Analysis of food taints and off-flavours: a review.

Taints and off-flavours in foods are a major concern to the food industry. Identification of the compound(s) causing a taint or off-flavour in food and accurate quantification are critical in assessing the potential safety risks of a product or ingredient. Even when the tainting compound(s) are not at a level that would cause a safety concern, taints and off-flavours can have a significant impact on the quality and consumers' acceptability of products. The analysis of taints and off-flavour compounds presents an analytical challenge especially in an industrial laboratory environment because of the low levels, often complex matrices and potential for contamination from external laboratory sources. This review gives an outline of the origins of chemical taints and off-flavours and looks at the methods used for analysis and the merits and drawbacks of each technique. Extraction methods and instrumentation are covered along with possible future developments. Generic screening methods currently lack the sensitivity required to detect the low levels required for some tainting compounds and a more targeted approach is often required. This review highlights the need for a rapid but sensitive universal method of extraction for the unequivocal determination of tainting compounds in food.

Characteristics, treatment and short-term survival of patients with heart failure in a cardiology private practice in Jamaica.

BACKGROUND: Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated improvement in mortality with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), beta blockers and aldosterone antagonists. The use of these lifesaving treatments remain inadequate. AIM: To determine the clinical features, aetiology, treatment and short-term survival of heart failure in a cardiology private practice in Jamaica. METHODS: This is a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 1055 consecutive patients presenting to a consultant cardiologist private practice between January 2002 and March 2003. Data were extracted from the records of the first 100 patients with heart failure. RESULTS: Most were over 65 years of age, female, never smoked cigarettes, overweight/obese and hypertensive (82%). The most commonly prescribed medications at one month were ACEIs (91%), beta blockers (88%) and loop diuretics (55%). The main aetiologies were hypertension (54%) and ischaemic heart disease (IHD) (26%). Ninety-one per cent were in sinus rhythm and 6% in atrial fibrillation. Forty-nine per cent had echocardiograms, of these 39% had ejection fractions (EF) > 40% and 27% had EF < or = 20%. The survival at one year was 81%. CONCLUSION: Hypertension was the major aetiology of heart failure followed by IHD. Medical treatment closely approached the recommended standards of major heart failure guidelines with high ACEI and beta blocker use comparable to recent heart failure trials. Short-term survival was very high.

A method for the determination of N-nitrosodiethanolamine in personal care products - collaboratively evaluated by the CTPA Nitrosamines Working Group.

A procedure for the determination of N-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA) in personal care products was evaluated in collaborative studies by member organizations of the United Kingdom's Cosmetic Toiletry and Perfumery Association (CTPA) and LGC Limited, formerly known as the Laboratory of the Government Chemist (LGC). Samples were prepared depending on the matrix of the cosmetic product: aqueous samples were prepared by diluting in water followed by solid-phase extraction; emulsions, oils and solid materials were dissolved in dichloromethane and extracted with water. NDELA was separated from the sample matrix using reverse-phase liquid chromatography. The N-nitroso bond was cleaved by photolysis to give nitrite, which was colorimetrically quantified. The nitrite functional group reacted with sulphanilamide in an acid medium to form a diazonium ion which was then coupled with N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine dihydrochloride according to the Griess reaction to give a purple-coloured azo dye that absorbed at 540 nm. Compared with other published methods for NDELA, the method described here is quick and easy to use. It has the required sensitivity and specificity, and can accurately and reliably quantify NDELA in a wide range of personal care product matrices.

Characteristics and control of severe hypertension in a specialist, private practice in Jamaica / Análisis del contenido de las investigaciones de salud reportadas por los diarios de Trinidad y Tobago

OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristics of patients with severe uncontrolled hypertension, in a Jamaican specialist practice; the level of blood pressure control achieved in routine clinical practice, and the number/type of antihypertensive medications required for blood pressure control. DESIGN: This was a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 500 consecutive patients presenting to a consultant physician private group-practice between January and December 2000. Data were extracted from the records of the 48 patients with severe (Grade III) hypertension (WHO/ISH). RESULTS: Fifty per cent (252) werefound to be hypertensive, 19(48) had Grade III hypertension. The patients with severe uncontrolled hypertension were of mixed ethnicity, predominantly African. Most were less than 65 years old, never smoked cigarettes and were overweight/obese. Nearly one-half had LDL cholesterol >3.4 mg/dL. Diabetes (31) and congestive heart failure (21) were the most common comorbid conditions. Fifteen per cent had no illnesses other than severe hypertension. Cardiovascular symptoms were predominant, followed by dizziness. Only 19of patients were asymptomatic. More than half of the patients achieved blood pressure > 140/90 mm Hg during the study period. Most patients received four drugs and the number of drugs prescribed increased with duration of follow-up. The antihypertensive medications most prescribed at one year were--angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (87), diuretics (78), calcium channel blockers (63) and beta-blockers (69). CONCLUSION: Severe hypertension was a common problem in the specialist private practice in Jamaica. Most patients had cardiovascular symptoms, were dyslipidaemic and required four or more antihypertensive drugs for adequate long-term control.

Objetivo: Determinar las características de los pacientes con hipertensión severa incontrolada, el nivel de control de la presión sanguínea logrado en la práctica clínica de rutina, y el número/tipo de medicamentos antihipertensivos requeridos para el control de la presión sanguínea, en un consultorio especializado de Jamaica. Diseño: Este estudio consistió en un análisis retrospectivo de los archivos médicos de 500 pacientes consecutivos que acudieron a la consulta grupal privada de un médico consultante entre enero y diciembre del año 2000. Se extrajeron los datos de los archivos de 48 pacientes con hipertensión severa (grado 3) (OMS/ISH). Resultados: Se halló que el cincuenta por ciento (252) eran hipertensos, 19% (48) tenían hipertensión de grado 3. Los pacientes con hipertensión severa incontrolable eran de etnicidad mixta, predominantemente africana. La mayoría tenía menos de 65 años de edad, nunca fumó cigarrillos, y eran obesos/sobrepesos. Casi la mitad tenía colesterol LDL >3.4 mg/dL. La diabetes (31%) y la insuficiencia cardiaca congestiva (21%) fueron las condiciones comórbidas más comunes. El quince por ciento no padecía enfermedad alguna, excepto hipertensión severa. Los síntomas cardiovasculares fueron predominantes, seguidos por el vértigo. Sólo 19% de los pacientes fueron asintomáticos. Más de la mitad de los pacientes logró una tensión arterial ?140/90 mm Hg durante el periodo en estudio. La mayoría de los pacientes recibió cuatro drogas y el número de drogas prescritas aumentó con la duración del seguimiento. Los medicamentos antihipertensivos más prescritos en un año fueron: los inhibidores de enzimas convertidoras de angiotensina (87%), los diuréticos (78%), los bloqueadores de los canales de calcio (63%) y los bloqueadores beta (69%). Conclusión: La hipertensión severa era un problema común en la consulta especializada privada en Jamaica. Los pacientes en su mayoría presentaron síntomas cardiovasculares, eran dislipidémicos, y requirieron cuatro o más drogas antihipertensivas para un control adecuado a largo plazo.

Inter-laboratory comparison of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in bleaching earth used in the refinement of edible oils.

Bleaching earth (dried, powdered, bentonite-montmorillonite clay) is commonly used as a processing aid in edible oil refinement. Used bleaching earth may be incorporated into animal feed indirectly, for example because it is included into seed meal, or directly (e.g., as a binding agent). Control must be demonstrated to ensure that the levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and dibenzofurans (PCDFs) in feed ingredients do not infringe European Community regulations. The low legislative action level assigned is analytically challenging and may be at or below the limits of quantification achievable by many laboratories. A statistical comparison (following the IUPAC/ISO/AOAC protocol) was made of analyses of PCDDs and PCDFs in selected bleaching earth samples by laboratories from Europe and the USA to assess the comparability of data. Of 19 sets of results submitted by laboratories for replicate samples, 11 demonstrated acceptable agreement.

Human exposure and internal dose assessments of acrylamide in food.

