Handling Conditions Research Articles

Biochemically Tracked Variability of Blood Plasma Thawed-State Exposure Times in a Multisite Collection Study.

The integrity of blood plasma/serum (P/S) specimens can be impacted by preanalytical handling and storage conditions that result in thawed-state exposures (> -30°C). We recently reported a simple dilute-and-shoot, intact-protein liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) assay called ΔS-Cys-Albumin that quantifies cumulative exposure of P/S to thawed conditions based on the change in relative abundance of the oxidized (S-cysteinylated) proteoform of albumin (S-Cys-Albumin) in the native sample to that of an aliquot of the sample intentionally driven to its maximum oxidation state. Herein, we evaluated the effect of prestorage delay and initial storage temperature on sample integrity by applying the ΔS-Cys-Albumin assay to a set of plasma samples (n = 413) collected under a single clinical study but from 12 different collection sites. Major differences (p < 0.0001) were observed between different groups of samples with modestly inconsistent initial handling conditions (i.e., initial processing of whole blood to plasma and placement at -80°C completed in under 3 hours, 3-13 hours, and over 17 hours). ΔS-Cys-Albumin was significantly inversely correlated with delay time at 4°C before centrifugation and total delay before final storage at -80°C (p < 0.0001). Samples from two collection sites had much lower ΔS-Cys-Albumin values relative to samples from other sites, in accordance with the fact that they were stored at -20°C for an average of 7.6 months before shipment to the central repository for final storage at -80°C. Based on the rate law for S-Cys-Albumin formation in plasma ex vivo, the average time that each plasma specimen had been exposed to the equivalent of room temperature (23°C) was back calculated from the measured ΔS-Cys-Albumin values. A survey of clinical analytes in P/S whose measured concentrations are sensitive to the initial handling/storage conditions documented in this study is provided and the ramifications of the plasma integrity findings from this multisite clinical study are discussed.

A Multiple Approach Combined with Portable Electronic Nose for Assessment of Post-harvest Sapota Contamination by Foodborne Pathogens

Sapota (Manilkara Zapota) belongs to the Sapotaceae family and is one of the sweetest, delicious, and popular tropical fruits with high nutritional benefits. Due to its high water content (78%), it is easily damaged, which in turn reduces its shelf life. Also, significant post-harvest losses occur due to insufficient storage, poor handling, and transportation conditions, which also increase the microbial or pathogenic contamination. In this context, we have deployed an electronic nose for the first time to rapidly discriminate fresh sapota from bacterial contaminated sapota samples. The electronic nose response was varied from 0.1 to 2.9 V for sapota samples studied from day 1 to day 6. Fourier transform infrared spectra showed a gradual increase in the intensities of OH and H-O-H peaks at 3320 cm−1 and 1636 cm−1for these samples. Also, Staphylococcus bacteria were detected for the same set of sapota samples. Headspace GC-MS results of day 2, day 4, and day 6 sapota samples revealed the increasing trend in bacterial volatiles, namely ethanol, acetaldehyde, and isopropyl alcohol. The sensor data were provided as input to principal component analysis (PCA), Ward’s method analysis, and response surface methodology (RSM) for distinguishing fresh, half-contaminated, and fully contaminated sapota samples.

Assessing the Validity of the Storage of Sterilized Surgical Instruments Steam under Pressure

The chronological order of validity of sterile material is indicative adopted by hospitals for the use of hospital instruments after sterilization, intending to maintain sterility and to ensure the environmental conditions of storage, handling, and transportation. This study aimed to evaluate the sterility validity of surgical instruments stored in the sterilization center regarding the feasibility of their safe use over time. Fifteen surgical forceps were sterilized in aseptic (surgical grade) paper and polypropylene blankets packaging and stored in the arsenal of a large hospital. The materials were tested monthly in a laminar flow cabinet to test how long the surgical instruments remained sterile. Sterility tests showed no gram-positive or gram-negative bacterial or fungal microbiological growth from any of the samples evaluated according to storage time (30, 60, 90, and 120 days). Sterile instruments can be safely used for up to 120 days, thus saving costs by avoiding the repacking of those items.

