LEVELS OF LEAD AND CADMIUM ON WHEAT FLOURS ON THE ROMANIAN MARKET: AN ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROMETRY ANALYSIS

Cereal industry and its derived products, especially wheat flour, have a big economic and social importance in Romania and worldwide. Therefore, as wheat flour is the main ingredient for obtaining bread, the most consumed product among Romanian people, its safety is of real wide interest.The present work aims to determine the concentrations of Lead and Cadmium in 33 different wheat flour samples, available on the Romanian market. Analysis was performed by atomic absorption spectrometry with graphite furnace (GF-AAS), after dry digestion. Lead content ranged between 0.002 and 0.137 mg/kg while cadmium content ranged between 0.0002 and 0.024 mg/kg. All samples were within the accepted limits, imposed by the legislation in force

Toxicity of Heavy Metals

Heavy metals are elements who exist naturally in the environment, but rapid urbanization and industrialization led to increased levels of these metals. These metals can reach the human body through food, water or air, where they have the property to accumulate in various tissues and organs for long periods of time and to produce serious effects on certain organs and the proper functioning of the body. Studies have also shown that heavy metals can have important effects, including on plants or animals. Their toxicity is dependent on factors such as dose, route of exposure, time of exposure, level of concentration, as well as age, gender, genetics, and nutritional status of exposed individuals. There is a growing interest from researchers to detect various physical, physical-chemical or microbiological methods to reduce or eliminate the presence of these metals, especially from surface or wastewater, which are mainly responsible for food contamination. This chapter present the main characteristics of heavy metals, the sources of contamination of exposure, as well as their toxicity on some environmental segments and especially on living organisms

The Experimental Development of Bread with Enriched Nutritional Properties Using Organic Sea Buckthorn Pomace

In this study, sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) pomace resulting from juice extraction was dried and ground in order to obtain a powder that was further used in bread making. Sea buckthorn pomace, an invaluable by-product of the industry, contains bioactive compounds and dietary fibers that promote health. Dried by-products of sea buckthorn are rich sources of nutritional and bioactive compounds, offering great potential for use as nutraceuticals in animal feed, ingredients in functional food, and the pharmaceutical industry. The utilization of sea buckthorn by-products promotes a circular and sustainable economy by implementing innovative methods and strategic approaches to recover high-value products and minimize waste in multiple ways. For this purpose, three organic sea buckthorn varieties were used, namely Mara (M), Clara (C), and Sorana (S). Further, 6%, 8%, and 10% pomace powder were added to wheat flour to prepare functional bread, and its effects on structural, nutritional, and sensorial characteristics were investigated. The volume, porosity, and elasticity of the obtained bread samples were slightly lower compared to the control sample (white bread). The nutritional characteristics revealed that the developed bread presented higher antioxidant activity, polyphenolic content, and crude fiber compared to the control sample. The acceptability test showed that consumer preferences were directed toward the bread samples containing 8% sea buckthorn powder, regardless of the variety, while the addition of 10% pomace powder led to major sensorial changes. The results of this study showed that sea buckthorn pomace powder can be successfully incorporated into bread in order to obtain a food product with enhanced properties

Chemical contaminants migration from food contact materials into aqueous extracts

Cardboard packaging is widely used in the food industry, especially as secondary or tertiary packaging, or as transport packaging. In most cases, these packs may contain certain chemical contaminants that can be accidentally transferred to packaged foods. These contaminants include Bisphenol A (BPA) and Formaldehyde, which can cause significant adverse effects, especially to vulnerable persons. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to analyze by a UV - VIS spectrophotometric method the content of BPA and Formaldehyde from 17 corrugated board samples from Romanian producers. BPA concentrations varied between 0.044 mg/dm2 and 0.090 mg/dm2, while Formaldehyde concentrations were lower than 0.048 mg/dm2. The results were compared with the legislation in force to establish their compliance for contact with food

Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements and Associated Health Risk in Bottled Drinking Water for Babies

