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Enzymatic probe sonication extraction of Se in animal-based food samples: a new perspective on sample preparation for total and Se speciation analysis.

This paper describes a fast, simple and novel extraction method for total selenium and selenium species determination in food samples. Parameters influencing extraction, such as sonication time, extracting media, temperature, sample mass, ultrasound amplitude and sample/enzyme mass ratio were investigated. The enzymatic hydrolysis proposed, enhanced by probe sonication, allowed the quantitative extraction of selenium in chicken muscle, liver, kidney and feed (97, 93, 95 and 102%, respectively) in 2 min, maintaining the original Se-species integrity. Total Se content of the samples was determined using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Se-species were identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography in conjunction with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Chromatographic analyses were carried out under two chromatographic conditions and led to the identification of SeMet in all samples. The accuracy of the proposed method was assessed using certified reference materials as well as microwave digestion. Potential advantages of the proposed method over traditional hydrolysis are speed, simplicity and safety of the procedure.

Animal Feed↗

Rapid separation and concentration of food-borne pathogens in food samples prior to quantification by viable-cell counting and real-time PCR.

Buoyant density gradient centrifugation has been used to separate bacteria from complex food matrices, as well as to remove compounds that inhibit rapid detection methods, such as PCR, and to prevent false-positive results due to DNA originating from dead cells. Applying a principle of buoyant density gradient centrifugation, we developed a method for rapid separation and concentration following filtration and low- and high-speed centrifugation, as well as flotation and sedimentation buoyant density centrifugation, for 12 food-borne pathogens (Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli, Yersinia enterocolitica, Campylobacter jejuni, Vibrio cholerae O139, Vibrio parahaemolyticus O3K6, Vibrio vulnificus, Providencia alcalifaciens, Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Clostridium perfringens) in 13 different food homogenates. This method can be used prior to real-time quantitative PCR (RTi-qPCR) and viable-cell counting. Using this combined method, the target organisms in the food samples theoretically could be concentrated 250-fold and detected at cell concentrations as low as 10(1) to 10(3) CFU/g using the RTi-qPCR assay, and amounts as small as 10(0) to 10(1) CFU/g could be isolated using plate counting. The combined separation and concentration methods and RTi-qPCR confirmed within 3 h the presence of 10(1) to 10(2) CFU/g of Salmonella and C. jejuni directly in naturally contaminated chicken and the presence of S. aureus directly in remaining food items in a poisoning outbreak. These results illustrated the feasibility of using these assays for rapid inspection of bacterial food contamination during a real-world outbreak.

Animals↗

Virulent rough filaments of Listeria monocytogenes from clinical and food samples secreting wild-type levels of cell-free p60 protein.

Atypical rough cell filaments of Listeria monocytogenes (designated FR variants), isolated from clinical and food samples, form long filaments up to 96 microm in length and demonstrated wild-type levels of adherence, invasion, and cytotoxicity to human epithelial HEp-2, Caco-2, and HeLa cells. Unlike previously described avirulent rough mutants of L. monocytogenes that secrete diminished levels of the major extracellular protein p60 and that form long chains that consist of multiple cells of similar size (designated MCR variants), FR variants secreted wild-type or greater levels of p60. This study shows that virulent filamentous forms of L. monocytogenes occur in clinical and food environments and have atypical morphological characteristics compared to those of the wild-type form.

Bacterial Adhesion↗

Detection and isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from food samples: implications of sublethal injury.

Detection of L. monocytogenes is often limited by the performance of the enrichment media used to support bacterial growth to detectable levels. Because Listeria may exist at extremely low levels in foods, sample enrichment protocols must amplify these low initial populations to detectable limits. Listeria may also exist in an injured state in food products as a result of processing treatments such as heating, freezing, exposure to acids, or exposure to sanitizing compounds. Selective agents in enrichment media normally used for recovery of Listeria may inhibit repair and detection of sublethally injured Listeria, which may go on to repair, grow, and regain pathogenicity. Simple modifications to existing regulatory protocols, such as those that use more than one enrichment broth, raise sensitivity of detection to 90%. This review shows the efficacy of repair/enrichment strategies, which increase sensitivity of detection to 97.5-98.8% compared with 65-70% by standard regulatory protocols. Ribotype analysis of isolates obtained from meat samples reveals a complex microbial ecology, with striking differences in both number and distribution of distinct genetic types of Listeria, depending upon whether samples are enriched in selective or repair/enrichment media. In studies on enrichment of dairy environmental samples in University of Vermont medium and Listeria repair broth (UVM and LRB), combining these 2 primary enrichment media into a single tube of Fraser broth for dual secondary enrichment yielded a significantly higher percentage (p < 0.05) of Listeria-positive samples than did use of either LRB or UVM alone. Refinement of conventional Listeria recovery methods should consider the importance of the enrichment step, the nutritional needs of specific genetic types, and the physiological condition of Listeria isolates in foods.

