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At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed2006

Wild-gathered fungi for health and rural livelihoods.

Fungi are a good source of digestible proteins and fibre, are low in fat and energy and make a useful contribution to vitamin and mineral intake. In terms of current dietary advice, 80 g fungi represent one portion of vegetables. Dried fungi and concentrated extracts are also used as medicines and dietary supplements. Some species show strong anti-tumour and antioxidant activity by enhancing various immune system functions and lowering cholesterol levels. Nevertheless, there are also some safety concerns. Edible species might be mistaken for poisonous ones, high heavy-metal concentrations in wild edible fungi (WEF) are a known source of chronic poisoning and the consumption of WEF can contribute markedly to the radiocaesium intake of human subjects. Some regions of Europe have a strong WEF tradition, especially eastern Europe. In the UK the consumption of wild fungi is considered of minor importance. Only one-third of adults consume fungi (cultivated species and WEF) throughout the UK; the average intake of fungi in the UK is estimated to be 0.12 kg fresh weight per capita per year. At least eighty-two species of wild fungi are recorded as being consumed in the UK, although certain species (e.g. chanterelle (Cantharellus cibarius), cep (Boletus edulis), oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus)) are favoured over others. Although WEF are not essential components in the daily diet, they are a nutritionally-valuable addition to the range of vegetables consumed, and their role in helping to avert food shortages in less-favoured areas should be definitely considered.

Consumer Product Safety↗
PubMed1985

Retention of 238Pu-bearing particles by corn plants.

To measure the retention of 238Pu-bearing particulates on plant surfaces, corn plants were exposed to 238Pu deposition in the vicinity of the H-Area nuclear fuel chemical separations facility on the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Plant. Following exposure, plants were removed to an area of lower 238Pu deposition rate and sampled every seven days for 28 days to determine 238Pu retention. To investigate the effects of exposure to wind and precipitation on 238Pu retention, some plants were maintained out of doors while others were maintained in a greenhouse. Plants maintained in the greenhouse showed no statistically significant reduction in 238Pu contents. Plants maintained outside showed 238Pu loss rates consistent with the 14-day retention half-times typically used in radiological assessments. The data analysis of outside plants was complicated by the occurrence of samples with nondetectable 238Pu contents.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1988

Deposition velocity of gaseous I to rice grains.

Among the routes of gaseous I transfer to rice grains, direct deposition to the hull of rice plants and the subsequent transfer to brown rice and polished rice should be more critical than leaf absorption-translocation. A grain number normalized deposition velocity (Vs) is recommended as a key parameter to assess the amount of gaseous I deposited on the rough rice. This parameter is given as "iodine content per unit number of grain per unit time" divided by "iodine concentration per unit volume of the air." After the heading period the surface area of rough rice is almost constant but weight increases with time. Therefore, mass normalized deposition velocity (VD) varies with time. By introducing Vs instead of VD, the variations could be converged into narrow ranges. The contribution of gaseous I from the atmosphere to rough rice, brown rice and polished rice were estimated using Vs values obtained experimentally and gaseous I concentration in the air.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1989

Concentrations of U and Po in animal feed supplements, in poultry meat and in eggs.

The present study was undertaken to assess the contribution of phosphate feed supplements to the radiation exposure of the population in Israel. The phosphates usually contain appreciable quantities of U and its daughters and the actual exposure of human consumers depends, to a very large extent, on the degree of equilibrium of the decay chain in the feed and through the metabolic process. The concentrations of 238U, 234U, 226Ra and 210Po (210Pb) in poultry feed supplements and in chicken meat (breasts, thighs) and organs (livers, spleens, gizzards) as well as in eggs were determined. From the results, the transfer coefficients of U and Po in chicken meat and in eggs were calculated. The effective dose equivalent to the Israeli population due to the consumption of poultry products which accounts for approximately 70% of all meat consumed in Israel is assessed to be 0.04 mSv y-1.

Animal Feed↗
PubMed2004

Natural-series radionuclides in traditional aboriginal foods in tropical northern Australia: a review.

This paper gives a review of available information on natural-series radionuclides in traditional Aboriginal foods of northern Australia. Research on this topic has been carried out primarily for radiological impact assessment purposes in relation to uranium mining activities in the region. Many of the studies have concentrated on providing purely concentration data or concentration ratios, although more detailed uptake studies have been undertaken for freshwater mussels, turtles, and water lilies. The most-studied radionuclides are 238U and 226Ra. However, dose estimates based on current data highlight the importance of 210Po, particularly for the natural (nonmining-related) dose. Data on uptake by terrestrial flora and fauna are scarce in comparison with aquatic organisms, and this knowledge gap will need to be addressed in relation to planning for uranium minesite rehabilitation.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Recent advances in the development of a diagnostic test for irradiated foodstuffs.

Recent advances in the development and application of diagnostic tests for irradiated foodstuffs are reviewed. Exposure of water, the major chemical constituent of most foodstuffs to a source of ionising radiation initially generates the highly reactive radical species H., .OH and e- (aq) which react very rapidly with a wide variety of biological molecules. The detection of foodstuffs subjected to irradiation processing requires the identification and/or quantification of 'unnatural' chemical species (i.e. those not usually formed by normal metabolic processes) produced by the attack of .OH radical or e- (aq) on suitable 'target' molecules. Modern methods for the analysis of a series of these 'unnatural' products arising from the interaction of radiolytically-generated .OH radical or e- (aq) with polyunsaturated fatty acids, DNA, aromatic compounds and other biologically important scavenger molecules are examined. It is concluded that the analytical test to be conducted is highly dependent on the nature of the foodstuff to be tested.

Food Analysis↗