Comparison of potato varieties between seasons and their potential for acrylamide formation

BACKGROUND: Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen produced during food preparation, including frying of potato products. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of seasonal variation on tuber composition and its acrylamide generation potential. RESULTS: The chemical composition of potato varieties used respectively for French fry (Bintje and Ramos) and crisp (Lady Rosetta and Saturna) production was studied throughout a storage period of 9 months during two growing seasons (2003 and 2004), in addition to their acrylamide generation potential during preparation of French fries. A significant impact of variable climatological conditions on the reducing sugar, dry matter, total free amino acid and free asparagine contents of tubers was observed. Exceptionally warm summers gave rise to a lower reducing sugar content (expressed on a dry matter basis) and thus a lower susceptibility to acrylamide generation during frying. CONCLUSION: It cannot be excluded that potato growers and the potato-processing industry are confronted with some harvests that are more prone to acrylamide generation than others owing to climatological variability, thus confirming the importance of a multifactorial approach to mitigate acrylamide generation in potato products.</p

L’apport de la BioRescue sur la fonction motrice du membre inférieur : l’équilibre à la marche chez les patients amputés vasculaires

L’apport de la BioRescue sur la fonction motrice du membre inférieur : l’équilibre à la marche chez les patients amputés vasculaires Objectifs : Le but de ce travail est de mettre en évidence l’apport de l’utilisation de la Biorescue sur la fonction motrice du membre inférieur : l’équilibre à la marche chez les patients amputés vasculaires en complément d’une rééducation classique. Méthodes : Avec un total de 12 patients intégrés dans l’étude, 6 d’entre eux ont rempli l’ensemble des critères pour finaliser le protocole. Il s’agit de 6 adultes amputés vasculaire unilatéraux du membre inférieur. Notre programme vise à évaluer l’intérêt des bilans et des exercices proposés par la Biorescue dans la rééducation des amputés vasculaires. Evaluation des performances fonctionnelles à l’aide de la Biorescue : empreintes podales, limites de stabilité et d’outils classique validés : TUGT, 2MWT, 10mWT, ABC scale, SF36, score de Houghton, LCI. Résultats : Nous avons montré une augmentation du score EPD (p-valeur = 0,026), une symétrisation des appuis (p-valeur < 0,001), une amélioration des 2MWT (p-valeur = 0,008), TUGT (p-valeur = 0,003) et 10mWT (p-valeur = 0,002) se traduisant par une meilleure qualité de marche. En parallèle, nous avons une amélioration de la qualité de vie (p-valeur = 0,035 et 0,031) et de la confiance en son équilibre (p-valeur = 0,001). Les sujets utilisent plus leur prothèse durant les activités (p-valeur < 0,001) et réalisent plus de tâches (p-valeur = 0,001) Conclusion : Nos résultats confirment la complémentarité de la Biorescue avec un programme de rééducation classique dans la prise en charge des patients amputés d’un membre inférieur dont l’objectif final est un retour à une marche fonctionnelle. Cependant nous n’avons pas pu isoler l’effet propre de la Biorescue sur l’évolution de l’équilibre. La Biorescue devient un outil intéressant par son coté ludique, sa diversité et sa facilité d’utilisationMaster [60] en kinésithérapie et réadaptation, Université catholique de Louvain, 201

Validation of a method for the detection and confirmation of nitroimidazoles and the corresponding hydroxy metabolites in pig plasma by high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

