Comparison of microwave digestion with conventional wet ashing and dry ashing digestion for analysis of lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, and zinc in shellfish by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy

A closed vessel microwave digestion procedure was developed for shellfish samples. This procedure was compared with wet and dry ash procedures for levels of lead, cadmium, chromium, copper, and zinc. Results obtained for microwave and conventional wet ash digestion were comparable. The dry ashing procedure produced results consistently lower than either of the other methods. Recoveries ranged from 80-92% for microwave and wet ashing procedures and 54-72% for the dry ashing procedure. Accuracy was also determined by analyzing lobster hepatopancreas marine reference material. Values for Pb, Cd, and Cr fell within the range specified for the reference material for all 3 digestion procedures; however, values were lower for Cu and Zn. Results of this study show that microwave digestion is comparable to wet ashing.     

DETERMINATION OF 14C IN SOIL BY A GEL SUSPENSION METHOD

Radioactivity in soils labelled with ¹⁴C was determined by suspending the finely ground soil in a thixotropic gel, dispersing it by ultrasonics and counting the dispersion in a liquid scintillation spectrometer. The relationship between the weight of sample and counting efficiency was found to be almost linear. Using 30 mg soil, the counting efficiency is 50 per cent and ¹⁴C may be determined with an average coefficient of variation of 1.5 per cent to within 5 per cent of the value determined by oxidative procedures.     

High-performance liquid chromatographic determination of strychnine in grain baits.l.

A simple and rapid high-performance liquid chromatographic procedure is described for the determination of strychnine. Grain baits containing strychnine alkaloid are ground, mixed, and extracted by shaking with chloroform. Without further cleanup, extract filtrates are injected directly into a liquid chromatograph. Chromatography is complete within 7 min and peak heights are used for quantitation. Separations were made on a 30 cm times 4 mm id stainless steel column packed with mu Porasil (8-12 mum silica). The eluting solvent was methanol-chloroform (10+90) at a flow rate of 2.0 ml/min. Recovery of spiked samples ranged from 91.5 to 95.2%. Confirmation of strychnine from a commercial sample was made by high resolution mass spectrometry with mass agreement to 1.2 ppm.     

Phytoextraction of Cd and Zn with Salix viminalis in field trials

Abstract. Use of high biomass crops such as the willow Salix viminalis to extract metals for soil remediation has been proposed as an alternative to the low biomass-producing hyperaccumulating plants. High yields compensate for the moderate heavy-metal concentrations in the shoots of such species. We report the first long-term trials using Salix viminalis to extract heavy metals from two contaminated soils, one calcareous (5 years) and one acidic (2 years). Total metals extracted by the plants were 170 g Cd ha⁻¹ and 13.4 kg Zn ha⁻¹ from the calcareous soil after 5 years, and 47 g Cd ha⁻¹ and 14.5 kg Zn ha⁻¹ from the acidic soil after 2 years; in the first year outputs were negligible. After 2 years, Salix had performed better on the acidic soil because of larger biomass production and higher metal concentrations in shoots. Addition of elemental sulphur to the soil did not yield any additional benefit in the long term, but application of an Fe chelate improved the biomass production. Cd and Zn concentrations were significantly higher in leaves than stems, highlighting the necessity to collect leaves as well as shoots. On both soils, concentration in shoots decreased with time, indicating a decrease in extraction efficiency.     

Relationship of Kernel Moisture Content Gradients and Glass Transition Temperatures to Head Rice Yield

The relationship of glass transition temperature T_g and moisture content (MC) gradient of rice kernels to head rice yield (HRY) variation was investigated. Mathematical models describing heat and moisture transfer inside rice kernels during drying were developed and solved using the finite element method. Moisture distributions inside a kernel were simulated and verified using thin-layer drying experiments, and the intra-kernel MC gradients during drying were accordingly determined and analysed. Results showed that in the glassy region, rice did not incur measurable HRY reduction after drying. However, when rice was dried in the rubbery region and then cooled down immediately without being tempered following drying, HRY decreased markedly after MC gradients exceeded certain levels. It was found in this study that the time when the percentage point of moisture removal reached a maximally allowable level before HRY decreased dramatically coincided with the time at which the curve of kernel MC gradients versus drying duration reached its peak. Such a relation was verified with the HRY data of two varieties (Cypress and M202) as measured in this study and cited from literature. The HRY trends for these two varieties were well explained through the behaviour of glass transition and MC gradients of rice.     

Nutritional and physicochemical characteristics of dietary fiber enriched pasta.

