Characterization and dermal bioaccessibility of residual- and listed PFAS ingredients in cosmetic products

As a large group of chemicals with diverse properties, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have found extensive application throughout consumer products, including cosmetics. Little is known about the importance of dermal uptake as a human exposure pathway for PFAS. Here we investigate a suite of listed-ingredient and residual PFAS in cosmetic products, along with their dermal bioaccessibility using in vitro incubations with artificial sweat. Concentrations of volatile listed ingredients (including cyclic perfluorinated alkanes, perfluorinated ethers, and polyfluorinated silanes) in three products ranged from 876-1323 μg g -1, while polar listed ingredients ( i.e., polyfluoroalkyl phosphate esters [PAPs]) in a single product occurred at up to 2427 μg g -1 (6 : 2/6 : 2 diPAP)). Residual perfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids (PFCAs) were also measured at concentrations ranging from 0.02-29 μg g -1. When listed ingredients were included, our targeted analysis accounted for up to 103% of the total fluorine, while highlighting ambiguous and/or incorrect International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredient (INCI) names used in several products. Bioaccessibility experiments revealed that residual PFCAs readily partitioned to artificial sweat (bioaccessible fractions ranging from 43-76% for detectable substances) while listed ingredients ( i.e., PAPs and neutral/volatile PFAS) displayed negligible partitioning. This work provides new insight into the occurrence of PFAS in cosmetic products, while furthering our understanding on their mechanisms of dermal uptake. </p

Concurrent elevation of CO₂, O₃ and temperature severely affects oil quality and quantity in rapeseed

Plant oil is an essential dietary and bio-energy resource. Despite this, the effects of climate change on plant oil quality remain to be elucidated. The present study is the first to show changes in oil quality and quantity of four rapeseed cultivars in climate scenarios with elevated [CO(2)], [O(3)] and temperature (T) combined and as single factors. The combination of environmental factors resembled IPCC’s ‘business as usual’ emission scenario predicted for late this century. Generally, the climate scenarios reduced the average amounts of the six fatty acids (FAs) analysed, though in some treatments single FAs remained unchanged or even increased. Most reduced was the FA essential for human nutrition, C18:3-ω3, which decreased by 39% and 45% in the combined scenarios with elevated [CO(2)]+T+[O(3)] and [CO(2)]+T, respectively. Average oil content decreased 3–17%. When [CO(2)] and T were elevated concurrently, the seed biomass was reduced by half, doubling the losses in FAs and oil content. This corresponded to a 58% reduction in the oil yield per hectare, and C18:3-ω3 decreased by 77%. Furthermore, the polyunsaturated FAs were significantly decreased. The results indicate undesirable consequences for production and health benefits of rapeseed oil with future climate change. The results also showed strong interactive effects of CO(2), T and O(3) on oil quality, demonstrating why prediction of climate effects requires experiments with combined factors and should not be based on extrapolation from single factor experiments

Spray dried prodigiosin from Serratta Marcescens as a food colorant

Pigments from microorganisms can serve as an alternative source to replace synthetic pigments used in the food industry. Natural pigments have some limitations including solubility, sensitivity and short stability upon exposure to light, pH and high temperature. Thus, encapsulation via spray drying can be employed to enhance the pigment’s properties. In this study, spray-dried microcapsules containing red pigment (prodigiosin) extracted from Serratia marcescens was produced using ?-carrageenan and maltodextrin as encapsulation agents. The effect of spray-drying parameters on the encapsulation yield (EY), particle size, moisture content and colour intensity of the prodigiosin microcapsules at different ratios of prodigiosin/encapsulation agent were studied. The most intense colour was obtained for the 1:1 ratio (volume ratio of prodigiosin in ethyl acetate to ?-carrageenan solution) using 200oC inlet temperature, feed flow rate of 60 m3/h, air pressure of 1.5 bar and feed rate of 3 mL/min. The encapsulated pigment is most stable in powder form at 0°C when stored in the dark, and thus has superior stability compared to pigment in its free form. Characterization of spray-dried prodigiosin using FTIR and FESEM confirmed that the particles were properly coated with encapsulating agents. The morphology showed the particles were regular shaped spheres with mean diameters between 0.5µm and 5µm. Finally, the particles were successfully applied to milk, yogurt and carbonated drinks. The results suggest that the spray-dried prodigiosin can be useful as a food colorant under the above optimum operating conditions

Synthesis of poly(amidoamine)-dendrimer-silver nanoparticles composite for application as bactericides

As awareness of sanitation, disease transmission factors and personal protection increases, researchers have focused on developing materials with antibacterial properties. Silver-PAMAM-dendrimer has unique antibacterial properties that make it an ideal candidate for medical applications. In this study, poly (amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimers from Generations 0.5- 4.0 were synthesized using divergent methods. Silver was combined with PAMAM dendrimers from the Generation 2.0, 3.0 and 4.0 to form colloidal solutions. The antimicrobial capabilities of Silver-PAMAM-dendrimer (Generation 2.0) were tested against four types of gram positive and negative bacteria. Its bactericidal activities were revealed for all four types of bacteria that could not grow in samples containing 600 ppm of Silver-PAMAM-dendrimer (Generation 2.0)

Production and characterization of crude and encapsulated prodigiosin pigment

Pigments from microorganisms can serve as an alternative source to replace synthetic pigments used in various industries. Natural pigments have some limitations including solubility, sensitivity and short stability upon exposure to light, pH and high temperature. Thus, employing methods such as encapsulating can be a good alternative to enhance the pigment’s properties. The present work is a comparison of encapsulated and nonencapsulated (crude) prodigiosin extracted from Serratia marcescens in terms of stability and solubility. The results show that the pigment is more stable and soluble in water in encapsulated form when stored in the absence of light and thus has superior stability compared to pigment in its crude form. The results suggest that the encapsulated prodigiosin can be a more stable pigment under the above optimum conditions