Phthalate and novel plasticizer concentrations in food items from U.S. fast food chains: a preliminary analysis

Risk assessment of mercury through dietary exposure in China

Effect of cooking at home on the levels of eight phthalates in foods

The present work is related to the synthesis of a carboxylic acid ester using lab synthesized triphenylphosphonium triflate catalyst and its application as a plasticizer for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) processing. The high thermal stability of this organocatalyst allows the synthesis of terephthalic acid di‐esters with high boiling alcohols such as 1‐butanol, 2‐ethyl hexanol with higher yield in the range of 55–97 %. Different ester derivatives like dioctyl phthalate (DOP), dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP), n‐butyl benzoate, dibutyl terephthalate, dibutyl phthalate, and di‐dodecanol terephthalate have been synthesized using triphenylphosphonium triflate organocatalyst. These synthesized ester derivatives are characterized using 1H NMR, GC‐MS and HPLC. The purity of different synthesized esters was in the range of 80–99 %. The synthesized Dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) was used as a plasticizer in PVC and compared the results with commercial DOP plasticizer performance for PVC. The PVC/DOTP composition exhibited comparable performance in terms of mechanical properties like tensile and flexural strength and modulus. No significant change found in hardness and impact strength of both the compositions. Ease of processing observed in case of PVC/DOTP composition due to lower torque as compared to PVC/DOP composition. This indicates DOTP can be a potential alternative to the traditional dioctyl phthalate (DOP) plasticizer for PVC processing.

Nitrile rubber (NBR) is widely used in the automotive, aerospace, and chemical sectors due to its resistance to fuels, oil, thermal aging, and fatigue. A typical NBR compound is prepared with several components that are added to obtain a product to meet specific industry requirements. Plasticizer is one of the main components used in NBR compounds. Typically, phthalates like DBP (dibutyl phthalate) or DOP (dioctyl phthalate) are used for NBR plasticization. However, these phthalates-based plasticizers are associated with toxicity and often prohibited by international regulatory standards. In this way, in the pursuit of a non-toxic NBR compound, the use of phthalate-free plasticizer, namely dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP), has been proposed. In this work, NBR compounds with DOTP, DBP, or DOP were processed in an open mill and vulcanized in hydraulic press. The unvulcanized samples were tested in a moving die rheometer (MDR). Subsequently, thermal, mechanical, and aging analyses were conducted for the vulcanized samples. The lowest torque observed in the rheometric curve, the displacement value of glass transition temperature (Tg), the smaller Shore A hardness, and the high elongation at break indicate that the addition of DOTP results in higher plasticization. The better-aging properties indicate lower migration of the DOTP plasticizer. Thus, the use of DOTP as a plasticizer holds promise as a viable alternative to replace the phthalates-based plasticizer in NBR compounds.

Are There Fast-Food Choices for End-Stage Renal Disease Patients? A Look at Phosphorus and Potassium Content in Common Fast Foods

Recently we have developed new kinetic methods of bacterial cell estimation in food products by measurement of the increase in bacterial adenosine-triphosphate (ATP) content during incubation using a conventional firefly luminometer [Fujikawa and Morozumi: Jpn. J. Food Hyg. (2002)]. The methods were the end point method and the delay method. We, in this study, evaluated these methods for bacterial concentration estimation in commercial foods. The methods were successfully applied to food products inoculated with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus. The methods were then used to estimate bacterial concentrations in commercial foods. For estimation, the kinetic parameter values were determined first from the data of bacterial strains studied previously. The bacterial concentrations estimated with these parameter values were slightly smaller than the measured concentrations for most of the food samples. The parameter values obtained with the least-squares method gave better estimations in both methods. The delay method predicted the bacterial concentrations in food products better than the end point method. This study showed that with appropriate parameter values, these methods could be useful tools for bacterial concentration estimation of commercial foods.