Development and validation of an LC-MS/MS method for monitoring larotrectinib, a tropomyosin-related kinase inhibitor, in mouse and human plasma and application to pharmacokinetic studies

Larotrectinib is an orally administered drug and the first and only selective pan-tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) inhibitor in clinical development to treat cancer patients harboring a neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase gene fusion. In this study, an analytical method to quantify the TRK inhibitor in mouse and human plasma was developed and validated using LC-MS/MS following protein precipitation with acetonitrile. Larotrectinib and an internal standard (carbamazepine) were separated from endogenous substances using an Xterra C18 column with acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid as the mobile phase. The ions m/z 429.8 → 342.8 for larotrectinib and m/z 237.0 → 194.0 for carbamazepine detected in multiple reaction monitoring mode were used for the quantitation. The detector response of larotrectinib was linear within the concentration range 5–10,000 ng/mL with a correlation coefficient (r2) of not less than 0.999. The intra- and inter-day precision and accuracy were less than 10.48% and within − 8.99%, respectively, in mouse and human plasma. Larotrectinib was stable under various storage and handling conditions, and no significant matrix effect was observed in both mouse and human plasma. Finally, the assay was successfully applied to the pharmacokinetic study of larotrectinib after its intravenous and oral administration to mice.

A quantitative LC-MS/MS method for analysis of mitochondrial -specific oxysterol metabolism

Oxysterols are critical regulators of inflammation and cholesterol metabolism in cells. They are oxidation products of cholesterol and may be differentially metabolised in subcellular compartments and in biological fluids. New analytical methods are needed to improve our understanding of oxysterol trafficking and the molecular interplay between the cellular compartments required to maintain cholesterol/oxysterol homeostasis. Here we describe a method for isolation of oxysterols using solid phase extraction and quantification by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, applied to tissue, cells and mitochondria.We analysed five monohydroxysterols; 24(S)-hydroxycholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol, 27-hydroxycholesterol, 7α-hydroxycholesterol, 7 ketocholesterol and three dihydroxysterols 7α-24(S)dihydroxycholesterol, 7α-25dihydroxycholesterol, 7α-27dihydroxycholesterol by LC-MS/MS following reverse phase chromatography. Our new method, using Triton and DMSO extraction, shows improved extraction efficiency and recovery of oxysterols from cellular matrix. We validated our method by reproducibly measuring oxysterols in mouse brain tissue and showed that mice fed a high fat diet had significantly lower levels of 24S/25diOHC, 27diOHC and 7ketoOHC. We measured oxysterols in mitochondria from peripheral blood mononuclear cells and highlight the importance of rapid cell isolation to minimise effects of handling and storage conditions on oxysterol composition in clinical samples. In addition, in vitro cell culture systems, of THP-1 monocytes and neuronal-like SH-SH5Y cells, showed mitochondrial-specific oxysterol metabolism and profiles were lineage specific. In summary, we describe a robust and reproducible method validated for improved recovery, quantitative linearity and detection, reproducibility and selectivity for cellular oxysterol analysis. This method enables subcellular oxysterol metabolism to be monitored and is versatile in its application to various biological and clinical samples.

Formulation strategies in immunotherapeutic pharmaceutical products.

Development of immunologic-based biopharmaceutical products have strikingly increased in recent years and have made evident contributions to human health. Antibodies are the leading entity in immunotherapy, while chimeric antigen receptor T cells therapies are the advent of a novel strategy in this area. In order to enable antibody candidates or cells available as products, formulation is critical in terms of stabilize molecules or cells to achieve practical shelf life, storage and handling conditions. Here we provide a concise and contemporary review of ongoing formulation strategies and excipients used in approved antibodies and cellular therapeutic products. Excipients are categorized, and their function in formulations are discussed.

Роль транспортно-логистических кластеров в формировании контейнерных коридоров перевозок сборных грузов

The article highlights the general trends in developing the world container traffic specified by the world container shipping that have formed the market and traffic flow satisfying the demands for the most important container cargoes. Creating the favorable conditions for transporting the containers deep into the country can ensure the expansion of services and provide the accessibility of the advantages of container technologies for the national cargo owners. Hence, there appears the need to intensify activities to improve container handling technologies at domestic terminals and container transportation management tools in general. At the stage of developing the network of Russian logistics clusters as supporting centers of goods consolidation and distribution the most important point is building a continuous chain of container proceeding and organizing the interaction of such centers with the existing international container network. The main function of the regional (logistic, administrative) center included in the cluster infrastructure is to ensure free passage of the container cargo through it. Ensuring the coordinated work of the clusters located at a great distance from each other is the process of forming container communications between the regions and countries, on the territory of which these clusters are formed. This is how logistic container corridors are formed, which, with the growing container traffic and development of container handling conditions, can transform into a network structure. There are illustrated the stages of development of container transportation of groupage cargoes depending on the traffic rate and the of transport infrastructure. The general view of the module for consolidation of groupage cargoes is considered. The issue of developing the hinterland zones of the sea container terminal is analyzed along with expanding the transport infrastructure introducing new means of groupage cargoes consolidation. The conditional division of the regional centers processing groupage cargoes into groups was made according to the nature of the tasks and the competitiveness.

