Heavy metals investigation in bovine tissues in Brazil

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of arsenic, lead, and cadmium residues in samples of liver, kidney, and muscle of cattle during the years of 2002 to 2008. A total of 1017 samples from 20 Brazilian States were used. The samples were analyzed at the National Agricultural Laboratory using the atomic absorption spectrometry technique. Arsenic residues were detected in 15.7% of liver samples and 28.7% of kidney samples although no results have exceeded the MRL. With regard to lead, 16 samples of liver and 74 samples of kidney were contaminated (5.2 and 10.9%, respectively). Among these samples, only one liver and two of kidney samples had lead levels above the MRL. Cadmium was found with levels below the MRL in 12.5% of the liver samples, and only 3 samples (1%) were quantified above the MRL. Among the kidney samples, 420 (60.8% of the total tested) had cadmium residues, and five of them exceeded the limits established by legislation. It is concluded that the Brazilian meat meets the legislation requirements without putting consumer's healthy at risk since as it satisfies the national and international food-safety conditions

Attack intensity of Scrobipalpula absoluta (Meyrick, 1917) (Lepidoptera: gelechiidae) at the canopy of three tomato species

Avaliou-se a intensidade de ataque de lagartas de traça-do-tomateiro (Scrobipalpula absoluta Meyrick, 1917) ao terço apical, médio e basal de folhas pertencentes ao dossel de Lycopersicon esculentum, Lycopersicon hirsutum e Lycopersicon peruvianum em casa de vegetação na Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG. Usou-se o delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com seis repetições e cinco plantas úteis por parcela. L. peruvianum foi o genótipo menos atacado por S. absoluta. No terço basal das plantas, L. hirsutum foi o genótipo que apresentou maior número de minas pequenas e médias. As plantas de L. esculentum apresentaram maior número de minas pequenas que L. peruvianum e L. hirsutum. A parte do dossel das plantas menos atacada pela praga foi o terço apical.Attack intensity of tomato leaf miners (Scrobipalpula absoluta Meyrick, 1917), at the inferior, medium and superior part of three tomato species was evaluated. This test was carried out with Lycopersicon esculentum, Lycopersicon hirsutum and Lycopersicon peruvianum in green houses at the Federal University of Viçosa, in Viçosa, MG, Brazil, in randomnized blocks with six replications and five plants in each parcel. L. peruvianum was least attacked by S. absoluta. L. hirsutum showed more small leaf mines at the inferior part of the plant. At the medium part of the plant L. esculentum showed more small leaf mines than L. peruvianum and L. hirsutum. The smallest number of leaf mines was found at the superior part of the plants