The effect of different plasticizers on thermal stability, transparency, and migration resistance of the PVC stabilized with zinc arginine [Zn(Arg)2] was investigated. The thermal stability, migration resistance, and transparency of PVC with tributyl citrate (TBC) were better than PVC with dioctyl phthalate (DOP) characterized by oven aging method, migration test, and near infrared-visible-ultraviolet spectrophotometer. At the same time, the longer the carbon chain in citric acid esters, the better the thermal stability and transparency of PVC sample. The hydroxyl group in citric acid esters is helpful to improve the thermal stability of PVC samples. However, the elongation at break and Tg value of PVC containing DOP were very close to those of PVC containing TBC. The calculation results of Hansen solubility parameters also illustrated that DOP had better compatibility with PVC than TBC. Therefore, the excellent transparency and thermal stability of TBC plasticized PVC were attributed to the good compatibility between TBC and Zn(Arg)2, which was verified by the solubility test. Lastly, the mixture of dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) and TBC was used as plasticizers for Zn(Arg)2 stabilized PVC. When the ratio of TBC and DOTP was 1:1, the transparency, thermal stability, and migration resistance of Zn(Arg)2 stabilized PVC samples were better than those of PVC plasticized by DOP or TBC alone. The mechanism was that the compatibility between Zn(Arg)2 and PVC was greatly improved by the synergetic effect of TBC and DOTP, resulting in the improvement of thermal stability, migration resistance, and transparency of PVC samples.

Article history: Received May 6, 2014 Received in revised form July 02, 2014 Accepted 8 August 2014 Available online 19 August 2014 Studies linking high trans-fat diets to coronary heart disease (CHD) have prompted the need to regulate, limit, or completely ban trans-fat from all commercial food products, including fast foods. Many U.S. fast food chains now claim that their food items, particularly French fries, have no In a previous study, our lab tested the validity of trans-fat claims made by several popular fast food restaurants by experimentally determining the %trans-fat in oil extracted from fast food French fries. In some cases, the trans-fat content was nearly twice as high as the amount reported by the restaurant in their literature. Long John Silver's, for example, reported a trans-fat content of 25% for their French fries, while our lab actually found over 40% trans-fat. The purpose of this study is to broaden our study of Long John Silver's trans-fat claims by analyzing a variety of their food items and comparing our findings with the %trans-fat reported by the restaurant literature (nutrition fact tables). Variable Filter Array (VFA) IR spectroscopy was used to assess the trans-fat content of oil extracted from food samples. Our preliminary findings suggest that nearly every food item under study contained considerably more trans-fat than the amount reported in the restaurant’s literature. © 2014 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

The concentrations of preservatives (benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters, propionic acid and sorbic acid) in foods sold in Japan were estimated using the results of the official inspection in F. Y. 1994 by 96 local governments covering most of Japan. The total number of inspection samples was 72, 609, including 4, 803 imported foods. The detection rates of benzoic acid, dehydroacetic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters, propionic acid and sorbic acid in foods in which they are permitted to be used were 25.7%, 5.0%, 28.6%, 10.3% and 53.9%, respectively. The average concentrations of preservatives in all samples in which they were permitted were 8.8%, 0.7%, 8.8%, 2.8% and 16.2% of the legal maximum levels of use, respectively. Detection rates and average concentrations in nonpermissible foods were 2.9% and 0.00220g/kg for benzoic acid, 0.021% and 0.0000963g/kg for dehydroacetic acid, 0.24% and 0.0000930g/kg for p-hydroxybenzoic acid esters as p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and 5.2% and 0.0186g/kg for sorbic acid. No propionic acid was detected in nonpermissible foods.The estimated daily intakes of these preservatives were 11.0, 0.0769, 1.37, 3.88 and 32.9mg/person, respectively, when calculated from the average concentrations in foods obtained in the present study, utilizing the consumption of foods reported by the "Investigation Group of the Daily Intake of Food Additives in Japan in F. Y. 1994". Foods that contributed most to the daily intake of preservatives were as follows: benzoic acid, 86.8% of the daily intake amount from nonalcoholic beverages; dehydroacetic acid, 55.7% from confectionery; p-hydroxybenzoic acid, 51.8% from soy sauce; propionic acid, 87.0% from bread; sorbic acid, 26.2% from fish paste products. The estimated daily intakes of these preservatives was less than 5% of the acceptable daily intake (ADI).

