Acrylamide, hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural in ready-to-eat foods consumed by child population: Presence, risk assessment and future perspectives.

Food intake contributes to adequate growth and neurodevelopment of children. Ready-to-eat foods, frequently consumed by this population, are sources of acrylamide (AA), hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural (FF). In this sense, a review of the AA, HMF, and FF presence in ready-to-eat foods was evaluated through a systematic search to infer the risk of exposure in the child population. About 75.8%, 24.2%, and 21% of the studies found AA, HMF, and FF in ready-to-eat foods, respectively. AA is predominant in processed and ultra-processed foods, while HMF and FF are commonly found in fruit-based foods. Only 17.7% of the studies assessed the children's risk of exposure, based on the contaminant concentration in ready-to-eat food and not after gastrointestinal digestion, a more realistic measure. Therefore, with the obtained information and found gaps, it is expected that new strategies will be proposed to assess the vulnerability of the child population to these processing contaminants.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in honey from stingless bees (Meliponinae) in southern Brazil.

This study evaluated sixteen Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) considered priority pollutants by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) in 13 honey samples from seven Meliponinae species, collected in native forests and industrial areas in southern Brazil. All samples contained at least one PAH. ∑PAHs ranged from 1.4 to 23.3 µg kg-1, where 23 % of samples were above the maximum allowed levels in dietary food for special medical purposes. Furthermore, the Excess Cancer Risk (ECR) ranged from 1.67 × 10-5 to 6.17 × 10-3, and 2.97 × 10-6 to 1.10 × 10-3, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) daily intakes, respectively, being 61.54 % and 15.38 % of the samples above the threshold classified into sever by the USEPA. Results highlighted that honey has been affected by PAH contamination and that it has the potential to be used as an indicator of environmental pollution.

Updated knowledge, partitioning and ecological risk of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in global aquatic environments.

Over the last few decades, the occurrence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in aquatic environments has generated increasing public concern. In this review, data on the presence of PPCPs in environmental compartments from the past few years (2014-2022) are summarized by carrying out a critical survey of the partitioning among water, sediment, and aquatic organisms. From the available articles on PPCP occurrence in the environment, in Web of Science and Scopus databases, 185 articles were evaluated. Diclofenac, carbamazepine, caffeine, ibuprofen, ciprofloxacin, and sulfamethoxazole were reported to occur in 85% of the studies in at least one of the mentioned matrices. Risk assessment showed a moderate to high environmental risk for these compounds worldwide. Moreover, bioconcentration factors showed that sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim can bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms, while ciprofloxacin and triclosan present bioaccumulation potential. Regarding spatial distribution, the Asian and European continents presented most studies on the occurrence and effects of PPCPs on the environment, while Africa and Asia are the most contaminated continents. In addition, the impact of COVID-19 on environmental contamination by PPCPs is discussed.

Vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion: An eco-friendly alternative for the determination of halogens in edible seaweed.

Edible seaweed has been widely consumed around the world through oriental cuisine and it is important to monitor the levels of some elements, especially halogens. This study proposes, for the first time, the development of an analytical method using the vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion (VA-MSPD) combined with alkaline extraction of halogens (F, Cl, Br, and I) in edible seaweed for further determination by ion chromatography. The proposed method was evaluated using edible seaweed of the Nori (Porphyra spp.) type and applied to samples of the Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), Kombu (Laminaria ochroleuca), and Hijiki (Hizikia fusiformis) types. Important VA-MSPD parameters were investigated and using 0.1 g sample, 1 g sea sand as solid support, 50 mmol L-1 (NH4)2CO3 as extraction solution, and 5 min of maceration, higher extraction efficiencies were obtained. The method was linear within the evaluated range (R2 > 0.99) for all elements and no matrix effect was observed. The detection limits of the method were 27, 26, 19, and 28 µg g-1 for F, Cl, Br, and I, respectively. The accuracy was evaluated by a recovery test (ranging from 92 to 108%) and analysis of certified reference materials for apple leaves (NIST 1515) and peach leaves (NIST 1547), which had a good agreement (ranging from 97 to 101%) with the certified values. Comparing the results with those obtained by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after microwave-induced combustion, no significant difference was found between the results, and the relative standard deviations were lower than 12%. The proposed method proved to be efficient for the determination of halogens in different algae species, showing advantages such as simplicity and low cost, combined to the use of a material from renewable sources (sea sand) as a solid support, contributing to the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry.