Potentially toxic elements are chemical pollutants which are dangerous to human health, especially for babies and children. Because their presence has been detected in baby food and baby drinking water, exposure to these elements is mainly due to ingestion. For this reason, the main objective of this study was quantification of 12 potentially toxic elements, including Ba, Co, Cu, Zn, Mn, Ni, Li, Fe, Pb, Cd, Cr, Sb, by ICP–MS, from 19 samples of bottled baby water. Based on the levels obtained, a health risk assessment was performed of the risk caused by their consumption, as well as an analysis of the quality of the samples. Excep iron, the values obtained for all other metals were below the limits imposed by the legislation in force. The risk analysis shows that Hazard index values were included in Risk Class 1, with a very low hazard level. The order of Cancer Risk values is as follows, Cd < Cr < Ni < Pb. As a general conclusion, we can say that the samples can be intended for consumption by children and infants

Cereal supply chain waste in the context of circular economy

Taking into consideration the circular economy context, from cereal production and processing result by-products and residues which can be transformed into the new raw materials. Straw, husks, brans, flours, bread waste, confectionary waste, so on, can be re-used using different processes such as: extraction, fermentation, microorganism cultivation, for obtaining added value products. These new products obtained can be: biofuels, enzymes, biodegradable material food contact, single cell protein, bio-adsorbent, nanoparticles, bio alcohol, bioactive compounds like fibres, phytochemicals, minerals, so on. This paper is a short review regarding sharing knowledge and good practices in implementing circular economy within food systems, specifically, cereal supply chain

Risk Assessment of Lead and Cadmium in Some Food Supplements Available on the Romanian Market

Across the world, there has been an increase in the consumption of food supplements. This may be due to the perception that these dietary supplements cannot negatively affect the health of consumers in any way. However, dietary supplements may not have the expected effect. In addition, it has been shown that supplements can sometimes be chemically, physically or microbiologically contaminated, if the hygiene conditions and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) plan are not fully complied with. The aim of this study was to determine the lead and cadmium content of 41 food supplements available on the Romanian market and to assess the risk to consumer health. The graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) technique was used for sample analysis after wet mineralization of the samples. The risk assessment was determined based on Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), Target Hazard Quotient (THQ), and Carcinogenic Risk (CR) calculations. Values obtained for both lead and cadmium fall within the limits imposed by the legislation in force. Small risks associated with the consumption of these food supplements was shown, with a main recommendation being to decrease the recommended daily dose in the case of food supplements

Occurrence of Potentially Toxic Elements in Bottled Drinking Water—Carcinogenic and Non-Carcinogenic Risks Assessment in Adults via Ingestion

The presence of potentially toxic elements in drinking water can be dangerous for human health because of their bioaccumulation and toxicity, which is a huge concern for many researchers. In the case of bottled water, the exposure to toxic elements is achieved, especially by ingestion, leading to disorders of important functions of the human body. The aim of this study was the detection of some potentially toxic elements, from 50 samples of bottled drinking water, available on the Romanian market. Based on obtained concentrations, an assessment of the carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk was performed. The concentrations of potentially toxic elements analyzed were below the maximum allowable limits, for all contaminants, excluding Pb and Fe. Moreover, the results of total risk via ingestion, showed that 30% of samples had an Hazard Quotient (HQ) < 1, and 70% had an HQ > 1; which implies a potential risk following the consumption of those samples. Concerning total cancer risk, 28% of the samples are in the acceptable level, while 72% of the samples are considered harmful and can lead to a type of cancer after repeated exposure. The study concluded that long term use of bottled water of poor quality may pose a hazard to human health; it is helpful for inhabitants to avoid ingestion of contaminated water

Preliminary Study on Light-Activated Antimicrobial Agents as Photocatalytic Method for Protection of Surfaces with Increased Risk of Infections

Preventing and controlling the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria implicated in healthcare-associated infections is the greatest challenge of the health systems. In recent decades, research has shown the need for passive antibacterial protection of surfaces in order to reduce the microbial load and microbial biofilm development, frequently associated with transmission of infections. The aim of the present study is to analyze the efficiency of photocatalytic antimicrobial protection methods of surfaces using the new photocatalytic paint activated by light in the visible spectrum. The new composition is characterized by a wide range of analytical methods, such as UV-VIS spectroscopy, electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD) or X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The photocatalytic activity in the UV-A was compared with the one in the visible light spectrum using an internal method developed on the basis of DIN 52980: 2008-10 standard and ISO 10678—2010 standard. Migration of metal ions in the composition was tested based on SR EN1186-3: 2003 standard. The new photocatalytic antimicrobial method uses a type of photocatalytic paint that is active in the visible spectral range and generates reactive oxygen species with inhibitory effect against all tested microbial strains