Moisture Redistribution Mechanisms in Granular Mineral Fertilizers During Their Storage and Transportation

Long-term transportation and numerous transshipment procedures, in particular in hot and humid climate, cause the issue of preserving the consumer qualities of mineral fertilizers – the key issue for the industry as a whole. For Russian fertilizer producers it is especially important, as they supply huge amounts of fertilizers to the countries of Southeast Asia and South America. In the case of granular NP and NPK-fertilizers, the mechanisms of moisture redistribution in the fertilizer array are shown both during bulk storage of the product and during storage in big bags. The hygroscopic characteristics of the main grades of NP and NPK-fertilizers based on ammonium phosphates - polytherms of moisture sorption - were determined. Based on the data obtained, there is showed the effect of the conditions of storage and handling of mineral fertilizers (temperature and relative humidity of ambient air, as well as the dynamics and cyclical nature of changes occurring to the fertilizers, storage time, etc.) on preserving of their consumer properties – moist content and strength of the granules, caking and dust formation. The research results are confirmed by lab and practical tests.

Design and synthesis of a new furan-steroid-propanone derivative using some chemical strategies

There are several reports for the preparation of furan derivatives using some protocols which requires special conditions. In this way, the aim of this study was to synthesize a new furan-steroid-propanone derivative from both 17α-ethynylestradiol and 2-nitro-17α-ethynylestradiol using some series of reactions such as aldolization, 2 + 2 addition and etherification. The chemical structure was evaluated through both 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectroscopic analysis. The results showed a good yielding from furan-steroid derivative. In conclusion, this investigation provides a facile synthesis of a new furan-steroid-propanone derivative, using some reagents which are not expensive and do not require special conditions for handling.

Microbial Quality of Fresh and Frozen Fish from Markets of Lahore

The present study aims at the microbiological analysis of market oriented fresh and frozen fish. Displayed portions of raw fish and frozen carried bacteria that can cause foodborne diseases clearly indicates the risk posed by poor sanitation and unhygienic handling, storage and transportation conditions of fish sold in the markets. Research was designed to compare the presence of indigenous and nonindigenous foodborne bacterial pathogens in displayed, prepacked and packed portions of fish in different markets of Lahore, Pakistan. A total 40 samples of fish were purchased from Super Store (Hyper star), Local Market (local carry shop Mughalpura), Retail shop (Data Darbar), and Fresh water (River Ravi) in Lahore city and analyzed for their microbial quality. All the samples were positive for Total plate count, coliform count, Staphylococcal count, Vibrio count. Among 10 fresh water fish samples mean total Plate Count was 3.8 x 103 CFU/g (log 3.58 ± 0.03526 CFU/g). Among 10 super store fish samples mean total plate count was 4.9 x 104 CFU/g (log 4.05 ± 0.22815CFU/g). Among 10 retail store fish samples mean total plate count was 5.02 x 104 CFU/g (4.19 ± 0.0343 CFU/g) and among 10 local market fish samples mean total plate count was 5.14 x 104 CFU/g (4.212 ± 0.03793 CFU/g). In total, the plate counts range from minimum count log 3.16 to maximum count of 5.30 CFU/g. This study revealed that fish sold in Pakistan could be a source of foodborne bacterial pathogens. Improvements in handling and processing are needed to minimize the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria.

