Storage Time Research Articles

Effect of temperature and storage time on the amount of bacteria content and physical quality of se'i pork in Kefamenanu City, North Central Timor Regency

Pork se'i meat is a special product from East Nusa, which is processed by smoking it using wood. However, temperature conditions and storage time can affect the quality of pork se'i meat. This study aims to determine the effect of temperature and storage time on the bacterial content and the physical quality of pork se'i. The research sample was taken from the Se'i Babi production depot in Kefamenanu City. This study used a factorial Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The temperature factor was 3 treatments, namely 27°C, 32°C, and 37°C, while the storage time factor was 3 treatments, namely 1 day, 2 days, and 3 days. Observation of bacterial content with the Total Plate Count (TPC) test, and observation of the physical quality of the se'i with the organoleptic test. Data analysis is descriptive and quantitative. The results showed that temperature and storage time affected the amount of bacterial content and physical quality of pork se'i, where a good temperature for storing pork se'i was 32°C. The lowest average bacterial growth was 146.6 cfu/g, 120 cfu/g, and 156.6 cfu/g, and the lowest average organoleptic value is at 32°C, and the highest is at 27°C. For making pork se'i so that in the future we can pay more attention to processing methods because in the future pork se'i will increasingly become a favorite food in society.

Analysis of Aviation Fuel Performance

Aviation fuels are jet fuels produced from crude oil and has specific physical and chemical properties. Analysis experiments were conducted for different samples of aviation fuel such as gas chromatography, color test, smoke point freezing point, and flash point. The sample of aviation fuel produced from Khartoum refinery used as control sample and other three samples took from air force with different storage period. Results showed that there is no change in color test of all samples, while the components differed in the GC test, where the control sample consisted of 30 compounds, compared with storage sample, which has 40 compounds. The total acidity and the relative mass of sulfur decreased. Meanwhile, there was a slight change in the boiling range and freezing point due to the decrease in viscosity. The results from smoke point test showed that, the smoke point increased from 29.6? in control sample to 37.3? in the storage sample. The electrical conductivity greatly decreased from 256 S/m in the control sample to 110 S/m in the storage sample. These results proved that the effect of storage time in the properties of aviation fuel.

Novel Schiff's base-assisted synthesis of metal-ligand nanostructures for multi-functional applications: Detection of catecholamines/antibiotics, removal of tetracycline, and antifungal treatment against plant pathogens

The development of nanozymes (NZ) for the simultaneous detection of multiple target chemicals is gaining paramount attention in the field of food and health sciences, and waste management industries. Nanozymes (NZ) effectively compensate for the environmental vulnerability of natural enzymes. Considering the development gap of NZ with diverse applications, we synthesized versatile Schiff’s base ligands following a facile route and readily available starting reagents (glutaraldehyde, aminopyridines). DPDI, one of the synthesized ligands, readily reacted with transition metal ions (Cu+2, Ag+1, Zn+2 in specific) under ambient conditions, yielding the corresponding nanoparticles/MOF. The structures of ligands and their products were confirmed using various analytical techniques. The enzymatic efficacy of DPDI-Cu (km 0.25 mM=, Vmax = 10.75 µM/sec) surpassed Tremetese versicolor laccase efficacy (km 0. 5 mM=, Vmax = 2.15 µM/sec). Additionally, DPDI-Cu proved resilient to changing pH, temperature, ionic strength, organic solvent, and storage time compared to laccase and provided reusability. DPDI-Cu proved promising for colorimetric detection of dopamine, epinephrine, catechol, tetracycline, and quercetin. The mechanism of oxidative detection of TC was studied through LC/MS analysis. DPDI-Cu-bentonite composite efficiently adsorbed tetracycline with maximum Langmuir adsorption of 208 mg/g. Moreover, DPDI/Cu and DPDI-Ag nanoparticles possessed antifungal activity exhibiting a minimum inhibitory concentration of 400 µg/mL and 3.12 µg/mL against Aspergillus flavus. Florescent dye tracking and SEM/TEM analysis confirmed that DPDI-Ag caused disruption of the plasma membrane and triggered ROS generation and apoptosis-like death in fungal cells. The DPDI-Ag coating treatment of wheat seeds confirmed the non-phytotoxicity of Ag-NPs.

