Serious Alert and Border Rejection Notifications on Food in the EU RASFF.

The serious alert and border rejection notifications on food from the European Union Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (EU RASFF) database were used to determine their lag phases (from sampling to notification dates). More specifically, 4503 serious alert notifications on food were used to calculate the percent (%) share of various lag phases in an overall fashion (for all EU RASFF Member States collectively examined) as well as for the top-three Member States (in notification numbers), in each one of seven hazard categories. The same procedure was followed for 5236 serious border rejection notifications in each one of five hazard categories on food. The lag phases calculated revealed a state of nonharmonization (in lag phases percent shares) both overall and among the top-three Member States, and in the same MS in various hazard categories in serious alert but less pronounced in serious border rejection notifications. Thus, a "Performance Effectiveness Reporting (PER)-50/30" indicator (over 50% of notifications being notified to the RASFF within 30 days of sampling) was proposed for both types of serious notifications, and its application herein has revealed volatility in performance effectiveness reporting among the top-three EU RASFF Member States in the hazard categories. Actions to harmonize this inconsistency should be pursued in the context of safeguarding public health, aiming at the fastest possible risk management and risk communication of serious contamination incidents on food. Finally, a proposal of an "RASFF country profile" is hereby proposed.

Serious Notifications on Food Contact Materials in the EU RASFF.

Serious alert and border rejection notifications on food contact materials (FCM) retrieved from the RASFF database were analyzed for the first time regarding the period 2012-2019. The findings indicate that China was the main transgressor country for both types of notifications. Official controls were responsible for most FCM serious alerts (91.78%), and border rejection (90.82%) notifications. Another novelty proposed herein, is the criterion for "lag phases" (time from sampling to notification dates). Overall percentage distributions of lag phases, for all RASFF Member States, for the intervals of 0-50 days and 51-≥101 days, were 25.09% and 67.87% for serious alert notifications and 65.21% and 29.34% for serious border rejection notifications. Differences in percent shares of lag phase intervals were observed between the top-four notifying countries, indicating a lack of harmonization in timely reporting of serious alert and border rejection notifications for FCM. Migration of primary aromatic amines and of metals were the most frequently notified hazards overall in the period of analysis. A decreasing trend is observed in the two more recent biannual averages of serious alert notifications for primary aromatic amines and metals, while decreasing for metals but increasing for primary aromatic amines in serious border rejection notifications.

Foodborne Norovirus State of Affairs in the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed.

The European Union Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (EU RASFF) database is an invaluable instrument for analyzing notifications involving norovirus in food. The aim of this work was to carry out a thorough research of the alert and border rejection notifications submitted in the RASFF database from its onset until 31 August 2017. Some conclusions of interest were: (i) Denmark, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Norway have contributed the majority of alert notifications as notifying countries, (ii) France and Serbia have been cited more often in alert notifications as countries of origin, (iii) Italy and Spain have submitted the majority of border rejection notifications, (iv) Third Countries implicated more frequently in border rejection notifications for norovirus in bivalve molluscs were Vietnam and Tunisia, whereas in fruits and vegetables were China and Serbia, (v) "risk dispersion" from norovirus-contaminated food was narrow since, in just over half of all alert notifications and all of the border rejection notifications, only up to three countries were involved, and (vi) both raw (oysters and berries) and cooked (mussels) food products can present a health risk to consumers. The information retrieved from the RASFF database on norovirus-contaminated food could prove helpful in the planning of future norovirus risk analysis endeavors.

Rapid ion-pair liquid chromatographic method for the determination of fenbendazole marker residue in fermented dairy products.

A simple, rapid and sensitive liquid chromatographic method that allows for the quantitative determination of fenbendazole residues in fermented dairy products is described. Samples were extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile-phosphoric acid and the extracts were defatted with hexane to be further partitioned into ethyl acetate. The organic layer was evaporated to dryness and the residue was reconstituted in mobile phase. Separation of fenbendazole and its sulphoxide, sulphone, and p-hydroxylated metabolites was carried out isocratically with a mobile phase containing both positively and negatively charged pairing ions. Overall recoveries ranged from 79.8 to 88.8%, while precision data, based on within and between days variations, suggested an overall relative standard deviation of 6.3-11.0%. The detection and quantification limits were lower than 9 and 21µg/kg, respectively. The method has been successfully applied to quantitate fenbendazole residues in Feta cheese and yoghurt made from spiked and incurred ovine milk.

