Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Sediments and Bivalves on the Pacific Coast of Japan: Influence of Tsunami and Fire.

Surface sediments and at least one edible bivalve species (Ruditapes philippinarum, Mytilus galloprovincialis, and Crassostrea gigas) were collected from each of seven intertidal sites in Japan in 2013. The sites had experienced varying levels of tsunami and fire disturbance following the major earthquake of 2011. Eight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were identified and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Total sediment PAH concentration (CT), the sum of the average concentrations of the eight PAHs, was 21-1447 μg kg-1-dry. Relative to the average level of one type of PAH in sediments collected around Japan in 2002 (benzo[a]pyrene = 21 μg kg-1-dry), five of the seven sites showed concentrations significantly lower than this average in 2013. The CTs for the three bivalves (134-450 μg kg-1-dry) were within the range of the previous reports (2.2-5335 μg kg-1-dry). The data suggest that the natural disaster did not increase PAH concentrations or affect the distribution within sediment or bivalves in Tohoku district. Although PAH concentrations at the sites pose no risk to human health, the findings highlight that the observed PAH levels derive from pre- rather than post-quake processes

Analyzing Citramalic Acid Enantiomers in Apples and Commercial Fruit Juice by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry with Pre-Column Derivatization

Optically active citramalic acid (CMA) is naturally present as an acidic taste component in fruits, such as apples. The absolute configuration of CMA in such fruits was investigated by high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) following pre-column derivatization with a chiral reagent, benzyl 5-(2-aminoethyl)-3-methyl-4-oxoimidazolidine-1-carboxylate. The developed LC–MS/MS method successfully separated the enantiomers of CMA using an octadecylsilica column with a resolution and separation factor of 2.19 and 1.09, respectively. Consequently, the R-form of CMA was detected in the peel and fruit of three kinds of apple at concentrations in the 1.24–37.8 and 0.138–1.033 mg/wet 100 g ranges, respectively. In addition, R- CMA was present in commercial apple juice, whereas no quantity was detected in commercial blueberry, perilla, or Japanese apricot juice

Location of sampling sites in this study.

<p>(Site 1: Lake Obuchinuma; Site 2: Tsugaruishi estuary tideland; Site 3: Orikasa estuary tideland; Site 4: Sokanzan tidal flat; Site 5: Tona coast; Site 6: Sanbanze tidal flat; Site 7: Yoro estuary tideland).</p

Details of bivalve samples collected for analysis.

<p>Details of bivalve samples collected for analysis.</p

Description of sediment sampling sites.

<p>Description of sediment sampling sites.</p

Average concentrations (μg kg^-1-dry) of PAHs in bivalves (<i>n</i> = 3).

<p>Average concentrations (μg kg^-1-dry) of PAHs in bivalves (<i>n</i> = 3).</p

Average concentrations (μg kg^-1-dry) of PAHs in sediments (<i>n</i> = 3) versus sediment quality assessment guidelines.

<p>Average concentrations (μg kg^-1-dry) of PAHs in sediments (<i>n</i> = 3) versus sediment quality assessment guidelines.</p

Determination of <span style="font-variant: small-caps">d</span>- and <span style="font-variant: small-caps">l</span>-Amino Acids in Garlic Foodstuffs by Liquid Chromatography–Tandem Mass Spectrometry

Black garlic is currently attracting interest as a health food and constituent of commercial supplements; however, no data regarding the d-amino acids within black garlic have been reported. Therefore, the amino acid compositions of methanol extracts from fresh and black garlic were compared herein. We investigated the contents of the d- and l-forms of amino acids in commercial fresh, black, and freeze-dried garlic foodstuffs by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) using a pre-column chiral derivatization reagent, succinimidyl 2-(3-((benzyloxy)carbonyl)-1-methyl-5-oxoimidazolidin-4-yl) acetate. Several d-amino acids, namely, the d-forms of Asn, Ala, Ser, Thr, Glu, Asp, Pro, Arg, Phe, Orn, Lys, and Tyr, were observed in the methanol extract of black garlic, whereas only d-Ala was detected in that of fresh garlic foodstuffs. These data suggest that several d-amino acids can be produced during fermentation for preparing black garlic

Total PAH concentrations in bivalves worldwide.

<p>Total PAH concentrations in bivalves worldwide.</p