Actual survey on TLm (median tolerance limit) values of environmental pollutants, especially on amines, nitriles, aromatic nitrogen compounds and artificial dyes.

Forty-four kinds of organic nitrogen compounds as well as 37 kinds of dyes which contained nitrogen were subjected to TLm test by use of Himedaka (Oryzias latipes) and the results were compared with their partition coefficients between n-octanol and water. Concerning organic nitrogen compounds, such good correlation was observed among them that the larger the partition coefficient was, the smaller was the TLm value. Their acute toxicity to fish was supposed to be revealed after their passage through cell membrane of fish to be accumulated in the body. As far as coal-tar dyes and dyestuffs were concerned, there was a correlation between partition coefficient and TLm value. Methylene blue and rose bengale showed strong acute toxicity to fish and it was assumed that high affinity of these dyes to gill was responsible to depressing the function of gill, to make fish suffer from anoxemia and die.

Improved 4-aminoantipyrine colorimetry for detection of residual hydrogen peroxide in noodles, fish paste, dried fish, and herring roe.

Improved 4-aminoantipyrine (4-AA) colorimetry was developed for the detection of minute quantities of residual hydrogen peroxide in several kinds of food. Hydrogen peroxide in the sample was stabilized with potassium bromate and extracted with cold methanol. The methanol extract was diluted with phosphate buffer, protein was eliminated with zinc sulfate, and the extract was reacted with phenol, 4-AA, and peroxidase to the stable quinoneimine dye. The weak color solution was purified with Florisil column chromatography, concentrated, and determined by colorimetry. Recoveries of hydrogen peroxide from samples fortified at 0.5, 2, and 10 ppm ranged from 70.7 +/- 8.9 to 98. 5 +/- 1.2%. Color development was linear with amount of H2O2 from 0.5 to 20 micrograms, corresponding to 0.05-2 ppm in samples.

Gas-liquid chromatographic detection an determination of diacetyl tartaric acid ester of diglyceride in dairy and nondairy coffee cream powders.

Diacetyl tartaric acid ester of diglyceride was directly extracted from dairy or nondairy coffee cream powder under acidic conditions with ethyl acetate; then the extract was saponified with methanolic potash. After acidification with HCl, free fatty acid was removed with ether and the reaction mixture was absorbed on an anion exchange column. Tartaric acid was eluted with 2N HCl-acetone (1+1). An aliquot of the trimethylsilyl (TMS) derivative of the eluate was injected into a gas chromatograph with flame ionization detection, and a 1.5% SE-30 column. Recoveries of diacetyl tartaric acid ester of diglyceride at 50, 200, and 2000 ppm were 85.6-99.5%.

Isotachophoretic determination of ethylenediaminetetraacetate in salad dressing, mayonnaise, and margarine.

An isotachophoretic method was developed for the determination of EDTA in foods imported by Japan. Skimmed samples of dressings, mayonnaise, or margarine were chromatographed on an anion exchange column, and interfering organic acids were eluted with water and 0.01N HCl. EDTA was eluted with 0.2N HCl and reacted with ferric chloride to form a stable EDTA--Fe complex. Electrophoresis was carried out with dilute HCl containing 0.05% Triton and beta-alanine (pH 3.5) as the leading electrolyte and 0.01M caproic acid as terminating electrolyte. Since uncoupled EDTA showed more than one zone, it was reacted with ferric chloride to form EDTA-Fe complex which showed only a single zone on an isotachopherogram. More than 90% of EDTA spiked at 100 or 1000 ppm level as disodium salt was recovered from the above mentioned three types of food. Detection limit was 10 ppm as disodium EDTA.

Gas-liquid chromatographic determination of tertiary-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) in dried fish, frozen shrimp, vegetable oils, butter, and margarine.

Tertiary-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) is extracted from foods with ethyl acetate, the solvent is evaporated, the residue is dissolved in n-hexane-ethyl acetate (99 + 1), and the TBHQ is selectively transferred into an aqueous layer (2% sodium chloride) as a separation from food interferences. Finally, TBHQ is reextracted with n-hexane-ethyl acetate (1 + 1), concentrated, and determined by flame ionization gas-liquid chrmoatography. Dried fish, frozen shrimp, vegetable oils, and edible fats were analyzed by the method. More than 85% was recovered when the samples were fortified with 100 ppm TBHQ. Detection limit was 1.0 ppm TBHQ.

Studies on the toxicity of coal-tar dyes. III. Reason of acute toxicity to fish caused by coal-tar dyes and their industrial effluents.