The relationship between pasta texture and physicostructural characteristics was determined in relation to potential starch degradation and subsequent glucose release. Pastas with added soluble and insoluble dietary fiber ingredients were evaluated in relation to biochemical composition, cooking properties, and textural characteristics. Results show that both the type and amount of added fiber influence the overall quality of both raw and cooked pasta. Glucose release may be significantly reduced by the addition of soluble dietary fiber.     

Use of nootkatone as a senescence indicator for Rouge La Toma Cv. grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.)

The objective of this research was to study the usefulness of nootkatone as a senescence indicator for Rouge La Toma cv. grapefruit (Citrus paradisi Macf.), simulating different treatments that included the normal postharvest handling of citrus fruits: temperature conditioning, cold storage, shipment periods to overseas markets such as Japan and the U.S., marketing conditions, and storage at nonchilling temperature (control treatments). The highest nootkatone levels, determined by GLC-MS analyses, were detected in fruits subjected to control treatments. No significant differences were observed in nootkatone levels between treatments either with or without temperature conditioning prior to the start of the cold storage. Levels of nootkatone increased throughout time for all assayed treatments. The linear regressions of nootkatone levels showed correlation coefficients of 0.80 and 0.83 with storage time (29 and 42 days, respectively). Therefore, nootkatone appears to be a good indicator of senescence for Rouge La Toma grapefruit.     

Tillage and crop sequence effects on organic carbon and total nitrogen content in an irrigated Alberta soil

A better understanding of tillage effects on soil organic matter is vital for development of effective soil conservation practices. The objective of this research is to determine the effect of tillage and crop sequence on soil organic carbon (OC) and total nitrogen (TN) content in an irrigated southern Alberta soil. A field experiment was conducted using a split–split plot design from 1994 to 1998 in Alberta, Canada. There were two crop sequences (Sequence 1: spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.)–spring wheat–annual legume; and Sequence 2: spring wheat–spring wheat–annual legume–sugar beet) and two tillage practices (CT: conventional tillage and MT: minimum tillage). Surface soil under MT had significantly higher OC (30.1 Mg ha⁻¹) content than under CT (28.3 Mg ha⁻¹) after 4 years of treatment. The MT treatment retains crop residue at the soil surface, reduces soil erosion and slows organic matter decomposition, which are key factors in enhancing the soil fertility status of southern Alberta irrigated soils.     

Stability of monoterpenes encapsulated in gum Arabic by spray-drying

Microencapsulation using spray-drying was tested with gum arabic and monoterpenes as wall and core materials, respectively. Citral, linalool, beta-myrcene, limonene, and beta-pinene were used at concentrations of 10, 20, and 30% with respect to the wall material. The greatest percentages of retention occurred at a concentration of 10%. Linalool and citral presented the greatest losses with increase in concentration. The hydrocarbons used were the most retained. Of the hydrocarbons, beta-pinene was better retained in the capsules than limonene, and beta-myrcene was the least retained of all. The capsules presented similar external morphologies, with no apparent cracks or porosity and an average size varying between 15.7 and 23.2 microm. The stability of the capsules to temperature was monitored for 33 days. The degradation products of the monoterpenes were evaluated. The results indicated a greater stability of the capsules containing beta-pinene and citral than of those containing linalool and beta-myrcene presenting the lowest retentions.     

Degradation of lignin in wheat straw during growth of the oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) using off-line thermochemolysis with tetramethylammonium hydroxide and solid-state (13)C NMR.

The oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) is widely cultivated on wheat straw (Triticum aestivum); however, there is a need to better understand the relationship between the chemical composition of the compost and mushroom growth. Wheat straw was degraded over a period of 63 days by P. ostreatus during which time it was sampled at weekly intervals. Off-line thermochemolysis with tetramethylammonium hydroxide and solid-state (13)C NMR were then used in the molecular characterization of the undegraded wheat straw and the degraded samples. The degraded wheat straw samples had a lower proportion of syringyl- to guaiacyl-derived moieties and cinnamyl- to guaiacyl-derived moieties than the undegraded control. There were increases in both guaiacyl and syringyl acid to aldehyde ratios with composting time, which showed that side-chain oxidation has been mediated by P. ostreatus. The (13)C NMR spectra confirmed the increase in carboxyl content but indicated that the overall lignin and methoxyl contents remained relatively constant, although some nonsystematic variations were observed. The spectra also showed a decrease in amorphous noncellulosic polysaccharides in relation to the crystalline cellulose upon degradation.