Effectiveness of acetic and citric acid against Staphylococcus aureus contamination in parsley and dill

Staphylococcal food intoxication from Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) species is an important food-borne disease that threatens public health in many countries. Products prepared with fresh vegetables that have not been heat treated and/or not sufficiently disinfected are particularly risky. In this study, the effects of various organic acid (acetic and citric acid) concentrations on S. aureus previously inoculated into parsley and dill vegetables were investigated at storage time of 0, 1., 3., 5, and 7 days. For this purpose, a total of 7 groups were formed: individually with 0.5% and 1.5% acetic and citric acid, as well as their combinations and control. The number of S. aureus was adjusted to 102 and 106 (log CFU/mL) numbers that known to produce toxins by spectrophotometric method. As a result of the study, acetic and citric acid were found to be more effective when combined in S. aureus inhibition. It was observed that this effect varies depending on the microbiological load, acid concentration and storage days of the vegetables. It was also determined that the organic acids used had a better effect on the parsley than the dill vegetable.

Quality assessment of Gastrodia elata Blume (Tianma) based on Vis-NIR spectroscopy: Discrimination of harvest times and prediction of quality indicator contents

Gastrodia elata Blume (Tianma) is widely cultivated and consumed as a food and herbal material in China. With its increasing use as a functional food, Tianma is gaining popularity in the market. However, during the cultivation process, the harvest time affects its maturity and storage time, while the total content of gastrodin (GAS) and p-hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HA) affects its nutritional value, making it difficult to control the quality of Tianma. In this study, a combination of visible-near-infrared (Vis-NIR) spectroscopy and chemometrics was used to identify the harvest time and determine the quality indicator content. A Vis-NIRRamanNet modeling method based on the architecture of RamanNet was proposed and compared with harvest time discrimination models constructed using partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), support vector machine (SVM), and one-dimensional convolutional neural network (1D-CNN). The results demonstrated that Vis-NIRRamanNet exhibited superior performance, achieving accuracy rates of 0.995 and 0.973 on the training and testing sets, respectively. Subsequently, Vis-NIR spectroscopy combined with support vector regression (SVR) was employed for quantitative analysis of quality indicator content. Wavelength selection methods such as uninformative variable elimination (UVE), genetic algorithm (GA), and competitive adaptive reweighted sampling (CARS) were utilized to optimize the model. The results indicated that the CARS-SVR model provided the best prediction of quality indicator content, with root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) and coefficient of determination (Rp2) values of 0.257 and 0.901, respectively. Therefore, the combination of Vis-NIR spectroscopy and chemometrics shows significant potential in assisting the selection of high-quality Tianma.

Evaluation of Bacterial Viability for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Impact of Thawing Temperature and Storage Time.

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) represents a promising therapeutic tool under study for several purposes and is currently applied to the treatment of recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection. However, since the use of fresh stool was affected by several issues linked to donor screening, the development of a frozen stool bank is a reliable option to standardize FMT procedures. Nevertheless, different environmental factors impact microbial viability. Herein, we report the effect of different thawing temperatures and storage conditions on bacterial suspensions in the FMT procedure. In total, 20 stool samples were divided into aliquots and tested across a combination of different storing periods (15, 30; 90 days) and thawing procedures (4 °C overnight, room temperature for 1 h; 37 °C for 5 min). Focusing on storage time, our data showed a significant reduction in viability for aerobic and anaerobic bacteria after thawing for 15 days, while no further reductions were observed until after 90 days. Instead, among the different thawing procedures, no significant differences were observed for aerobic bacteria, while for anaerobes, thawing at 37 °C for 5 min was more effective in preserving the bacterial viability. In conclusion, the frozen fecal microbiota remained viable for at least three months, with an excellent recovery rate in all three thawing conditions.

Severe Preharvest Drought Elevates Respiration and Storage Rot in Postharvest Sugarbeet Roots