&lt;p&gt;Nitroimidazoles (Ronidazole, Dimetridazole, Metronidazole, Ipronidazole) and their hydroxy metabolites are banned substances with antibiotic and anticoccidial activity. They are suspected to be carcinogenic and mutagenic. Since nitroimidazoles showed an inhomogeneous distribution and a rapid degradation in incurred muscle samples, plasma is the preferred target matrix for residue analysis. The analytical method of Polzer et al. [J. Polzer, C. Stachel, P. Gowik, Anal. Chim. Acta 521 (2004) 189] was adapted for liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry detection and was validated in house according to the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. The method is specific for all nitroimidazole except for Ipronidazole and its metabolite, due to interferences at their retention times in chromatograms of blank plasma and reagents samples. The absence of a matrix effect enables the use of a (linear) calibration curve in solution for quantitation. The apparent recovery (obtained after correction with a deuterated internal standard) is between 93% and 123%, except for the metabolite of Metronidazole (58-63%). The repeatability (CVr=2.49-13.39%) and intralaboratory reproducibility (CVRW=2.49-16.38%) satisfy the Horwitz equation. The obtained values for the detection capacity (CCbeta) range from 0.25 to 1 microg L(-1), while values obtained for the decision limit (CCalpha) are below CCbeta.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Interlaboratory study based on a one-plate screening method for the detection of antibiotic residues in bovine kidney tissue

A microbiological test based on one-plate, seeded with Bacillus subtilis BGA, is frequently used in Belgium as a screening method to monitor antibiotic residues in kidney tissue of slaughter animals. The procedure as described in the National Legislation recommends test agar pH 7.2 from Merck. Since this type of agar is no more commercially available, two kinds of agar medium are proposed on the market: niertest agar from Biotrading and Standard II nutrient agar from Merck. Niertest agar, which is actually used by a few laboratories, is a ready-to-use medium manufactured from test agar pH 7.2 from Merck. Its composition is identical to those of test agar pH 7.2. Standard II nutrient agar is the second alternative culture medium which is used by a higher number of laboratories. The equivalence of the standard II nutrient agar medium to both identical culture media (test agar pH 7.2 and niertest agar) was evaluated during a national collaborative trial. Results of this study as well as the experimental procedure are presented</p

A downscaled multi-residue strategy for detection of anabolic steroids in bovine urine using gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS3)

&lt;p&gt;Within the scope of the European Community member states&#039; residue monitoring plan, illicit administration of anabolic steroids is monitored at slaughterhouse level as well as on living animals. At farm level, urine is one of the target matrices to detect possible abuse of anabolic steroid growth promoters. Optimisation of the routinely applied analysis method resulted in a procedure for which high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) fractionation prior to GC-MS(n) analysis was no longer required. Analytical results could be obtained within 1 day and only 5 mL urine was needed to carry out the screening procedure. Using the downscaled methodology, all validation criteria described in the European Commission document 2002/657/EC could be fulfilled, and the minimum required performance limits (MRPLs) established for anabolic steroids in urine, could be achieved. A higher GC-MS technique&#039;s specificity was achieved by detecting the steroids using GC-MS3. Nevertheless, it was decided to screen routinely sampled urine with GC-MS2 whereas GC-MS3 was applied to confirm the presence of anabolic steroid residues in suspected sample extracts.&lt;/p&gt;</p

Stellen de voedingsstoffen en hun verpakkingen een probleem voor de volksgezondheid? Welke analytische aanpak kunnen we best gebruiken.

not available</p

Development of a fast analytical method for the determination of sudan dyes in chili- and curry-containing foodstuffs by high-performance liquid chromatography-photodiode array detection

A simple and fast analytical method for the determination of sudans I, II, III, and IV in chili- and curry-containing foodstuffs is described. These dyes are extracted from the samples with acetonitrile and analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to a photodiode array detector. The chromatographic separation is carried out on a reverse phase C18 column with an isocratic mode using a mixture of acetonitrile and water. An &quot;in-house&quot; validation was achieved in chili- and curry-based sauces and powdered spices. Depending on the dye, limits of detection range from 0.2 to 0.5 mg/kg in sauces and from 1.5 to 2 mg/kg in spices. Limits of quantification are between 0.4 and 1 mg/kg in sauces and between 3 and 4 mg/kg in spices. Validation data show a good repeatability and within-lab reproducibility with relative standard deviations &lt; 15%. The overall recoveries are in the range of 51-86% in sauces and in the range of 89-100% in powdered spices depending on the dye involved. Calibration curves are linear in the 0-5 mg/kg range for sauces and in the 0-20 mg/kg range for spices. The proposed method is specific and selective, allowing the analysis of over 20 samples per working day.</p