Concentrations of iron and chromium in free-ranging common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) from Pernambuco, Brazil.

Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) are widely distributed in Northeast Brazil and often inhabit urban and peri-urban forest areas close to human settlements. Given its wide territorial distribution, its proximity to human populations, and its exposure to environmental degradations originating from urbanization, common marmosets have a high potential for environmental biomonitoring. The concentrations of iron (Fe) and chromium (Cr) were quantified in the liver, hair, and bone of 22 free-ranging common marmosets' bodies from nine cities from Pernambuco State, Brazil, using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES). The liver showed the highest concentrations of Fe and Cr (3773.2 ± 3715.8 mg/kg and 19.4 ± 41.6 mg/kg, respectively); the lowest concentration of Fe was detected in the bone (111.6 ± 97.6 mg/kg) and of Cr in the hair (3.3 ± 1.5 mg/kg). There was a moderate positive correlation between Fe and Cr in the liver (r = 0.64) and a high negative correlation for Cr between bone and hair (r = -0.65). This study demonstrated the bioaccumulation of Fe and Cr in hair, liver, and bone in common marmosets. The highest average concentration of Fe and Cr occurred in animals from Recife, Jaboatão dos Guararapes, and Paulista, respectively, the 1st, the 2nd, and the 5th most populated cities in the state of Pernambuco. The presence of high concentrations of metals in animals from Recife and nearby cities can indicate alarming levels of environmental pollution in these locations.

Metallic elements in aquatic herpetofauna (Crocodylia; Testudines) from a lentic Atlantic rainforest environment in northeastern Brazil.

In the present study, Fe, Cu, Cr, Cd, Pb, Ni, and Al concentrations in Caiman latirostris and Testudines blood from the Tapacurá reservoir, Pernambuco, Brazil, were investigated. Blood was acid digested with HNO3, and metals were determined by ICP-OES and FAAS. Lead showed concentrations below the established limit of detection. Eighty animals were evaluated, forty from each group. The levels of all elements were statistically significant when compared between the two studied taxa (p < 0.05). In caimans, significant differences between young and adults were observed for chromium (p = 0.0539) and aluminum (p = 0.0515). Testudines showed no statistically significant differences for the variable age structure. Gender did not influence metal concentrations detected in the present study for either group. Differences between species of testudines were significant for Fe between Mesoclemmys tuberculata vs Phrynops geoffroanus (p = 0.0932) and Kinosternon scorpioides vs Phrynops geoffroanus (p = 0.063). The inter-elementary correlations showed statistically significant differences between the elements Cr vs Al (R2 = 0.52), Cr vs Cd (0.43), Cd vs Cu (R2 = 0.41), Ni vs Cu (R2 = 0.31), Ni vs Cr (R2 = 0.30), Al vs Cd (R2 = 0.27), and Cd vs Fe (R2 = 0.26). It is concluded that blood is an excellent predictor of metals in crocodilians and testudines in the Tapacurá reservoir, with statistically significant differences when correlated to concentrations such as size and species studied. In addition, it evidenced data that prove the exposure of these animals to metals, with strong inter-elementary correlations and opening doors for future studies that seek to understand possible biological effects caused in the studied taxa.

Impregnation and drying to develop a melon snack enriched in calcium.

Melon fortification with calcium by impregnation techniques using a vacuum and/or ultrasound and drying were combined to obtain a snack product. For the impregnation step, samples were immersed in a 2 g 100 mL-1 calcium chloride solution at 25 °C. The samples were dried at 60 °C and an air velocity of 2 m s-1. The influence of the impregnation method on drying kinetics, mass variation, calcium content, water activity, color, and texture was evaluated. All dried samples had reduced water activity. The vacuum impregnated (VI) melons presented higher mass gain and drying time. It resulted in the highest calcium incorporation, increasing up to 13 times the calcium concentration of the samples. The samples dried after submitted to VI showed the greatest differences in color and hardness. However, VI was the most effective technique for calcium incorporation, being the only one capable of producing fortified dried melon.

Direct analysis of deodorants for determination of metals by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry.

A fast and simple dilute-and-shoot procedure for determination of Al, As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sc, Ti, V, Zn and Zr in deodorants by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP OES) was developed. Sample preparation was carried out by diluting 1 mL of deodorant sample in 1% (v v-1) HNO3. The accuracy of the analytical procedure was evaluated using addition and recovery experiments, and recoveries ranged from 80 to 119%. The limits of detection varied from 0.001 to 0.76 mg kg-1. Nine deodorants samples of different brands were analyzed. The maximum concentrations found (mg kg-1) were: Fe (1.0), Mn (0.1), Ti (1.02), V (0.33), Zn (255.2) and Zr (0.5); for Al and Mg, determined concentrations varied from 0.01 to 7.0% and from 0.005 to 1.44 mg kg-1, respectively, showing wide variation depending on the sample type. The developed procedure was adequate for determining these analytes in routine analysis presenting high sample throughput and demonstrated the feasibility of direct analysis measurements after simple dilution step.