(Invited) Design and Development of Novel Electrolytes for Batteries and Supercapacitors

Electrolytes are often forgotten parts of batteries and super capacitors compared to numerous review papers and textbooks describing properties of electrode materials. The intention of the present work is to fill the gap and bring electrolytes to the attention of the scientists working in the field of electrochemical energy conversion and storage devices. New challenges appearing on the nowadays battery and super caps market force researchers to design novel electrolytes often baring features not found in up to date studied systems. These challenges are aimed to be addresses and discussed. In the present work three types of electrolytes for application in modern batteries or super caps will be presented and discussed.Strategy on design of new Huckel type anions for electrolyte salts is presented in the context given by the review of legacy and state-of-the-art systems. Synthesis, conditions for handling, stability and electrochemical parameters of salts used or with a potential for use in lithium-ion cells are described. Effect of solvent mixtures, selection strategy of salts and solvents for battery mixtures for maximization of chosen parameters or for given application is explained.We are going to show how crystallographic studies allow for a better understanding of electrochemical properties of Huckel type salts. Comprehensive structure analysis of crystalline materials reveals valuable information about coordination ability of anions and provides the basis to develop the model of poly (ethylene oxide) electrolytes and liquid systems. Results revealing new aggregation modes at high concentrations of lithium salts involving releasing cations by self-assembly of anionic sub network will be presented.The discovering and understanding the phenomena related to the organization of such systems in the solid state is crucial for the elaboration of novel electrolytes and gives information about cation and anion coordination in electrolytes.Also we are going to present novel hybrid polymeric electrolytes with unmodified and surface modified fillers based on silica, alumina and titania of different grain size. Special emphasize will be put on proper choice of the filler leading to preparation of composite system with enhance conductivities and lithium cation transference number compared to unmodified polymeric electrolytes.At the end we are going to discuss properties of several proton conducting gel polymeric electrolytes with various solvent ratios, to be used as electrolytes in super capacitor applications. The influence of the gel composition on the ionic conductivity, temperature behavior and electrochemical properties has been studied in a large temperature range (-40 to 80 °C)..

The Toxicological Aspects of the Heat-Borne Toxicant 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural in Animals: A Review.

The incidence of adverse reactions in food is very low, however, some food products contain toxins formed naturally due to their handling, processing and storage conditions. 5-(Hydroxymethyl)-2-furfural (HMF) can be formed by hydrogenation of sugar substances in some of manufactured foodstuffs and honey under elevated temperatures and reduced pH conditions following Maillard reactions. In previous studies, it was found that HMF was responsible for harmful (mutagenic, genotoxic, cytotoxic and enzyme inhibitory) effects on human health. HMF occurs in a wide variety of food products like dried fruit, juice, caramel products, coffee, bakery, malt and vinegar. The formation of HMF is not only an indicator of food storage conditions and quality, but HMF could also be used as an indicator of the potential occurrence of contamination during heat-processing of some food products such as coffee, milk, honey and processed fruits. This review focuses on HMF formation and summarizes the adverse effects of HMF on human health.

Phytochemicals from Castanea spp. buds and green extraction technologies: the Finnover project

Green economy is a sustainable development tool based on the valorization of economic, natural and social resources. It is recognized as a tool to be applied to all the production sectors (goods and services), as well as for the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. The FINNOVER project (“Innovative strategies for the development of cross-border green supply chains”) proposes a technical-economic path for the creation and development of new supply chains for the eco-sustainable extraction and use of natural bioactive compounds. In this study, an innovative extraction and re-use strategy to obtain value-added products from botanical by-products was developed as an alternative to waste incineration or composting. It was applied to Castanea sativa bud extract production as a case study, but it could be analogously applied for other herbal preparations. Castanea spp. and their preparations have been widely used for hundreds of years as medicinal plants in composite formulae. Bioactive compounds (botanicals) are quite variable in the plant material, according to genotype (intraspecific chemodiversity), different collection stages, pedoclimatic conditions of sampling sites (wild or cultivation zones), agrotechniques, and post-harvest handling. This research aimed to compare the bioactive compound pattern of Castanea spp. bud preparations (herbal preparations derived from embryonic fresh plant tissues as buds and sprouts) with the composition of extracts derived from the bud-waste management process. Molecules were extracted by the encoded traditional method (maceration in hydroglyceroalcoholic solution) and by green extraction technologies (Pulsed Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction). HPLC methods were used to identify and quantify the main bioactive compounds, and to obtain a specific profile to assess the contribution of every single bioactive class to the total phytocomplex. The established protocol was simple, sensitive and reliable and it could be used for the evaluation and quality control of natural products and relative eco-sustainable extracts. The valorization of bud marcs, which remain after the bud-preparation production, could have a significant economic impact for the commercial producers, representing an important innovation in this sector.

