New PFASs Identified in AFFF Impacted Groundwater by Passive Sampling and Nontarget Analysis.

Monitoring contamination from per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in water systems impacted by aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs) typically addresses a few known PFAS groups. Given the diversity of PFASs present in AFFFs, current analytical approaches do not comprehensively address the range of PFASs present in these systems. A suspect-screening and nontarget analysis (NTA) approach was developed and applied to identify novel PFASs in groundwater samples contaminated from historic AFFF use. A total of 88 PFASs were identified in both passive samplers and grab samples, and these were dominated by sulfonate derivatives and sulfonamide-derived precursors. Several ultrashort-chain (USC) PFASs (≤C3) were detected, 11 reported for the first time in Australian groundwater. Several transformation products were identified, including perfluoroalkane sulfonamides (FASAs) and perfluoroalkane sulfinates (PFASis). Two new PFASs were reported (((perfluorohexyl)sulfonyl)sulfamic acid; m/z 477.9068 and (E)-1,1,2,2,3,3,4,5,6,7,8,8,8-tridecafluorooct-6-ene-1-sulfonic acid; m/z 424.9482). This study highlights that several PFASs are overlooked using standard target analysis, and therefore, the potential risk from all PFASs present is likely to be underestimated.

Novel Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Discovered in Cattle Exposed to AFFF-Impacted Groundwater.

The leaching of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from Australian firefighting training grounds has resulted in extensive contamination of groundwater and nearby farmlands. Humans, farm animals, and wildlife in these areas may have been exposed to complex mixtures of PFASs from aqueous film-forming foams (AFFFs). This study aimed to identify PFAS classes in pooled whole blood (n = 4) and serum (n = 4) from cattle exposed to AFFF-impacted groundwater and potentially discover new PFASs in blood. Thirty PFASs were identified at various levels of confidence (levels 1a-5a), including three novel compounds: (i) perfluorohexanesulfonamido 2-hydroxypropanoic acid (FHxSA-HOPrA), (ii) methyl((perfluorohexyl)sulfonyl)sulfuramidous acid, and (iii) methyl((perfluorooctyl)sulfonyl)sulfuramidous acid, belonging to two different classes. Biotransformation intermediate, perfluorohexanesulfonamido propanoic acid (FHxSA-PrA), hitherto unreported in biological samples, was detected in both whole blood and serum. Furthermore, perfluoroalkyl sulfonamides, including perfluoropropane sulfonamide (FPrSA), perfluorobutane sulfonamide (FBSA), and perfluorohexane sulfonamide (FHxSA) were predominantly detected in whole blood, suggesting that these accumulate in the cell fraction of blood. The suspect screening revealed several fluoroalkyl chain-substituted PFAS. The results suggest that targeting only the major PFASs in the plasma or serum of AFFF-exposed mammals likely underestimates the toxicological risks associated with exposure. Future studies of AFFF-exposed populations should include whole-blood analysis with high-resolution mass spectrometry to understand the true extent of PFAS exposure.

Effect of natural antioxidants on lipid oxidation in mayonnaise compared with BHA, the industry standard.

INTRODUCTION: Mayonnaise is an oil in water emulsion (O/W) consisting 70-80% oil. Lipid oxidation is a major cause of quality deterioration in mayonnaise. The effectiveness of antioxidants in a hetrophasic systems is highly dependent on their polarity and partitioning properties. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of a hydrophilic [green tea extract (GTE)] and a lipophilic [tocopherol mixture (TOC)] and BHA on lipid oxidation in mayonnaise during 60 days of storage at 38 °C and to examine the interactions between GTE and TOC, to determine possible synergistic or antagonistic effects in antioxidant activity. METHODS: The oxidative stability was studied by measuring hydroperoxides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and colour of mayonnaise during storage. Comprehensive analysis of VOCs was done by static headspace extraction and separation by two-dimensional gas chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry. Sensory analysis was also carried out to study the effect of storage time and antioxidant type on sensory properties of mayonnaise and to investigate the predictive ability of volatile compounds for sensory terms. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Addition of GTE (500 ppm) and TOC (500 ppm) increased the formation of hydroperoxides and certain VOCs. The combination of GTE with TOC improved the antioxidant efficacy compared to the individual extracts. However, sensory evaluation demonstrated that GTE promoted the development of unpleasant fishy and rancid aroma. The volatile compound methional, was significantly and positively correlated with fishy and rancid flavour. Regarding colour analysis, GTE showed the highest increase in darkening and browning during storage.

