A descriptive bibliometric study on bioavailability of pesticides in vegetables, food or wine research (1976-2018).

A bibliometric analysis based on the Web of Science© (WOS) database was performed on bioavailability of pesticides in vegetables, food or wine related studies published from inception to 2018. A total of 1202 articles were subjected to examination. The results reveal that yearly production of scientific articles increased steadily. Journal and institution production, and author's keywords frequencies followed the Lotka's Law. Khan SU and White JC were the most productive authors. The most productive journals were Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (55), and Journal of Ethnopharmacology (48), and the most common WOS subject category was Pharmacology & Pharmacy (419). USA (h-index of 40) produced 21.7 % of all articles, closely followed by China (20.6 %). Chinese Academy of Sciences (34) was the most productive research institutions. Finally, current and future trends in this area should focus on keywords such as pharmacokinetics, curcumin, in-vitro, nanoparticles, oral (bioavailability) and cell.

An approach to gut microbiota profile in children with autism spectrum disorder.

In recent years, there has been an increase in studies on the implications of gut microbiota (GM) on the behaviour of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) due to a dysbiosis in GM that can trigger onset, development or progression of ASD through the microbiota-gut-brain axis. The aim of this study is to carry out a systematic review of articles from the last 6 years that analyse GM in children with ASD compared to GM in control groups. Children with ASD showed a higher abundance of Roseburia and Candida genera, and lower abundance of Dialister, Bilophila, Veillonella, Streptococcus, Coprococcus and Prevotella genera. Those differences can be attributed to factors such as different nationalities, nature of control groups, place where the sample was taken, gastrointestinal (GI) problems or bacterial detection methods. It is still too early to define a specific GM profile of children with ASD, and future studies should focus on homogenizing the characteristics of samples and control groups. Furthermore, new multicentre studies should also focus on the impact of GM on GI physiology, neurophysiology and behaviour of children with ASD, and on performing psychometric analyses of the correlation between the severity of ASD behavioural symptoms and GM profiles.

Domestic wastewaters reuse reclaimed by an improved horizontal subsurface-flow constructed wetland: A case study in the southeast of Spain.

The aim of this case study was to assess the performance of a horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HF-CW) located in southeastern Spain, filled with blast furnace slags (BFS), planted with Phragmites australis and designed to treat artificially aerated domestic wastewater to produce effluents suitable for agriculture reuse. The water quality parameters, included in the Spanish regulations for reclaimed wastewater reuse as agricultural quality 2.1, were monitored for one year. Data for all studied parameters, except electrical conductivity (EC) and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), met the Spanish standards for reclaimed wastewater reuse due to the high evapotranspiration (ET) during the summer. The introduced improvements were effective for turbidity, total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and, specially, for total phosphorus (TP) with an average abatement of 96.9±1.7%. The improved HF-CW achieved similar or better percentage abatements than those reported using some hybrid systems.

Microbiological and Sensory Quality of Fresh Ready-to-Eat Artichoke Hearts Packaged under Modified Atmosphere.

In recent years the sales of minimally processed vegetables have grown exponentially as a result of changes in consumer habits. The availability of artichoke buds as a ready-to-eat product would be, therefore, highly advantageous. However, minimally processed artichoke hearts are difficult to preserve because of their rapid browning and the proliferation of naturally occurring microorganisms. We developed artichoke hearts prepared as ready-to-eat products that maintain the characteristics of the fresh product. The microbiological stability, sensory qualities, and shelf life of the processed artichoke hearts were determined. During the shelf life, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli counts were below the limits legally established by European regulations for minimally processed vegetables. The pH played an important role in microbial growth. Artichoke hearts had lower microbial counts in experiments conducted at pH 4.1 than in experiments conducted at pH 4.4, although the recommended threshold value for total plate count (7 log CFU/g) was not exceeded in either case. Sensory parameters were affected by the microorganisms, and artichoke products at lower pH had better sensory qualities. Vacuum impregnation techniques, modified atmosphere packaging, and low storage temperature were very effective for increasing the shelf life of minimally processed artichokes. The average shelf life was approximately 12 to 15 days.