Impact of ex vivo Sample Handling on DNA Methylation Profiles in Human Cord Blood and Neonatal Dried Blood Spots

The profiling of DNA methylation modifications in peripheral blood has significant potential to determine risk factors for human disease. Little is known concerning the sensitivity of DNA methylation profiles to ex vivo sample handling. Here, we studied typical conditions prior to sample storage associated with cord blood samples obtained from clinical investigations using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing. We examined both whole blood collected shortly after birth and dried blood spots, a potentially important source of neonatal blood for investigation of the DNA methylome and the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease in human cohorts because they are routinely collected during clinical care. Samples were matched across different time conditions, as they were from the same cord blood samples obtained from the same individuals. Maintaining whole blood ex vivo up to 24 h (4°C) or dried blood spots up to 7 days (room temp.) had little effect on DNA methylation profiles. Minimal differences were detected between cord blood immediately frozen and dried blood spots. Our results indicate that DNA methylation profiles are resilient to ex vivo sample handling conditions prior to storage. These data will help guide future human studies focused toward determination of DNA methylation modifications in whole blood.

Revisiting CB1 cannabinoid receptor detection and the exploration of its interacting partners

BackgroundCannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) identification by western blot (WB) has generated a great deal of controversial data making the interpretation of the results difficult. Our purpose is to find the most adequate experimental conditions to detect CB1 by WB and immunoprecipitation (IP) as a first step towards the study of CB1 interactome. New methodWe use CB1 knockout mice tissue as negative controls and describe appropriate sample handling conditions for CB1 detection by WB and IP from brain and cortical neuron cultures. ResultsSample heating above 65 °C greatly impaired CB1 detection by WB, since it favored the formation of high molecular weight aggregates. We also show the convenience of using n-dodecyl-β-d-maltoside (DDM) as a detergent for the detection of CB1 by WB and, mostly, for IP. Comparison with existing method(s)We obtain consistent and specific CB1 detection by WB and IP using four different commercial antibodies and KO tissue for an accurate CB1 identification. We clarify the identification of the receptor in complex samples compared with the diverse and unclear results obtained using standard WB methods. ConclusionsWe establish experimental guidelines for the detection of CB1 by WB and the study of CB1 interacting proteins by IP. We propose a new interpretation of CB1 WB and IP data based on the folding and packing state of the protein and the detergent used. The standardization of the most advantageous conditions for coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP) would be a useful tool for the future study of the interactome of CB1.

Expert-analytical estimation of environmental safety of solid household waste handling processes

One of the key indicators of regional development is environ- mentally safe handling of waste including household waste. Solving the problems in this domain requires the creation of an efficient household waste management system. A mechanism for solving this problem was proposed in this study. In contrast to the existing ones, it comprehensively takes into account the formation of environmen- tal hazards at all stages of the waste handling life cycle and substan- tiates and identifies priorities of obligatory management measures to be taken at local, regional and national levels with their qualitative and quantitative expert estimation. The study of waste hierarchy performed according to the Di- rective 2008/98/EC by the hierarchy analysis method has made it possible to determine not only the priorities of the measures en- suring environmental safety of SHW handling process but also the significance of measures at each stage. According to the calculations, contributions to the overall risk amounted to 46.15 % for disposal, 24.02 % for recycling, 10.95 % for neutralization, 10.95 % for genera- tion, 5.14 % for collection and 2.79 % for transportation.Assessment of the factor characteristics has made it possible to find out that the handling conditions whose contribution is 54.95 % of all factors require the greatest attention during danger generation. Effectiveness of implementation of the measures ensuring nor- mative environmental safety can be ranked as follows: 60.22 % for the local level, 22.55 % for the regional level and 17.23 % for the national level. The study has found that the formation of awareness, conscien- tiousness, and rational consumption is the most effective measure of ensuring environmental safety making up 27.55 % among the thirteen measures assessed. Application of the proposed method will ensure making groun- ded managerial decisions not only for the whole system of household waste handling but also for each of its stages: from waste generation to its operation. This method is quite simple to use and can be applied at the national, regional or local levels.

Sensory and Physicochemical Analysis of Meat from Bovine Breeds in Different Livestock Production Systems, Pre-Slaughter Handling Conditions and Ageing Time.