Comprehensive profiling of lipid oxidation volatile compounds during storage of mayonnaise.

Lipid oxidation is a primary cause of quality deterioration in mayonnaise that leads to a decrease in the nutritional and sensorial value. The evolution of volatile oxidation compounds in sunflower oil mayonnaise stored at varying temperatures for 92 days and the antioxidative effect of butylated hydroxyanisole were investigated by static headspace extraction and separation by two dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Considerable differences in the headspace composition of samples stored at 4, 25 and 38 °C were found due to the different oxidation levels reached. The content of hexanal in mayonnaise at 1-5 days of storage at 38 °C could be used to predict the corresponding compound in mayonnaise at 1-62 days of storage at 25 °C. The 10 most important discriminating volatile compounds during lipid oxidation of mayonnaise (at 38 °C for 92 days) are 3-hexenal, pentanal, 2-heptenal, 2-ethylfuran, hexanal, benzeneacetaldehyde, 2-pentylfuran, 3-methylhexane, 1-pentanol and 2,4-heptadienal. More than half of these compounds have a close relationship with the initial content of linoleic acid that agrees with the fatty acid profile of sunflower oil (~ 70% linoleic acid). These volatiles could be used as additional markers of oxidation in sunflower oil mayonnaise.

Effect of pH on turbidity, size, viscosity and the shape of sodium caseinate aggregates with light scattering and rheometry.

The characterization of sodium caseinate solutions as a function of pH was determined using titration with HCL through turbidimetry in different concentrations (0.03 wt.%, 0.045 wt.%, 0.06 wt.%, 0.09 wt.%, 0.2 wt.%, and 0.3 wt.%). Additionally, the coupling of slow in situ acidification of the solution and rheometry was utilized to gain deeper insights into pH-induced structural transitions during the self assembly process and particle size distribution analysis have been used to determine the behavior of sodium caseinate solutions in different pHs. The formation of aggregates during the acidification process was clearly visualized using microscopy. Surprisingly the viscosity of sodium caseinate solution at pH 4.64 was maximum and decreased by lowering pH. Particle size analysis confirmed the onset of big aggregates on decreasing pH but further acidification led to formation of smaller aggregates. A small concentration effect on pI was seen where at sodium caseinate levels of 0.03 wt.% the pI occurred at 4.29, where at sodium caseinate levels of 0.30 wt.% pI value was 4.64.

Calibration of a microporous polyethylene tube passive sampler for polar organic compounds in wastewater effluent.

Water resources are vulnerable to contamination from polar organic compounds (POCs) originating from sources such as wastewater effluent. Two configurations of a microporous polyethylene tube (MPT) passive sampler were investigated for the time-integrative detection and quantification of POCs in effluent. One configuration contained the polymeric reversed phase sorbent Strata-X (SX) and the other Strata-X suspended in agarose gel (SX-Gel). These were deployed for up to 29 days and analysed for forty-nine POCs including pesticides, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) together with illicit drugs. Complementary composite samples were collected on days 6, 12, 20 and 26 representing the previous 24 h. Thirty-eight contaminants were detected in composite samples and MPT extracts, with MPT sampling rates (Rs) for 11 pesticides and 9 PPCPs/drugs ranging from 0.81 to 10.32 mL d-1 in SX and 1.35-32.83 mL d-1 in SX-Gel. Half-times to equilibrium of contaminants with the SX and SX-Gel equipped samplers ranged from two days to >29 days. MPT (SX) samplers were also deployed at 10 wastewater treatment effluent discharge sites across Australia for 7 days (again with complementary composite samples), to validate the sampler performance under varying conditions. Extracts from these MPTs detected 48 contaminants in comparison with 46 in composite samples, with concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 138 ng mL-1. An advantage of the MPT was preconcentration of contaminants, resulting in extract levels often markedly above instrument analytical detection limits. The validation study demonstrated a high correlation between accumulated contaminant mass in the MPTs and wastewater concentrations from composite samples (r2 > 0.70, where concentrations in composite samples were > 3× LOD). The MPT sampler shows promise as a sensitive tool for detecting POCs at trace levels in wastewater effluent and also quantifying these levels if temporal concentration variations are not significant.