Culture Media↗

Inhibition of PCR by components of food samples, microbial diagnostic assays and DNA-extraction solutions.

We have tested the influence on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of a large number of compounds found in food, in media used for selective propagation of food-borne pathogens or in DNA-extraction methods. PCR was found to be sensitive to large volumes of complex food samples containing high amounts of fat and protein, however, an extraction procedure based on treatment with hot NaOH/SDS reduced the effect significantly. Some culture media (Fraser, MLEB, MRB and Rappaport) interfered with the analysis and for most of the media it was possible to assign the inhibitory effect to one or more individual components. Several compounds (detergents, lysozyme, NaOH, alcohols, EDGA, EGTA) used in DNA extraction procedures were found to have some inhibitory effect. The inhibitory effects need to be taken into consideration when designing new tests.

Animals↗

Spectrophotometric determination of taurine in food samples with phenol and sodium hypochlorite as reagents and an ion-exchange clean-up.

A simple and accurate spectrophotometric method is proposed for the determination of taurine in food samples using phenol and sodium hypochlorite as reagents, which form a blue colour with taurine at room temperature and pH 10.35. Ion exchange was used to improve the selectivity of the method. Absorbance measurements were made at 630 nm and the calibration graph was linear from 0 to 180 micrograms ml-1 of taurine with a slope of 0.00242 A (p.p.m.)-1. The precision for the determination of taurine (156 micrograms ml-1) was 0.8% (n = 10). The method was applied successfully to the determination of taurine in milk products and energy drinks.

Animals↗

Levels of PCDDs, PCDFs and PCBs in Belgian and international fast food samples.

Congener-specific analyses of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were performed on twenty-eight non-pooled fast food samples collected in Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, United States of America and Australia. PCDD/F and PCB concentrations for the four investigated types of meals were very low. PCDD/F values ranged from non-detected to 1.40 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat and from 0.79 to 2.08 pg WHO-TEQ/g fat for lower and upper bound, respectively. Major contributors to the PCDD/F TEQ were 1,2,3,4,7,8-HxCDD, 1,2,3,6,7,8-HxCDD, 2,3,7,8-TCDF and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF. The relative contribution of PCBs to the total TEQ was 68%. For adults, an average estimated intake was 6.7 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/month, including consumption of all types of analyzed meals, representing 9.5% of the PTMI. For child, a value of 14.5 pg WHO-TEQ/kg bw/month was obtained, representing 20.6% of the PTMI.

Australia↗

Enzyme sensor array for the determination of biogenic amines in food samples.

An enzyme sensor array for the simultaneous determination of the three biogenic amines (histamine, tyramine and putrescine) by pattern recognition using an artificial neural network and its application to different food samples is described. A combination of a monoamine oxidase, a tyramine oxidase and a diamine oxidase (with specific activities sufficient for rapid detection) are immobilised each on a separate screen-printed thick-film electrode via transglutaminase and glutaraldehyde to compare these cross-linking reagents with regard to their suitability. To calculate the amount of a specific biogenic amine, the raw data from multichannel software were transferred to a neural network. The sensor array takes 20 min to complete (excluding statistical data analysis) with only one extraction and subsequent neutralisation step required prior to sensor measurement. The lower detection limits with the enzyme sensor were 10 mg/kg for histamine and tyramine, and 5 mg/kg for putrescine with a linear range up to 200 mg/kg for histamine and tyramine and 100 mg/kg for putrescine. The application area of the enzyme sensor array was tested from fish to meat products, sauerkraut, beer, dairy products, wine and further fermented foods and compared with the data of conventional LC analyses (mean correlation coefficient: 0.854).