Does pH variation influence the toxicity of organic contaminants in estuarine sediments? Effects of Irgarol on nematode assemblages.

Natural pH values in coastal waters vary largely among locations, ecosystems, and time periods; still, there is an ongoing acidification trend. In this scenario, more acidic pH values can alter bioavailability of organic contaminants, to organisms. Despite this, interactive effects between pH and chemical substances are not usually considered in Ecological Risk Assessment protocols. This study investigated the effects of pH on the toxicity of a hydrophobic organic compound on a benthic community using a microcosm experiment setup to assess the response of nematode assemblages exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of Irgarol at two natural pH conditions. Estuarine nematode assemblages were exposed to two concentrations of Irgarol at pH 7.0 and 8.0 for periods of 7 and 35 days. Lower diversity of nematode genera was observed at the highest tested Irgarol concentration (1281 ± 65 ng.g-1). The results showed that the effects of Irgarol contamination were independent of pH variation, indicating no influence of acidification within this range on the toxicity of Irgarol to benthic meiofauna. However, the results showed that estuarine nematode assemblages are impacted by long-term exposure to low (but naturally occurring) pHs. This indicates that estuarine organisms may be under naturally high physiological pressure and that permanent changes in the ecosystem's environmental factors, such as future coastal ocean acidification, may drive organisms closer to the edges of their tolerance windows.

Emerging contaminants in Brazilian aquatic environment: identifying targets of potential concern based on occurrence and ecological risk.

Although studies have shown the presence of Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs) in the Brazilian environment in recent decades, several biological effects on the aquatic ecosystem are unknown. Brazil is the fifth largest country in extension in the world, and its wide territory presents geographic regions with diverse demographic and economic characteristics. In order to identify targets of potential concern based on occurrence and ecological risk, available data from previous studies were examined to conduct environmental risk analysis and provide a ranking of CECs in Brazilian aquatic environment based on environmental concentration measured in the last 10 years. The results indicate that 17α-ethynylestradiol, 17ß-estradiol, acetaminophen, Bisphenol A, caffeine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, methylparaben, sulfamethoxazole and triclosan are the CECs that represent the greatest threats to the Brazilian environment. Therefore, these contaminants should be considered as a priority in future monitoring studies. Besides, identification of target monitoring compounds can facilitate the selection of pollutant candidates in future legislations.

Meliponinae and Apis mellifera honey in southern Brazil: Physicochemical characterization and determination of pesticides.

This study evaluated the physicochemical parameters and the occurrence of pesticides in multi-flower honey produced by six species of Meliponinae and Apis mellifera and collected in different seasons, floral species and sites in southern Brazil. Meliponinae honey were found to exhibit higher moisture, free acidity and sucrose concentration and lower concentration of reducing sugars than the standard of Apis mellifera honey in Brazil. Regarding Apis mellifera honey, reducing sugars and sucrose did not comply with the legislation. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed that most of the composition variability was defined by free acidity, moisture, soluble solids, fructose, glucose, and reducing sugars. Determination of pesticides was carried out by the citrate QuEChERS method and gas chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC-MS/MS). However, no pesticide residues at concentrations above the limit of quantification were found in the twenty honey samples. Results show that this region has the potential to produce honey.

Rapid and cost-effective multiresidue analysis of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and antifouling booster biocides in marine sediments using matrix solid phase dispersion.

