni ionizzanti

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche - Biblioteca Centrale - P.le Aldo Moro, 7 , Rome / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal

Thermoluminescence analysis of irradiated oyster shells

This paper reports the thermoluminescence (TL) analysis performed on the oyster shells powder. TL response of 60Co gamma-rays irradiated samples were studied in the range from 80Gy to 8kGy doses. TL signal of irradiated shell powder was higher as compared to the unirradiated control samples, which allowed to identify the irradiated oysters. Results show that the oyster shells have good TL properties and can be useful for the identification of irradiated seafood as well as for the evaluation of the treatment dose.Fil: Cruz Zaragoza, Epifanio. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Marcazzo, Salvador Julian. Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas. Instituto de Fisica Arroyo Seco; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Della Monaca, S.. Istituto Superiore di Sanità; ItaliaFil: Boniglia, C.. Istituto Superiore di Sanità; ItaliaFil: Gargiulo, Rosa Pascuala. Istituto Superiore di Sanità; ItaliaFil: Bortolin, E.. Istituto Superiore di Sanità; Itali

Protocols for Developing and Testing Methods Applied to the Quality Control of Botanicals

Both the application of official/published methods and the development of a novel analytical protocol need specific guidelines for their validation. Methods developed for quality controls of botanicals could be classified as: (1) phytochemical assays, and DNA-based identification; (2) methods for the identification and quantification of specific compounds. The validation of the methods for phytochemical and DNA-based identification requires the following parameters: ruggedness, specificity and limit of detection (LOD). In relation to development and testing of methods for detection of specific compounds: beneficial and toxic substances, contaminants, residues and biomarkers, this chapter presents guidelines based on good analytical practices, to assist analyst in obtaining data of requested quality and to aid in the evaluation of the quality of obtained data. This chapter will be organized in the following three parts: (1) evaluation of the problem and characterization of analytical requirements; (2) development of methods; and (3) validation of methods. The parameters that have to be evaluated for in-house validation will be different depending on the type of method (qualitative or quantitative, compounds in high concentration or traces)

Metodiche analitiche consigliate per i prodotti destinati all'infanzia: latti adattati e pappe per il divezzamento

SIGLEITItal