Sorption affinity and mechanisms of per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) with commercial sorbents: Implications for passive sampling.

Effective monitoring tools, including passive samplers, are essential for the wide range of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) in aquatic matrices. However, knowledge of the extent and mechanisms of PFASs sorption with sorbents in a passive sampling context is limited. To address this, sorption behavior of 45 anionic, neutral and zwitterionic PFASs ranging in perfluorocarbon chain length (C3-C16) and functional groups with 11 different commercial sorbents (cross-linked ß-cyclodextrin polymers, activated carbon, anion exchange (AE), cation exchange, hydrophilic-lipophilic balanced (HLB) and non-polar) was investigated. A broad range of equilibrium sorbent-MilliQ water (MQ) distribution coefficients (Kd) were observed (10-1.95 to 108.30 mL g-1). Similar sorbent types (e.g., various AE and HLB sorbents) exhibited very different sorption behavior, likely due to their different polymeric structures and relative importance of sorbate/sorbent interactions other than coulombic interactions. HLB and AE with hydroxyl functionalities are most effective for sampling of the full suite of PFASs. Reduced sorptive affinity was observed in the presence of matrix co-constituents in wastewater influent for most PFASs. HLB had the smallest reduction in log Kd in wastewater suggesting that these sorbents are appropriate for applications in complex matrices. Sufficient sorbent capacity was observed for linear uptake of many target analytes which facilitates passive sampling.

Complex Coacervation of Milk Proteins with Sodium Alginate.

Beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) coacervate formation with sodium alginate (ALG) was investigated by turbidimetric analysis, zeta potential, particle size, viscosity, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and isothermal titration calorimetric (ITC) measurements as a function of pH (1.0-7.0) and protein/alginate mixing ratio (1:1, 1.5:1, 2:1, 1:0, and 0:1 wt.). Critical pH values of phase transitions for BSA-ALG complexes (pHC, pHφ1, and pHφφ2) representing the formation of soluble and insoluble complexes of a protein-ALG mixture (2:1) at pH 4.8, 4.2, and 1.8, respectively. In the case of BLG-ALG, critical pH values (pHC, pHφ1, and pHφ2) were found to be 4.8, 4.2, and 1.6, respectively. The pHopt values, expressed by the highest optical density, were pH 2.8 for BSA-ALG and 2.4 for BLG-ALG. TEM and zeta-potential results showed that maximum coacervate formation occurred at pH 4.2 for both protein-polysaccharide solutions. The interaction between BLG-ALG and BSA-ALG was spontaneously exothermic at pH 4.2 according to ITC measurements. The findings of this study provide insights to a thorough understanding about the nature of interactions between milk proteins and ALG and formulate new applications for food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetics applications.

Complexation of sodium caseinate with gum tragacanth: Effect of various species and rheology of coacervates.

We investigated complex coacervation of sodium caseinate/Astragalus rahensis (A.r) as a function of pH with light scattering, spectrophotometry, and viscosity measurements. Interestingly, sodium caseinate/A.r displayed five structural transitions; pH 7.00 to pH ∼5.40: no interaction occurred, pH ∼5.40 to pH ∼4.80: initiation of the formation of primary soluble complexes, pH ∼4.80 to ∼4.30: formation of interpolymer complexes, pH ∼4.30 to ∼4.02: optimum coacervation and pH ∼4.02 to ∼2.50: suppression of coacervation. In addition, rheological properties of sodium caseinate/A.r coacervates were studied at various pH values. A much higher storage modulus (G') than loss modulus (G″) for all sodium caseinate/A.r coacervates suggests the formation of highly interconnected gel-like network structures with mainly elastic behaviour. Moreover, sodium caseinate/A.r coacervates at all pH values exhibited a shear thinning behaviour across the entire shear rate range investigated. Effects of different species of gum tragacanth on the interactions with sodium caseinate have been scarcely studied. Our study showed that systems containing various species (A.r, soluble fraction of A.r and Astragalus gossypinus (A.g)) had different critical pH values and particle sizes during complex coacervation, which could be due to different ratio of soluble to insoluble fractions and uronic acid content of various species.