ABSTRACTSugarbeets are largely produced without irrigation, making drought stress inevitable when rainfall is insufficient. Whether drought stress impacts root storage, however, is currently unknown. Research was conducted to determine the effect of preharvest water stress on postharvest sugarbeet root respiration rate and susceptibility to storage rots as these traits are the primary determinants for sucrose loss and quality deterioration. Greenhouse‐grown plants were subjected to four levels of water deficit by discontinuing watering for 0, 7, 14 or 21 days prior to harvest. Plants receiving water‐restrictive treatments displayed physiological stress by leaf epinasty, reductions in net photosynthetic rate and leaf relative water content and increases in leaf temperature, whereas the water content of roots harvested from these plants progressively decreased with the severity of the preharvest water‐deficit treatment. Harvested roots from all watering treatments were stored at 10°C and 95% relative humidity for up to 12 weeks and evaluated for respiration rate and susceptibility to storage rot. Root respiration rate during storage was inversely related to root water content at harvest by second‐order equations, such that respiration was not significantly affected by minor reductions in root water content but increased exponentially for roots obtained from severely drought‐stressed plants with water contents at harvest of ≤75%. Similarly, roots with water contents ≤75% had elevated levels of electrolyte leakage, a measure of cellular membrane damage, and were more susceptible to dehydration and fungal infection during storage. In separate experiments, roots harvested from water‐stressed plants were inoculated with Botrytis cinerea or Penicillium vulpinum, two causal agents for storage rots. In these experiments, preharvest water stress quantitatively increased root rot and qualitatively altered symptoms of their infection. Overall, these results demonstrate that severe preharvest drought stress is likely to significantly increase sugarbeet root storage losses caused by root respiration and storage rots and that storage losses are likely to accelerate with time in storage. However, mild‐to‐moderate drought conditions prior to harvest are expected to have no or minimal effect on storage losses from root respiration or storage rots.

Solar photovoltaic refrigeration system coupled with a flexible, cost-effective and high-energy-density chemisorption cold energy storage module

Owing to the environmental pollution and high costs associated with lead-acid batteries, this paper proposes a solar photovoltaic (PV) refrigeration system coupled with a flexible, cost-effective and high-energy-density chemisorption cold energy storage module. Its operation mode includes daytime solar PV refrigeration/cold energy charging mode and nighttime cold energy discharging mode. A novel composite sorbent SrCl2 is developed using expanded natural graphite as matrix and carbon coated aluminum as additive, exhibiting superior heat and mass transfer performance. A sorbent performance test bench is constructed, demonstrating that the cold energy storage density reaches 503.6 kJ/kg at an evaporating temperature of −15 °C, 1.5 times of ice storage. Compression-assisted desorption is adopted to regulate desorption temperature, so that 75–90 °C solar hot water from low-cost non-concentrating solar collectors can be utilized as the driving heat source. For an evaporating temperature of −10 °C and a solar hot water temperature of 90 °C, the electrical coefficient of performance for cold energy storage unit reaches 3.72, representing a 33 % improvement compared to conventional solar PV refrigeration systems. This novel system features characteristics such as low cost, high efficiency and eco-friendliness, offering a promising solution for solar refrigeration.

FEATURES OF THE PROCESS OF LOADING AND TRANSPORTATION OF HOT ASPHALT CONCRETE MIXTURE. UKRAINIAN EXPERIENCE

Depicted in the Article are two stages of technological construction processes for asphalt concrete courses, namely: loading and transportation of asphalt concrete mix. As regards the loading, presented in the Article are two versions of discharging directly into dump body of dump truck or into storage hopper. Mentioned are the advantages of storage hopper usage, as well as the variety of such facilities and the storage time for asphalt concrete mix inside them. Described is the preparation procedure for a dump body of dump truck prior to loading (cleaning, lubrication). Explained are both the proper and improper schemes of loading, as well as the visual signs of asphalt concrete quality after discharging. Described is the right way to protect the asphalt concrete mix against cooling in dump body of dump truck, as well as the proper distance and allowed time-interval for transportation, possible problems occurring during transportation, expediency of using re-loaders for discharging the mix into the receiving hopper of asphalt paver

Study on the Effect of Sorghum Flour Particle Size on the Storage Quality of Leavened Pancakes.

