The lead and cadmium content in rice and risk to human health in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Numerous studies have investigated concentrations of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in rice in China, but have come to divergent conclusions. Therefore we systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the available evidence on levels of Pb and Cd in rice in different regions of China in order to assess the potential risk to human health. The meta-analysis included 24 studies of Pb levels and 29 studies of Cd levels, published in 2011-2021. The pooled Pb concentration in rice was 0.10 mg per kg dry weight (95% CI 0.08-0.11), while the pooled Cd concentration was 0.16 mg per kg dry weight (95% CI 0.14-0.18). These levels are within the limits specified by national food safety standards. However, the total target hazard quotient for both metals exceeded 1.0 for adults and children, suggesting that rice consumption poses a health risk.

A screening method of oil-soluble synthetic dyes in chilli products based on multi-wavelength chromatographic fingerprints comparison.

A multi-wavelength HPLC fingerprint comparison method was proposed for the screening of oil-soluble synthetic dyes in chilli products. The screening was based on the fingerprint differences of normal unadulterated chilli sample with tested chilli samples. The samples were extracted with acetone and fingerprinted by HPLC under four visible light wavelengths (450 nm, 490 nm, 520 nm, and 620 nm). It was found that the fingerprints of different chilli product samples had a relatively fixed number of peaks and stable retention time. When 16 kinds of known synthetic dyes were used as model analytes to assess the screening efficiency, 14 of them could be screened using fingerprint comparison method, with LOD of 0.40-2.41 mg/kg. The new screening method was simple and had the possibility of finding existence of the adulterated dyes which could not be identified using known standard analytes as control.

Establishment, growth kinetics, and susceptibility to AcMNPV of heat tolerant lepidopteran cell lines.

Lepidopteran heat-tolerant (ht) cell lines have been obtained with sf-9, sf-21 and several Bombyx cells. They have a distinct karyotype, membrane lipid composition, morphology and growth kinetics from the parental cell lines. In this paper, we report the development of ht cell lines from other insect species and examination of their growth characteristics and virus susceptibility. Adaptation of cell lines sf-9, BTI-TN-5B1-4 (High5) and BTI-TN-MG1 (MG1) to 33°C and 35°C was carried out by shifting the culture temperature between 28°C and higher temperatures by a gradual stepwise increase in temperature. The process of adaption to a higher culture temperature was accomplished over a period of 2 months. The cell lines with the temperature adaption were designated as sf9-ht33, sf9-ht35, High5-ht33, High5-ht35, MG1-ht33, MG1-ht35. These cell lines have been subcultured over 70 passages. Adaption to high temperatures was confirmed by a constant population doubling time with individual cell lines. The population doubling time of heat adapted cell lines were 1-4 h less than these of parental cell lines. Cell shapes did not show obvious change, however, the cell size of sf9-ht cells was enlarged and those of High5 and MG1 ht cells were reduced after heat adaption. When the cell lines were infected with Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) at 28°C, 33°C, 35°C and 37°C, production of budded virus and occlusion bodies in each cell line was optimum at its own adapted temperature.