This review provides a framework contributing to the risk assessment of acrylamide in food. It is based on the outcome of the ILSI Europe FOSIE process, a risk assessment framework for chemicals in foods and adds to the overall framework by focusing especially on exposure assessment and internal dose assessment of acrylamide in food. Since the finding that acrylamide is formed in food during heat processing and preparation of food, much effort has been (and still is being) put into understanding its mechanism of formation, on developing analytical methods and determination of levels in food, and on evaluation of its toxicity and potential toxicity and potential human health consequences. Although several exposure estimations have been proposed, a systematic review of key information relevant to exposure assessment is currently lacking. The European and North American branches of the International Life Sciences Institute, ILSI, discussed critical aspects of exposure assessment, parameters influencing the outcome of exposure assessment and summarised data relevant to the acrylamide exposure assessment to aid the risk characterisation process. This paper reviews the data on acrylamide levels in food including its formation and analytical methods, the determination of human consumption patterns, dietary intake of the general population, estimation of maximum intake levels and identification of groups of potentially high intakes. Possible options and consequences of mitigation efforts to reduce exposure are discussed. Furthermore the association of intake levels with biomarkers of exposure and internal dose, considering aspects of bioavailability, is reviewed, and a physiologically-based toxicokinetic (PBTK) model is described that provides a good description of the kinetics of acrylamide in the rat. Each of the sections concludes with a summary of remaining gaps and uncertainties.

Characteristics and control of severe hypertension in a specialist, private practice in Jamaica.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the characteristics of patients with severe uncontrolled hypertension, in a Jamaican specialist practice; the level of blood pressure control achieved in routine clinical practice, and the number/type of antihypertensive medications required for blood pressure control. DESIGN: This was a retrospective analysis of the medical records of 500 consecutive patients presenting to a consultant physician private group-practice between January and December 2000. Data were extracted from the records of the 48 patients with severe (Grade III) hypertension (WHO/ISH). RESULTS: Fifty per cent (252) werefound to be hypertensive, 19% (48) had Grade III hypertension. The patients with severe uncontrolled hypertension were of mixed ethnicity, predominantly African. Most were less than 65 years old, never smoked cigarettes and were overweight/obese. Nearly one-half had LDL cholesterol >3.4 mg/dL. Diabetes (31%) and congestive heart failure (21%) were the most common comorbid conditions. Fifteen per cent had no illnesses other than severe hypertension. Cardiovascular symptoms were predominant, followed by dizziness. Only 19% of patients were asymptomatic. More than half of the patients achieved blood pressure > 140/90 mm Hg during the study period. Most patients received four drugs and the number of drugs prescribed increased with duration of follow-up. The antihypertensive medications most prescribed at one year were--angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (87%), diuretics (78%), calcium channel blockers (63%) and beta-blockers (69%). CONCLUSION: Severe hypertension was a common problem in the specialist private practice in Jamaica. Most patients had cardiovascular symptoms, were dyslipidaemic and required four or more antihypertensive drugs for adequate long-term control.

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography as a fast screening method for the determination of the doping agents furosemide and piretanide in urine.

The possibility of using micellar electrokinetic chromatography for the screening of the loop diuretics piretanide and furosemide in urine was studied. A fast and simple method with good repeatability is described. The method was applied to urine samples collected from a healthy volunteer after oral administration of therapeutic doses of each compound. Positive identification in the urine matrix was possible through recording diode array spectra.

Quantitation of organic acids in sugar refinery juices with capillary zone electrophoresis and indirect UV detection.

During sugar refinement, monitoring of organic acids such as formate, tartrate, succinate, malate, glycolate and acetate in the process "juices" is important for process control. Matrix effects can lead to problems in conventional chromatographic ion analysis of these solutions. Capillary zone electrophoresis, with indirect UV detection, has been shown to be a good alternative, requiring almost no sample preparation, other than dilution, and with fast analysis time (less than 7 min). A co-elution problem for the formate-tartrate pair could be solved by adding small amounts of bivalent metal ions to the electrophoresis buffer. Quantitative analyses of the organic acids in the juices from beet sugar production and from the processing of a hydrolysed chicory root extract (Cichorium intybus) are reported.

Chemical and physicochemical characterization of petrolatums used in eye ointment formulations.

Petrolatums from different manufacturers were characterized by viscosity measurements, oil number and ratio of low to high mol. wt components (capillary gas chromatography). Viscosity measurements and oil numbers of original materials did not correlate with the viscosity of the processed material in eye ointments. The ratio of high carbon number components to the low carbon number components was a reliable predictor for the viscosity of the formulation.