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Fallout radioactivity in soil and food samples in the Ukraine: measurements of iodine, plutonium, cesium, and strontium isotopes.

To estimate the level and distribution of fallout attributable to the 26 April 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power station accident in the Ukraine, we sampled several kinds of substances at Korosten, Zhitomir and at Katyuzhanka, Vishgorod, Kiev in the Ukraine, and measured the radioactivity of 137Cs, 134Cs, 90Sr, 129I, 238Pu, 239,240Pu, and the density of 127I (stable). The substances investigated were soil, dry milk, wheat, rye, drinking water, and mushrooms. Except for the mushrooms collected, which were sampled at Katyuzhanka, Vishgorod, and at Kiev, all substances were at Korosten, Zhitomir. The activity of 137Cs, 134Cs, 90Sr, 238Pu, and 239,240Pu were all higher in soil and mushrooms than in the other four substances. The activity of 137Cs was 960 and 1,210 Bq kg-1 in the two soil samples and 6,110 Bq kg-1 in the mushrooms. The activity of 134Cs was approximately 15% of 137Cs in the two soil samples while < 3% of 137Cs in the mushrooms. The activity concentration level of 90Sr as compared to 137Cs concentration was 15-31% in food samples other than mushrooms but only 1.9% in mushrooms and 1.4 and 1.2% in the two soil samples. The radioactivity ratios, 238Pu: 239,240Pu and 239,240Pu: 137Cs, suggested that the proportion of cesium radioisotopes and 239,240Pu in the soil attributable to the Chernobyl accident was approximately 100% and 10-20%, respectively, while approximately 100% of 239,240Pu in the mushrooms was attributable to the accident. The activity of 129I was small but the ratio of 129I: 127I in the two soil samples was 4.3 x 10(-8) and 1.0 x 10(-7), which is approximately 10 times larger than that in the global fallout. These results suggest that the areas where the soil was sampled are iodine-deficient and were contaminated slightly by the Chernobyl accident.

Accidents↗

Determination of trace mercury in environmental and foods samples by online coupling of flow injection displacement sorption preconcentration to electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry.

The toxic effects of mercury are well-known. To establish sources of mercury contamination and to evaluate levels of mercury pollution, sensitive, selective, and accurate analytical methods with excellent reproducibility are required. We have developed a novel methodology for the determination of trace mercury in environmental and foods samples by online coupling of flow injection (FI) displacement sorption preconcentration in a knotted reactor (KR) to electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS). The developed methodology involved the online formation of copper pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (Cu-PDC), presorption of the resulting Cu-PDC onto the inner walls of the KR, and selective retention of the analyte Hg(ll) onto the inner walls of the KR through online displacement reaction between Hg(ll) and the presorbed Cu-PDC. The retained analyte was subsequently eluted by 50 microL of ethanol and online detected by ETAAS. Interferences from coexisting heavy metal ions with lower stability of their APDC complexes relative to Cu- PDC were minimized without the need of any masking reagents. The tolerable concentrations of Cu(II), Cd(II), Fe(III), Ni(III), and Zn(II) were up to 12, 20, 16, 20, and 60 mg L(-1), respectively. No additional chemical modifiers for the stabilization of mercury were required in the present system owing to the stability of Hg-PDC at the drying stage, and no pyrolysis stage was necessary due to the effective removal of the matrices. With consumption of 2.5 mL of sample solution, an enhancement factor of 91 was obtained in comparison with direct injection of 50 microL of aqueous solution. The relative detection limit (3s) was 6.2 ng L(-1), corresponding to an absolute detection limit of 15.5 pg. The precision (RSD, n = 13) was 1.1% at the 2 microg L(-1) level. The method was successfully applied to the determination of mercury in several certified environmental and foods reference materials and locally collected water samples.

Automation↗

Determination of thirteen common elements in food samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry: comparison of five digestion methods.