Different bovine breeds and production systems are used worldwide, giving rise to differences in intrinsic and extrinsic characteristics of beef. In order to meet the consumer requirements, new approaches are currently being developed to guarantee tenderness, taste, and juiciness of beef. However, the final consumer perception is complex, and it is also affected by several interrelated variables. This study aimed to evaluate the physicochemical parameters and sensory profile of three Spanish cattle breeds under different livestock production systems (extensive and intensive) and pre-slaughter handling conditions (mixing and not mixing with unfamiliar individuals at pre-mortem time). Meat samples from each group were also studied at different ageing times (7 and 14 days). Regarding sensory attributes, twelve panelists assessed meat samples and an exhaustive statistical analysis was carried out. The most evident and strongest effect was the breed type, allowing a great differentiation among them using principal components and discriminant analysis. The livestock production system was the second most important parameter, significantly affecting odor, flavor, and textural profile (fibrousness). It can be concluded that there were marked differences in the traits of these beef that could be modified by other factors in order to fulfill consumer tastes.

Retracted: Design and synthesis of a bismethylsulfanyl‐steroid‐azetyl butanol derivative from 2‐nitroestradiol

AbstractSeveral studies for the synthesis of polycyclic derivatives have been reported; however, there is little information on the preparation of steroid‐polycyclic derivatives. In this way, the aim of this study was to synthesize a bismethylsulfanyl‐steroid‐azetyl butanol derivative (compound 10) from 2‐nitroestrone. The chemical structure was evaluated through both 1H NMR and 13C NMR or spectroscopic analysis. The results showed a good yielding from 10. It is noteworthy that the reagents used in this investigation are not expensive and do not require special conditions for handling.

Propagation of Rust-Tolerant Coffea arabica L. Plants by Sprout Rooting in Microtunnels

Small Peruvian coffee producers face low yields per hectare, caused mainly by recent rust outbreaks and by natural crossing of coffee varieties, which are sown without specific order. Coffee rust has drastically reduced areas of susceptible but high-quality cup varieties as caturra, pache, and nacional, which have been replaced by others with high grain weight, but low-quality cup. This study aimed to determine the rooting capacity of sprouts subjected to different concentrations of indole-3-butyric acid (AIB) in three varieties of Coffea arabica, in the San Martin region, Peru. The most appropriate sprout rooting characteristics allowing to propagate rust-tolerant C. arabica plants were evaluated, under the effect of four doses of AIB (0, 1000, 2000, and 3000 ppm) in three coffee varieties (caturra, pache, and nacional), using microtunnels as rooting environments. A completely randomized design, consisting of three repetitions per treatment and six sprouts per repetition, was used. At the end of 50 days, the best rooting result (89%) was obtained with a dose of 2000 ppm of AIB in the caturra variety. The overall results are successful, since there is a conversion rate of sprouts into useful seedlings of more than 85%, if proper handling conditions are implemented. This method of propagation of rust-tolerant C. arabica sprouts by microtunnels enables a mass production of seedlings. The validation of these results could lead to the establishment of entire rust-tolerant coffee farms.

Assessment of Mineralogical, Textural, and Water Chemistry Changes During Long-Distance Tailings-Slurry Transport

An exploratory study demonstrated that subtle changes in solids and process water were caused by long-distance turbulent transport of tailings from the concentrator to the impoundment of a Cu (Mo) porphyry copper deposit. Slurry water chemical analysis was complemented by modelling potential phase precipitation or dissolution and speciation of dissolved metals. It was found that transport did not affect major insoluble mineral phases. However, the degrees of liberation of several phyllosilicates, as determined by automated mineralogy, were reduced close to the impoundment, which points to separation of clay particles from tectosilicate surfaces by the turbulence; this also was observed by SEM examination of micro-aggregate specimens. Reduction of maximum particle sizes, increased N2 monolayer adsorption, and resultant specific surface areas indicate that transport modified the micro-aggregates. Major element water chemistry is controlled by the presence of soluble mineral phases, such as gypsum, and reagents, such as lime, in the flotation process. Changes in the dissolved concentrations of some elements could potentially affect tailings deportment in the impoundment. Increased concentrations of Al may affect the clay settling behaviour, while Mo and As levels will require treatment prior to the discharge of water from the tailings impoundment. This study demonstrated that systematic scrutiny of tailings slurries leaving the concentrator and before entering the impoundment can be potentially useful, though care will have to be exercised to replicate sample handling and analytical conditions, during any long-term monitoring.