Extending applicability of the oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC-fluorescein) assay

The ORAC-fluorescein (ORAC-FL) method recently validated using automatic liquid handling systems has now been adapted to manual handling and using a conventional fluorescence microplate reader. As calculated for Trolox, the precision of the method was <3.0, expressed as percent coefficient of variation. The accuracy of the method was <2.3, expressed as percent variation of the mean. The detection and quantification limits were those corresponding to 0.5- and 1-microM Trolox standard solutions, respectively. The method has been applied to 10 pure compounds (benzoic and cinnamic acids and aldehydes, flavonoids, and butylated hydroxyanisole), to 30 white, rose, and bottled- and oak-aged red wines, and to 7 commercial dietary antioxidant supplements. All samples exhibited a good linear response with concentration. As seen by other methodologies, the chemical structure of a compound determines its antioxidant activity (ORAC-FL value). Of particular interest were the results with oak-aged red wines from different vintages (1989-2002) that confirm influence of vintage, but not origin of the oak, in the antioxidant activity of wines from the same variety. Dietary antioxidant supplements presented a great variability (170-fold difference) in their antioxidant potency. This work proves applicability of the ORAC-FL assay in evaluating the antioxidant activity of diverse food samples.     

In vivo antifungal activity of the essential oil of Bupleurum gibraltarium against Plasmopara halstedii in sunflower

The antifungal activity of the essential oil of the aerial parts of Bupleurum gibraltarium was evaluated against Plasmopara halstedii. Fungus spores were inoculated in sunflower seedlings, previously treated with several essential oil solutions, and the sporulation percentage was measured after an 11-day treatment. The oil at a concentration of 5.0 mL/L clearly inhibited the fungus sporulation. The contact between fungus sporangia and essential oil was minimized, so it seems that the oil pretreatment could activate the defense response of the sunflower seedlings against the pathogen invasion. The main compounds in the oil were sabinene (31.1%), alpha-pinene (15.6%), and 2,3,4-trimethylbenzaldehyde (10.9%), among a total of 65 components identified.     

Removal of Copper and Cadmium Ions from Diluted Aqueous Solutions by Low Cost and Waste Material Adsorbents

The sorption of copper and cadmium ions using activated carbon,kaolin, bentonite, diatomite and waste materials such as compost,cellulose pulp waste and anaerobic sludge as sorbents is reported. Equilibrium isotherms were obtained for the adsorption of these metals in single and binary solutions. Bentonite presented the highest adsorption capacities for both copper and cadmium. A competitive uptake was observed when both metals are present; copper being preferentially adsorbed by all materials with theexception of anaerobic sludge. Equilibrium data were fitted toLangmuir and Freundlich models, with satisfactory results for most of the adsorbent-metal systems studied.Of all the adsorbents studied, bentonite and compost presentedthe highest removal efficiencies, reaching 99% for copper whencadmium is also present, for initial solution concentrations ofup to 100 mg L^-1. Anaerobic sludge has a greater preferencefor cadmium, even in the presence of copper, with removal efficiencies of 98% for similar concentrations to those mentioned above.     

Remediation of As-Contaminated Soils in the Guadiamar River Basin (SW, Spain)

In 1998, the pond containing the ore wastes from a pyrite mine in Aznalcóllar (SW, Spain) broke open, spilling some 36×10⁵ m³ of acidic waters and 9?×?10⁵ m³ of tailings containing high concentrations of As and heavy metals. The affected area was around 55 km² of predominantly agricultural soils. After the clean-up of the tailings, many remediation actions were undertaken and the use of blocking agents to immobilize the As was one of the most extended measure. The first experiment performed was to determine the most important soil components in As adsorption under acidic conditions. A second experiment was conducted to neutralize the acidity caused by the solution coming from the tailings undergoing oxidation; an adequate liming material (sugar-refinery scum) was selected and the application rates were established. After the remediation measures, the zone was monitored for three years. A detailed study in four experimental plots located in the most polluted sector was carried out to test the influence of iron oxides in the As immobilization. The use of red soils of the area (rich in free-iron oxides Fe_d) was established as an appropriate material in the remediation of the area.     

Evaluation of the antioxidant capacity of individual phenolic compounds in virgin olive oil

Virgin olive oil has a high resistance to oxidative deterioration due to its tryacylglycerol composition low in polyunsaturated fatty acids and due to the presence of a group of phenolic antioxidants composed mainly of polyphenols and tocopherols. We isolated several phenolic compounds of extra virgin olive oil (phenyl-ethyl alcohols, lignans, and secoiridoids) by semipreparative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and identified them using ultraviolet, atmospheric pressure chemical ionization, and electrospray ionization MS detection. The purity of these extracts was confirmed by analytical HPLC using two different gradients. Finally, the antioxidant capacity of the isolated compounds was evaluated by measuring the radical scavenging effect on 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical, by accelerated oxidation in a lipid model system (OSI, oxidative stability instrument), and by an electrochemical method.     