Five sample digestion procedures were evaluated for the determination of Al, B, Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P, S, Sr, and Zn in food samples by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. The 5 procedures include dry ashing at 500 degrees C, wet digestion with HNO3-HClO4, microwave digestion with HNO3, microwave digestion with HNO3-H2O2, and microwave digestion with HNO3-H2O2-HF. For microwave digestion with HNO3-H2O2-HF, silicon (IV) oxide was used to eliminate the excess HF, making it possible to determine total Al, B, and other common elements accurately and simultaneously. Seven National Institute of Standards and Technology standard reference materials (SRMs) were analyzed to compare the recovery of 13 elements with above digestion procedures. The results demonstrated that the microwave digestion procedure with HNO3-H2O2-HF yielded the best recoveries for all 13 elements in the selected SRMs. The determined concentrations of most elements were close for all 3 microwave digestion procedures with the exception of Al in oyster tissue, bovine liver, and spinach. Notably, the wet digestion with HNO3-HClO4 is the simplest and the most effective procedure for the selected elements except Al and B. Although there are several concerns with the dry ashing procedure, it might be a preferable procedure for those analyses where only nonvolatile elements are to be determined and the concentrations of the elements are low.

Animals↗

Determination of amino acids in biological, pharmaceutical, plant and food samples by automated precolumn derivatization and high-performance liquid chromatography.

An easy, rapid and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of primary and secondary amino acids in different matrices, e.g. protein hydrolysates, pharmaceutical formulations, plant extracts, food samples and physiological fluids, is described. After minimum sample preparation amino acids were derivatized with two different reagents, o-phthalaldehyde-3-mercaptopropionic acid for primary and 9-fluorenylmethylchloroformate for secondary amino acids, by an automated precolumn derivatization technique. With minor adjustments of separation parameters this method can also be used to determine amino acids in different matrices. Analysis time including reaction, separation and reconditioning ranged from 20 min for hydrolysates to 60 min for physiological fluids. The separation was done on a reversed-phase column with a gradient of acetate buffer-acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The precision for peak areas of the individual amino acids was within a relative standard deviation of 2% for the hydrolysate assay and 2-5% for the physiological assay, and for retention times better than 0.7%. The detection limit with the diode array detector (ultraviolet-visible) was ca. 2-5 pmol, measured at 338 nm for primary and 266 nm for secondary amino acids; with the fluorescence detector 20-50 fmol were detectable at excitation and emission wavelengths of 230 and 455 nm for primary and 266 and 310 nm for secondary amino acids, respectively.

Amino Acids↗

Graphite-Teflon composite bienzyme electrodes for the determination of L-lactate: application to food samples.

A bienzyme amperometric graphite-Teflon composite biosensor, in which lactate oxidase (LOD) and peroxidase, together with the mediator ferrocene, are incorporated into the electrode matrix, was developed for the determination of L-lactate in food samples such as wine and yogurt by using both batch- and flow-injection modes. This bienzyme electrode was fabricated by simple physical inclusion of the enzymes and the mediator in the bulk of the graphite-Teflon matrix. A Teflon content of 70%, an applied potential of 0.00 V, and a pH of 7.4 were employed as working conditions. The composite bioelectrode exhibited long-term operation because of the renewability of its surface by polishing. Reproducible amperometric responses were achieved with different electrodes fabricated from different composite matrices, and no significant loss of the enzyme activity occurred after 6 months of storage at 4 degrees C. Detection limits for L-lactate of 1.4 and 0.9 microM were obtained by batch amperometry in stirred solutions and flow-injection with amperometric detection, respectively. An interferences study with different substances which may be present in wine and yogurt together with L-lactic acid demonstrated very good selectivity for the determination of this analyte. The bienzyme composite electrode was applied to the determination of L-lactic acid in red wine and shaken yogurt, and the methods were validated by comparing these results with those obtained by applying a recommended reference method.

Biosensing Techniques↗

Heterogeneity of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains isolated from hemolytic-uremic syndrome patients, cattle, and food samples in central France.