Pancakes prepared with sorghum flour possess a high nutritional value, yet their quality is unstable and prone to degradation during storage. This instability can be attributed to the particle size of coarse cereal powder, which significantly influences the quality of flour products during storage. In this study, changes in the quality of these pancakes, prepared with varying particle sizes of sorghum flour, were meticulously analyzed during cold storage using advanced instruments such as a texture analyzer, nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, differential scanning calorimeter, X-ray diffractometer, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. Findings revealed that the hardness of leavened pancakes significantly increased over time. After a refrigeration period of 7 days, the hardness of wheat flour leavened pancakes increased by 56.60%. However, with a decrease in the particle size of sorghum flour, the increase in hardness diminished, thereby delaying the aging process of the pancakes. As the storage duration was extended, moisture migration within the pancakes occurred, and the sorghum flour pancakes with a smaller particle size exhibited a reduced moisture change rate, indicating an enhanced water holding capacity. In comparison to their wheat flour counterparts, sorghum flour leavened pancakes exhibited a substantial reduction in retrogradation enthalpy and crystallinity. The inclusion of sorghum flour effectively inhibited amylopectin recrystallization, thus slowing down the aging process of the pancakes. This inhibitory effect was more evident with decreasing sorghum flour particle sizes. Fourier transform infrared data indicated no significant alterations in absorption peaks across various wavelengths during cold storage. Although starch short-range orderliness increased with storage time, the use of sorghum flour with smaller particles reduced the degree of short-range orderliness in starch molecules throughout the cold storage period. Sorghum flour with a smaller particle size can inhibit water migration and amylopectin recrystallization, which subsequently delays pancake aging and enhances its quality stability during storage.

Improved Preservation of Rat Small Intestine Transplantation Graft by Introduction of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Secreted Fractions.

Segmental grafts from living donors have advantages over grafts from deceased donors when used for small intestine transplantation. However, storage time for small intestine grafts can be extremely short and optimal graft preservation conditions for short-term storage remain undetermined. Secreted factors from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that allow direct activation of preserved small intestine grafts. Freshly excised Luc-Tg LEW rat tissues were incubated in preservation solutions containing MSC-conditioned medium (MSC-CM). Preserved Luc-Tg rat-derived grafts were then transplanted to wild-type recipients, after which survival, injury score, and tight junction protein expression were examined. Luminance for each graft was determined using in vivo imaging. The findings indicated that 30-100 and 3-10kDa fractions of MSC-CM have superior activating effects for small intestine preservation. Expression of the tight-junction proteins claudin-3, and zonula occludens-1 preserved for 24h in University of Wisconsin (UW) solution containing MSC-CM with 50-100kDa, as shown by immunostaining, also indicated effectiveness. Reflecting the improved graft preservation, MSC-CM preloading of grafts increased survival rate from 0% to 87%. This is the first report of successful transplantation of small intestine grafts preserved for more than 24h using a rodent model to evaluate graft preservation conditions that mimic clinical conditions.

Synergistic effect of red-white LED and modified atmosphere packaging on okra quality maintenance and its mechanism in simulated cold chain logistics

Okra is rich in nutritional value, but transportation vibration, cold chain breakage and improper storage can quickly accelerate quality deterioration. In this study, we simulated the cold chain transportation process to find the synergistic effect of red-white LED illumination combined with modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on okra quality maintenance and its mechanism of action. After 16 d of storage, LED+MAP can better avoid water loss and wilting in okra. The fracturability was 35 %, 33 %, and 40 % of fresh okra for LED, MAP, and LED+MAP, respectively, compared to 17 % for CK. CK produced unpleasant odors, but the odor of LED+MAP was close to the fresh. LED+MAP maintained the stability of the nutrient content of okra. The chlorophyll content of LED+MAP was reduced to 64 % of the original compared to 35 % of that for CK. The total phenol content of LED+MAP was reduced to 55 % of the original compared to 26 % of that for CK. The total flavonoid content of LED+MAP was reduced to 72 % of the original compared to 56 % of that for CK. LED+MAP regulated the activity of antioxidant enzymes, and the antioxidant capacity was significantly higher than that of the other groups. The ascorbic acid content of LED+MAP was reduced to 52 % of the original compared to 38 % of that for CK. The MDA content of LED+MAP was 3.83 times of the original compared to 8.52 times of that for CK. The electrolyte leakage of LED+MAP was 2.12 times of the original compared to 2.86 times of that for CK. With the increase of storage time, O2 concentration in MAP showed a decreasing trend and CO2 showed an increasing trend. O2 in LED+MAP showed a growing trend followed by a decreasing trend and CO2 showed a decreasing trend followed by a rising trend. LED+MAP complemented the shortcomings of the single technology and was more effective in delaying the quality deterioration of okra.