Rotenone and rotenoids in cubè resins, formulations, and residues on olives

Rotenone and rotenoids (deguelin, beta-rotenolone (12a beta-hydroxyrotenone), tephrosin (12a beta-hydroxydeguelin), 12a alpha-hydroxyrotenone, and dehydrorotenone) were determined in cubè resins and formulations. Cubè resins from Lonchocarpus contain large quantities of deguelin (ca. 21.2%) and smaller quantities of tephrosin (ca. 3.5%) and beta-rotenolone (ca. 3.0%). The composition of commercial formulations may present very different rotenoid contents depending on the extracts used to prepare them. Because these rotenoids also present insecticide activity, the efficacy of these formulations may be very different. The storage stability and photodegradation of some rotenone formulations were studied. Rotenone and rotenoids are very sensitive to solar radiation, which degrades them rapidly, with half-lives in the order of a few tens of minutes. Some formulations show greater disappearance rates than that of cubè resin, indicating that not much attention has been paid to protecting the active ingredients from photodegradation in the formulation. A study on the residues on olives was also carried out to assess not only the rotenone content, but also that of the main rotenoids. At harvest, the residues of deguelin, tephrosin, and beta-rotenolone were 0.10, 0.06, and 0.10 mg/kg, respectively, very similar to rotenone (0.08 mg/kg), and though a few data indicate similar acute toxicity values for deguelin, only rotenone is taken into consideration in the legal determination of the residue.     

Simple and inexpensive flow L-glutamate determination using pumpkin tissue

This work refers to a very easy to implementate flow injection system with potentiometric detection for l-glutamate determination in food samples. The proposed procedure is based on measurement of carbon dioxide produced by decarboxylation of l-glutamate catalyzed by l-glutamate decarboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.1.5) from Cucurbita maxima (pumpkin). The FI potentiometric system includes an enzymatic reactor with a length of 8 cm and thickness of 5 mm packed with 200 mg of a C. maxima outer layer cut in to small pieces. The proposed procedure allowed l-glutamate determinations in the concentration interval of 10-100 mmol L(-1) for an injected sample volume of 50 microL. A phosphate buffer (0.1 mol L(-1), pH 5.5) solution flowing at 1.4 mL min(-1) was used as the carrier solution in the system. The results obtained in the analysis of food samples revealed a relative error lower than 5% when compared with those provided by the spectrophometric reference procedure. The immobilized reactor retained its initial activity for 21 days. It was possible to measure 40 samples/h with the flow system proposed.     

Temporal and Spatial Monitoring of the pH and Heavy Metals in a Soil Polluted by Mine Spill. Post Cleaning Effects

The bursting of the mining dam of Aznalcollar (Seville, Spain) triggered an increase in the concentration of heavy metals in the soils of the river Guadiamar valley as a result of the leaching of the pyritic sludge deposited on them. After the cleaning operations which included, as well as mechanical clearing, the addition of different amendments, some areas with residual sludge remained, from which some heavy metals are being mobilized by the cyclical recharge and discharge processes of water in the profiles. This paper analyzes the effect of the soil recovery operations and the climatology on the concentration of metals and their distribution in the soil profile in an area affected by the toxic spill. Fourteen points have been selected in a plot in which acidity persists, there is no vegetation, and residual sludge stains can be seen at a glance. The temporal and spatial evolution of the extractable metals: Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn, the pH and the oxidable fraction has been measured in-depth. The results obtained up to now indicate a leaching of the pollutant towards deeper horizons, finding, at a depth of 757 cm, pH values of 3.5 and very high Fe and Mn concentrations available, especially in the profiles with large sized pores, with a big fraction of sand. On the surface, seasonally, there are low pH values of around 2.5 and extractable Fe contents of over 4000 ppm, which might have an influence on the quality of surface runoff or underground water.     

Application of a Balanced Scorecard System for Supporting Decision-Making in Contaminated Sites Remediation

This work introduces the development and application of a multi-goal evaluation procedure for assessing sets of remedial options that have previously been found technically suitable for managing a certain contaminated site. The construction of this decision support tool, in the form of a balanced scorecard, has followed a multi-attribute conception of the contaminated sites problem, identifying the most critical aspects considered by all stakeholders involved in contaminated sites management decisions. The developed tool has been checked in its formulation and application against an export benchmark of an Austrian remediation project. The performed evaluation allowed to identify and suggest a remedial option that best fitted the expectations of all stakeholders involved in the project. Furthermore, through the accomplishment of a sensitivity analysis it has been demonstrated that the system is stable and robust in terms of the chosen elicitation schemes, and that the preferences of the different stakeholders are influencing factors on the final result. The results and conclusions of this work present the benefits of implementing the developed balanced scorecard as a tool for supporting decision making in contaminated sites remediation projects.     

Tolerance of Lisianthus to High Ammonium Levels in Rockwool Culture

Nitrogen (N) by form of nutrition, ammonium (NH₄⁺) or nitrate (NO₃^?), affects metabolic and physiological processes of plants. In general, a high proportion of N in NH₄⁺ form results in poor growth. Nonetheless, a number of species exhibit optimum growth when high levels of NH₄⁺ are provided. In the present study, lisianthus [Eustoma grandiflorum (Raf.) Shinn] was grown in rockwool cultures and irrigated with nutrient solutions containing 15 mM N with varying proportions of NH₄⁺ and NO₃^?. The results showed that an increase in NH₄⁺-N form increased plant height, number of flowers and leaves, leaf area, and shoot, stem, and leaf dry weight. The proportion of NH₄⁺ also affected leaf concentration of phosphorus, potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg), although leaf N concentration was unaffected. Potassium leaf concentration was higher when a low proportion of NH₄⁺ was supplemented in the nutrient solution; however, plants exhibited a decrease in leaf K concentration and a decrease in leaf Ca as the proportion of NH₄⁺-N increased. Shoot dry weight was higher with low leaf K whereas high leaf Ca was associated with high shoot dry weight. Net photosynthesis rate was higher in plants irrigated with solutions containing 75% of total N in NH₄⁺ form than in those irrigated with solutions of 0 or 25%. The results suggest that lisianthus can tolerate high levels of NH₄⁺, probably associated with a higher assimilation of Ca.