A detailed analysis of the molecular epidemiology of non-O157:H7 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) was performed by using isolates from sporadic cases of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), animal reservoirs, and food products. The isolates belonged to the O91 and OX3 serogroups and were collected in the same geographical area over a short period of time. Five typing methods were used; some of these were used to explore potentially mobile elements like the stx genes or the plasmids (stx(2)-restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP], stx(2) gene variant, and plasmid analyses), and others were used to study the whole genome (ribotyping and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis [PFGE]). The techniques revealed that there was great diversity among the O91 and OX3 STEC strains isolated in central France. A close relationship between strains of the same serotype having the same virulence factor pattern was first suggested by ribotyping. However, stx(2)-RFLP and stx(2) variant analyses differentiated all but 5 of 21 isolates, and plasmid analysis revealed further heterogeneity; a unique combination of characteristics was obtained for all strains except two O91:H21 isolates from beef. The latter strains were shown by PFGE to be the most closely related isolates, with >96% homology, and hence may be subtypes of the same strain. Overall, our results indicate that the combination of stx(2)-RFLP, stx(2) variant, and plasmid profile analyses is as powerful as PFGE for molecular investigation of STEC diversity. Finally, the non-O157:H7 STEC strains isolated from HUS patients were related to but not identical to those isolated from cattle and food samples in the same geographical area. The possibility that there are distinct lineages of non-O157:H7 STEC, some of which are more virulent for humans, should be investigated further.

Animals↗

Guidelines for the microbiological quality of some ready-to-eat foods sampled at the point of sale. PHLS Advisory Committee for Food and Dairy Products.

These guidelines for the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat foods represent a revision and expansion of guidelines first published by the PHLS in September 1992 and revised in March 1996. The latest guidelines incorporate many of the constructive comments received from food examiners and other microbiologists within and outside the PHLS and from environmental health officers throughout the United Kingdom. This document reviews the changes and the reasons they were made and sets out the new guidelines. It also clarifies the role of food examiners in interpreting the microbiological results of formal samples.

Colony Count, Microbial↗

Simultaneous kinetic-based determination of fructose and ascorbate with a rotating bioreactor and amperometric detection: application to the analysis of food samples.

A recently introduced biosensor comprising a rotating bioreactor and a stationary platinum ring amperometric detector (Anal. Chem. 1993, 65, 636-639) has been utilized for the simultaneous determination of fructose and ascorbate. The approach has been successfully applied to the simultaneous determination of these analytes in fresh food samples. Hexacyanoferrate(II) is the monitored species at +0.380 V vs a Ag/AgCl, 3 M NaCl reference. The determination takes advantage of a fast chemical oxidation of ascorbate by hexacyanoferrate(III) ions and the subsequent slower production of hexacyanoferrate(II) in the D-fructose 5-dehydrogenase-catalyzed reaction between D-fructose and hexacyanoferrate(III) as acceptor. D-Fructose 5-dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.99.11) was incorporated into the rotating disk reactor in immobilized form and on controlled-pore glass via the glutaraldehyde attachment and cross-linking with bovine serum albumin. Sample/reagent processing was accomplished by programmed continuous-flow/stopped-flow/continuous-flow operation.

Ascorbic Acid↗

Gas chromatographic determination of total fat extracted from food samples using hydrolysis in the presence of antioxidant.

A method for the quantitative measurement of total fat in foodstuffs is described. Fat is extracted by hydrolysis and inter-esterified to fatty acid methyl esters for gas chromatographic analysis. Total fat and fatty acid patterns are calculated to comply with the regulations for food label declaration under the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990. Quantitative recovery of fat from soy oil is obtained in the presence of the antioxidant pyrogallol. Extraction and measurements of fat from a variety of food samples (e.g., cereal, baked goods, dairy, and fish) are also reported, and fat levels ranged from 0.8 to 95% (w/w). Coefficients of variation of < or = 5% demonstrate the efficiency of the method.

Chromatography, Gas↗

[Determination of sodium monofluoroacetate in human blood and food samples by ion chromatography].

A method was developed for the determination of sodium monofluoroacetate in human blood by ion chromatography. The analysis was performed on a Dionex Ion Pac AS11 column (250 mm x 4 mm i.d.) with an AG11 guard column (50 mm x 4 mm i.d.). A conductivity detector, an SRS suppressor and a 25 microL sample loop were used. The eluent was 2.0 mmol/L Na2B4O7 with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min. A blood sample of 0.2 mL was pipetted into a test tube followed by adding 1.0 mL of pure water. And then acetonitrile was used to dilute it to 3.0 mL. After the protein was settled down from the blood sample, the supernatant layer was filtered through a 0.45 microm filter before injected into the ion chromatographic system. Good linear relationship between the peak area and the concentration of sodium monofluoroacetate was found with correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.9978 within the range from 0.10 to 10.0 mg/L. The detection limit for blood was 2.5 mg/L. This method also can be used for the determination of sodium monofluoroacetate in food samples.

Animals↗