The Xenopus laevis teratogenesis assay for developmental toxicity of phthalate plasticizers and alternatives

Rice ingestion is a major pathway for human exposure to organophosphate flame retardants (OPFRs) in China

The degradation of plasticizers by the yeast Rhodotorula rubra J-96-1 (American Type Culture Collection 9449) in the presence of glucose was studied. The plasticizers included the commonly used bis-2-ethylhexyl adipate (B(EH)A), dioctyl phthalate (DOP), and dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP), and the less commonly used dipropylene glycol dibenzoate (D(PG)DB) and diethylene glycol dibenzoate (D(EG)DB). The proposal had been made that the latter two plasticizers be used as alternatives to the first three, which have been associated with negative environmental impacts. The degradation of D(PG)DB or D(EG)DB led to a significant increase in solution toxicity, which was associated with the production of metabolites resulting from the incomplete breakdown of the plasticizers. The toxic metabolites in the D(PG)DB system were identified as isomers of dipropylene glycol monobenzoate. A pathway for the formation of this metabolite was proposed. The metabolite observed when D(EG)DB was being degraded was tentatively identified as diethylene glycol monobenzoate by analogy to the D(PG)DB system. In contrast, no metabolites were observable and toxicity did not increase in the media during the degradation of B(EH)A, DOP, or DOTP by R. rubra. Collectively, these results do not support the use of D(PG)DB and D(EG)DB as environmentally safe alternatives to B(EH)A, DOP, or DOTP.

Knowledge of fluoride intake is important in optimizing the caries-preventive role of fluoride, and the measurement of fluoride intake usually requires information on the fluoride concentration in foods and drinks. Most information comes from developed countries and there are no data on fluoride concentration in foods in Middle Eastern countries including Iran. The aim of the study was to: (a) describe a modification to the silicon-facilitated diffusion method for determining fluoride concentration, (b) provide information on fluoride content of foods in Iran to supplement food tables for the Middle East, and (c) determine the effect of variation in the fluoride concentration of drinking water on the fluoride concentration of prepared foods. Five hundred and ten samples of 84 popular foods and drinks were collected from three areas of Iran where water fluoride concentrations were 0.32, 0.58 and 4.05mg/L. The mean recovery of fluoride added to food samples before diffusion was 98 5%. Values for duplicate analysis of 20 food samples were within 0.03mug F/g. Most of the samples of foods and drinks came from the area with 0.32mg F/L in water supplies. For 30 of the 84 items, fluoride concentration was below 0.1 mug/g. Fluoride concentrations in the cereals group (which constituted much of the diet) were mainly between 0.2 and 0.3mug/g, when prepared for consumption. It was concluded that: (a) modification of a published method for determining fluoride concentration of foods appeared to be an advance, (b) values for fluoride concentration of foods commonly consumed in Iran showed variation between groups but were in broad agreement with published data, and (c) concentration of fluoride in water influences positively fluoride concentration in foods cooked in water, but the increase in foods was less than the increase in fluoride concentration in water.

Introduction. Dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP) is an ester of 2-ethylhexanol and terephthalic acid. It is a new generation plasticizer that is used as a more environmentally friendly and safer substitute for dioctyl phthalate (DOP) and other phthalates. Despite the established low level of toxic effects on the human body, the expansion of industrial production of DOTP requires an in-depth assessment of its safety. Material and methods. The effect of DOTP on the motility of isolated segments of the small intestine of rats was assessed under chronic inhalation exposure for 120 days at concentrations of 3.4 and 18.6 mg/m3. Results. The course exposure to dioctyl terephthalate, regardless of the dose, reduces the spontaneous contractile activity and adrenoreactivity of the smooth muscle cells of the rat small intestine, and also increases their sensitivity to cholinergic effects. Limitations. The study demonstrates a change in the spontaneous contractile activity isolated segments rat small intestine under the influence of the main mediators autonomic nervous system. Additional research is required for a detailed assessment possible mechanisms for the development of the identified changes. Conclusion. As a result of the study, it was found that chronic inhalation of dioctyl terephthalate at concentrations of 3.4 and 18.6 mg/m3 equally cause a decrease in the tone and amplitude of contractions in isolated segments of the rat small intestine. Chronic exposure to DOTP leads to a change in the reactivity of small intestine myocytes to mediators of the autonomic nervous system. The results obtained indicate that DOTP, when administered by inhalation, is enterotropic.

Preparation and characterization novel dioctyl terephthalate blended polyvinyl alcohol-composite films incorporated with the graphene oxide and silver nanoparticles