Endosulfan-induced lipid peroxidation in rat brain and its effect on t-PA and PAI-1: ameliorating effect of vitamins C and E.

Endosulfan provokes systemic toxicity in mammals and induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). The brain is susceptible to LPO and several studies implicate ROS and LPO in CNS diseases. Tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) has been accredited with plasminogen-dependent roles in the CNS, as well as plasminogen-independent functions. The aim of this study was to investigate the activities of t-PA and its inhibitor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) in the adult rat brain, after subchronic endosulfan treatment. Furthermore, the potency of vitamins C and E to attenuate these effects was explored. Endosulfan was administered in Wistar rats either alone or with vitamin C and/or vitamin E. The induced oxidative stress was manifested by induction of LPO as determined by higher malondialdehyde levels. This was accompanied by elevation of t-PA and PAI-1 activities. Vitamins E and C, both well-known for their antioxidant properties, substantially acted in a preventive way and protected the brain from these effects.

Liquid chromatographic determination and depletion profile of oxytetracycline in milk after repeated intramuscular administration in sheep.

A simple, rapid and specific ion-pair liquid chromatographic method for the routine determination of the marker residue of oxytetracycline in sheep milk, at levels as low as 20 microg/kg, has been developed. Milk samples were acidified and extracted with acetonitrile. The extracts were purified by treatment with ammonium sulphate and concentrated into diluted phosphoric acid. Separation was carried out isocratically on a Nucleosil C(18) column using a mobile phase that contained both positively and negatively charged pairing ions. The in-house validated method gave overall recoveries and overall relative standard deviations better than 86% and 4.6%, respectively. The method was successfully applied to study the depletion of oxytetracycline in sheep milk and to estimate the withdrawal period after intramuscular administration of a commercial oxytetracycline formulation.

A new liquid chromatographic method for routine determination of oxytetracycline marker residue in the edible tissues of farm animals.

A simple, rapid, and specific ion-pair liquid chromatographic method for routine determination of the marker residue of oxytetracycline (OTC), namely OTC and 4-epi-oxytetracycline (4-epiOTC), in edible animal tissues (muscle, liver, kidney, and fat) has been developed. Minced tissue samples were acidified at pH 2.7 with 2 mol L(-1) sulfuric acid and extracted with acetonitrile. The extracts were purified by treatment with ammonium sulfate solution and concentrated into 0.1 mol L(-1) phosphoric acid. Baseline separation was carried out isocratically on a Nucleosil 100-5 C(18), 5-microm column using an acetonitrile-0.01 mol L(-1) disodium hydrogen phosphate (20:80, v/v) mobile phase that contained both positively (tetrabutylammonium) and negatively (octanesulfonate) charged pairing ions and EDTA, and was adjusted to pH 3.8. Detection was by UV at 370 nm. The method was fully validated according to Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. Overall recoveries were better than 82.6% and overall relative standard deviation was better than 6% for all the tissues examined. The good analytical characteristics of the method allowed limits of quantification as low as 30 ng g(-1) for muscle and fat and 50 ng g(-1) for liver and kidney, for both OTC and 4-epiOTC, to be realized. The method was successfully used to determine the OTC marker residue in tissues of two sheep intramuscularly administered a commercial OTC formulation.

Highly sensitive ion pair liquid chromatographic determination of albendazole marker residue in animal tissues.

A simple, rapid, and highly sensitive ion pair liquid chromatographic method for the determination of albendazole sulfoxide, albendazole 2-aminosulfone, and albendazole sulfone, which constitute the marker residue of albendazole in animal tissues (muscle, fat, liver, and kidney), is described. Tissue samples were extracted with acetonitrile, and the extracts were partitioned, as ion pairs, into dichloromethane. The organic layer was evaporated to dryness, and the residue was reconstituted in phosphate buffer and extracted with ethyl acetate. Separation was carried out isocratically with a mobile phase containing both positively and negatively charged pairing ions. Detection was performed fluorometrically, with excitation and emission wavelengths set at 290 and 320 nm, respectively. Overall recoveries were better than 76%, and the overall relative standard deviation was better than 7.3% in all tissues examined. The limits of quantification were 20, 1, and 0.5 ng/g for sulfoxide, 2-aminosulfone, and sulfone metabolites, respectively. The method was successfully applied to determine residues in tissues of two sheep orally administered an albendazole formulation.