Optimisation of some technological factors of pretreatment by pullulanase enzymatic hydrolysis combined with hydrothermal process to produce resistant starch (RS3) from rice flour ingredients

The purpose of the study was to conduct a multi-factor experiment and optimize some technological factors of pretreatment by pullulanase enzymatic hydrolysis combined with hydrothermal process to produce resistant starch (RS3) from rice flour of IR50404 paddy variety. The multi-factor experimental plan used the Box-Behnken planning model with 3 independent variables corresponding to the variation range: Pullulanase enzyme concentration (1.5-2.5%); Hydrolysis temperature (52-58oC); Hydrolysis time (8-12 hours). The objective functions include: RS3 resistant starch content (%), reducing sugar content (%), and solubility (%). The experiments were conducted under the same conditions with the parameters determined from single-factor experiments: Prepare enzymatic hydrolysis solution with rice starch/water concentration of 15% at pH 5.5; Hydrothermal mode includes 3 heat treatment/cooling cycles: Autoclaving (130oC, 60minutes) →Cooling and storage time(4oC, 18 hours). Experimental data processing and optimization used Design -Expert 7.1 software with expected function algorithm with the desire that the RS3 resistant starch content, reducing sugar content and solubility reach their maximum values, corresponding to the important coefficients of 5/5, 4/5, and 4/5. The results were the determination of the optimal enzymatic hydrolysis pretreatment regime with pullulanase enzyme concentration of 2.2%, hydrolysis temperature of 54.4oC for 10.4 hours, corresponding to RS3 resistant starch content reached 47.58±0.22%, reducing sugar content reached 14.12±0.08%, and solubility reached 68.52 ± 0.18% after hydrothermal process.

From frozen to feeding: storage characteristics of banked donor human milk used in a single level IV academic neonatal intensive care unit.

The storage time of banked donor human milk (DHM) administered in an academic hospital to critically ill preterm neonates was previously unknown. This study was designed to determine the storage time of banked DHM by measurements obtained at the hospital level (by lot finish date) and individual patient level (by feeding date) over 2-year observation period. Both methods of measuring storage time (hospital-level and patient-level) showed that DHM was stored on average 8 ±1 months before use. Variations in storage time fluctuated across months with a minimum and maximum storage duration of 119 to 317 days. Most infants received a median of 3 [2-5 IQR] unique lots of DHM. The storage time of DHM was successfully measured. Over 95% of DHM received was stored longer than 6 months. Storage times varied widely, uncovering a potential area of future research.

Isolation of stilbenoids from fresh knotwood of Scots pine using a high yield method

Abstract Scots pine knotwood contains valuable amount of stilbenoids such as pinosylvin (Ps) and pinosylvin monomethyl ether (PsMME). The stilbenoids have numerous biological activities. Traditional methods of extracting stilbenoids often yield low quantities and involve complex processes. In the present study, a simple and high-yield method was proposed for the extraction of stilbenoids from fresh Scots pine knotwood using ethanol taking a total of three days. In addition, the impact of drying process, extraction time, extraction solvents (acetone and ethanol) and storage time were evaluated on the yield of the stilbenoids. The increased yield and improved extraction efficiency make this method a promising advancement for promoting the utilization of stilbenoids for their valuable bioactive properties.

Nanoliposomal Encapsulation of Capparis spinosa Extract and Its Application in Jelly Formulation.

This research aimed to encapsulate the Capparis spinosa fruit extract to increase its stability for incorporation into food products such as jelly or jelly powder. After extraction, the nanoliposomes containing the extract were prepared in ratios of 60-0, 50-10, 40-20, and 30-30 lecithin-to-cholesterol. The effects of lecithin-to-cholesterol concentrations on the related parameters were then evaluated. The results showed that the average particle size was in the range of 95.05 to 164.25 nm, and with an increasing cholesterol concentration, the particle size of the nanoliposomes increased. The addition of cholesterol increased the zeta potential from -60.40 to -68.55 millivolt. Furthermore, cholesterol led to an increase in encapsulation efficiency, and even improved the stability of phenolic compounds loaded in nanoliposomes during storage time. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy confirmed the successful loading of the extract. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) analysis revealed nano-sized spherical and almost-elliptical liposomes. For jelly powders, the water solubility index ranged from 39.5 to 43.7% (p > 0.05), and the hygroscopicity values ranged between 1.22 and 9.36 g/100 g (p < 0.05). In conclusion, nanoencapsulated Capparis spinosa extract displayed improved stability and can be used in jelly preparation without any challenge or unfavorable perception.