Reason of acute toxicity to fish caused by coal-tar dyes and their industrial effluents were studied from the three points of view. 1) Partition coefficient (n-octanol/water) was determined on several coal-tar dyes, and it was found that the larger the ratio was, the stronger was toxicity to fish. 2) As a result of determination about existent form of xanthene dyes under photo-irradiation, it was clarified that dyes in solution were in the form of excited triplet state and halogen in dye molecule was liberated in free form. 3) When coal-tar dyes were treated with sodium hypochlorite, harmful chloroform was detected from dye solution. Chloroform and its homologous compounds showed the low TLm value and had the serious effect on fish.

Gas-liquid chromatographic determination of thiourea in citrus peels.

A gas-liquid chromatographic (GLC) method was developed for the detection and determination of thiourea in citrus peels. After the peel is extracted with ethyl ether, the ether extract is adsorbed on sodium sulfate together with water. Thiourea is recoverd from both the sodium sulfate and the peel residue with ethyl acetate-acetone(2+1). The extracted mixture is cleaned on an alumina column, the eluate is concentrated under vacuum, and thiourea is extracted from the concentrate with sodium carbonate solution. GLC was carried out on the prepared benzoyl derivative of thiourea. The average recoveries of thiourea from lemon peel were 85.3, 93.1, and 97.6% at the fortification levels of 1, 10, and 100 ppm, respectively. The detection limit was low as 0.08 ppm.

Studies on the toxicity of coal-tar dyes II. Examination of the biological reaction of coal-tar dyes to vital body.

The toxicity of xanthene dyes were studied by various interaction between the dyes and the components in vital body. (1) An increase in the amount of Rose Bengale adsorbed on the gill of fish was followed by the increase in red corpuscle number, and it was assumed that the death of fish in xanthene dye solution was due to anoxemia. (2) Binding capacity of xanthene dyes with bovine serum albumin decreased in the following; Rose Bengale, Phloxine, Erythrosine, Eosine and Uranine. This order was quite coincident with the toxicity compared by TLm values. (3) From the results of rec-assay test by use of Bacillus subtilis, it was confirmed that Phloxine and Rose Bengale had DNA-damaging capacity related to the mutagenecity.

Gas-liquid chromatographic determination of adipic acid in crackling candy and soft drinks.

A procedure was developed for the simple and rapid determination of adipic acid in crackling candy and also in soft drinks. An alkaline solution of sample was extracted with ethyl ether to remove fatty substances, and H2SO4 was added to water layer to adjust the pH to less than 2. The acidified layer was saturated with NaCl and then extracted with ether. After drying, the ether layer was concentrated and the adipic acid in the concentrate was methylated using the diazomethane methograph equipped with a flame ionization detector. Recovery of adipic acid from crackling candy and from 2 kinds of soft drinks that had been fortified at the 200 ppm level was 96%. An interlaboratory test was carried out on the determination of adipic acid in orange soft drink. The results obtained by 6 laboratories were between 91 and 100% compared with the theoretical value.

Colorimetric determination of boric acid in prawns, shrimp, and salted jelly fish by chelate extraction with 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol.

Borate was directly chelate-extracted from foods with 5% 2-ethyl-1,3-hexanediol (EHD) in n-hexane-n-butyl acetate mixture (8 + 2), from which borate was selectively transferred into 1% NaOH, since EHD-chelated boron did not react with curcumin to develop color. Finally, an aliquot of the alkaline solution was acidified with HCl and reacted with curcumin in a rotary evaporator. Color development was increased by heating for 8 min at 80 degrees C under reduced pressure of 16 mm Hg. Frozen shrimp and prawns (peeled and with shells) and salted jelly fish were analyzed by the proposed method. Results were compared with the contemporary official method of Japan based on curcumin reaction on an incinerated sample. Over 90% of the boric acid was recovered by the proposed method when samples were fortified with 20 ppm boric acid. Recoveries were superior to those of the official method especially for shrimp and prawns with shells and salted jelly fish. Detection limit of boric acid is 1 ppm. Moreover, the method requires only about 1 hr for analysis of one sample, making it suitable for routine analysis.

Studies on the toxicity of coal-tar dyes. I. Photodecomposed products of four xanthene dyes and their acute toxicity to fish.

The acute toxicity of photodecomposed products of Erythrosine, Eosine, Phloxine and Rose Bengale were studied, since it was found that toxicity of these dyes to fish increased after the dyes had been photoirradiated. Photodecomposed products of the dyes were isolated and identified with UV, IR, NMR spectra and the acute toxicity of those compounds were determined by TLm test. As results of these studies, it became clear that the toxicity of photodecomposed organic products (dehalogenated compounds of dyes) were lower than the mother compounds. The increases in toxicity of the xanthene dyes by photo-irradiation were attributed to the liberated halogens by irradiation.