Currently, there are many contaminants of concern that need to be accurately determined to help assess their potential environmental hazard. Despite their increasing interest, yet few environmental occurrence data exist, likely because they are present at low levels and in very complex matrices. Therefore, multiresidue analytical methods for their determination need to be highly sensitive, selective, and robust. Particularly, due to the trace levels of these chemicals in the environment, an extensive extraction procedure is required before determination. This work details the development of a fast and cheap vortex-assisted matrix solid-phase dispersion-high performance liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (VA-MSPD-HPLC-MS/MS) method for multiresidue determination of 59 contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and booster biocides, in sediment. The validated method provided high sensitivity (0.42-36.8 ngg-1 dw quantification limits), wide and good linearity (r2 > 0.999), satisfactory accuracy (60-140%), and precision below 20% for most target analytes. In comparison with previous methods, relying on traditional techniques, the proposed method demonstrated to be more environmentally friendly, cheaper, simpler, and faster. The method was applied to monitor the occurrence of these compounds in sediments collected in Brazil, using only 2 g dw sediment samples, free-solid support, and 5 mL methanol as extraction solvent. The UV filter avobenzone, the UV stabilizer and antifreeze methylbenzotriazole, the preservative methylparaben, the fluoroquinolone antibiotic ciprofloxacin, and the biocides irgarol and 4,5-dichloro-2-octyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one were determined at concentrations in the range 1.44-69.7 ngg-1 dw.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products in a Brazilian wetland of international importance: Occurrence and environmental risk assessment.

Despite the fact that the occurrence of emerging contaminants in the environment has become frequent in recent decades, the seasonal dynamics of contaminants in different environmental compartments are little studied in protected areas influenced by effluent discharges. In this study, the seasonal and spatial occurrence of 33 pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) was investigated in surface waters and sediments from Anil and Bacanga rivers (northeast of Brazil). The studied area is located within a Wetland of International Importance by Ramsar Convention (Amazon Estuary and its Mangroves). Sample preparation was carried out using solid-phase extraction and QuEChERS, for water and sediment samples, respectively and all determinations were performed by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Eleven PPCPs were detected in water samples and 14 in sediments. In aqueous samples, caffeine was the most occurring compound reaching 13,798 ng L-1. In addition, high levels of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, sulfamethoxazole, carbamazepine and diclofenac were also observed. In the sediment samples, triclocarban, benzophenone-3, ketoconazole and methylparaben were also detected. The spatial and temporal distribution of the assessed molecules indicates urbanization and anthropic activities as relevant sources of PPCPs in the region. Moreover, the levels of acetaminophen, caffeine, diclofenac, ibuprofen, benzophenone-3, triclosan and triclocarban measured within the Ramsar site pose a high risk to aquatic and terrestrial organisms. These findings indicate potential threats to the allegedly protected biodiversity and, therefore, urgent actions are needed to effectively protect this unique and vulnerable area.

Glassy carbon electrode modified with carbon black and cross-linked alginate film: a new voltammetric electrode for paraquat determination.

A new electrode based on glassy carbon modified with an alginate film cross-linked with glutaraldehyde containing immobilized carbon black particles was successfully developed and applied for the determination of paraquat (PQ), a herbicide widely used for broadleaf weed control. Different polysaccharides (alginate, cellulose, pectin, starch, and chitosan) were investigated for the immobilization process, and alginate presented the highest chemical modifier potential for PQ determination. Additionally, the influence of chemical cross-linking agents (glutaraldehyde and epichlorohydrin) on the morphology, electrochemical response, and film stability was investigated. All experimental conditions were optimized, including the supporting electrolyte conditions (composition, pH, and concentration) and square wave voltammetry technical parameters. Under the optimized experimental conditions, the PQ analytical curve was linear from 0.4 to 2.0 mg L-1 and the limits of detection and quantification were 0.06 and 0.19 mg L-1, respectively. The proposed electrode is easy to obtain, stable, selective, sensitive, and low cost and was successfully applied for PQ determination in environmental and beverage samples. Graphical abstract.