Elevated Lipid Metabolites in Stored Clinical OCA Media Correlate With Chondrocyte Death

Background: A major limitation of osteochondral allografts (OCA) is the deterioration of cartilage health associated with cell death during prolonged storage. However, little is known about the mechanisms that contribute to chondrocyte death during storage. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study aimed to determine whether bioactive lipid metabolites accumulate in the storage media of OCA and whether they are associated with a loss of chondrocyte viability during prolonged storage. It was hypothesized that free fatty acids (FFAs) would accumulate over time in the storage media of OCA and adversely affect cartilage health during storage. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: A group of 21 (n = 6-8 OCA/treatment group) fresh human hemicondylar OCA tissues and media were analyzed after 7, 28, and 68 days of prolonged cold (4°C) storage. Targeted mass spectrometry analysis was used to quantify bioactive FFAs, as well as primary (lipid hydroperoxide [ROOH]) and secondary (malondialdehyde) lipid oxidation products. Chondrocyte viability was measured using a fluorescence-based live/dead assay and confocal microscopy. Results: The concentration of all targeted fatty acid metabolites in storage media was significantly increased with increased cold storage time (P < .05). ROOH was significantly higher on day 28 of cold storage. No difference in secondary ROOH products in storage media was observed. Chondrocyte viability significantly declined in both the en face and the vertical cross-sectional analysis with increased cold storage time and inversely correlated with fatty acid metabolites (P < .05). Conclusion: It is well established that elevated levels of certain FFAs and lipid oxidation products can alter cell function and cause cell death via lipotoxicity and other mechanisms. This work is the first to identify elevated levels of FFA metabolites and primary oxidation lipid products in the storage media from clinical OCA. The concentrations of FFA metabolites were measured at levels (>100 µM) known to induce cell death and were directly correlated with chondrocyte viability. Clinical Relevance: These findings provide important targets for understanding why cartilage health declines during cold storage, which can be used to optimize media formulations and improve graft health.

Role of ultrasonic freezing­treated pork dumpling filling during frozen storage: Insights from protein oxidation, aggregation, and functional properties

The effects of air freezing (AF), immersion freezing (IF), and ultrasonic freezing (UF) on the oxidation, aggregation, and functional properties of myofibrillar protein (MP) in pork dumpling filling during frozen storage were investigated. The findings demonstrated that, compared to AF and IF treatments, UF treatment had higher total and reactive sulfhydryl content, solubility, and absolute zeta potential. Conversely, it exhibited lower values in carbonyl content, dityrosine content, turbidity, and particle size within the same storage time (p < 0.05). SDS-PAGE revealed that UF treatment delayed the oxidation and excessive aggregation of MP during frozen storage. Moreover, samples treated with UF at 180 days (d) displayed similar functional and qualitative characteristics to those treated with IF at 90 d or AF at 60 d, as per the hierarchical cluster analysis findings. In conclusion, UF effectively delayed the oxidation, aggregation, and loss of functional properties of MP in pork dumpling filling during frozen storage.

Investigating the Impact of temperature and storage time on antimony release from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic used for bottled drinking water

In last decade, Prosperity in contemporary Saudi Arabia and the consequent stresses on renewable freshwater resources resulted in the bottled drinking water market. Over the period, sustainable water resources planning (SWRP) has become an essential requirement for the development of places where these resources are highly constrained. To meet this market growth in Saudi Arabia is augmented by increasing demand for bottled water. This drastic increase, leads some countries to develop an alternative sources including desalinated water and treated wastewater for landscaping irrigation, industrial reuse, street cleaning, and aquifer recharge. There are claims on health concerns the possibility of chemicals migration from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles into drinking water. In this paper, inductively coupled plasma -optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) was utilized and applied to determine the antimony (Sb) release from PET bottles into mineral water of 8 local brands at different temperature degrees within 8 months storage time.

Overcoming analytical and preanalytical challenges associated with extragenital home collected STI specimens.

There is a clinical need for expanded extragenital bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing options, but the current regulatory landscape limits the wide-spread promotion and adoption of such services. Improved access, particularly for the LGBTQ+ community, can be achieved by validating testing for specimens that are self-collected at a remote location and arrive at the laboratory via a postal carrier or other intermediary route. Here we provide valuable data showing that self-collected samples for anal and oropharyngeal STI testing are equally or increasingly sensitive compared with those collected by a provider. We systematically consider the effects of storage time, exposure to temperature extremes, and the addition of common toiletries on results.