Evaluation of pollution levels in sediments from Lake Edku, Egypt using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

The concentrations of 11 heavy metals in sediments from Lake Edku, Egypt were determined using LA-ICP-MS. The average concentrations of elements occurred in the order of Fe > V > Cr > Zn > Ni > Cu > Co > Pb > As > Sn > Mo with respective values of 4.67 %, 104.8, 77.9, 76.6, 59.2, 52, 27.8, 19.8, 4.14, 2.24, and 1.45 µg/g. Several pollution indices were used to evaluate individual and cumulative contamination levels. All HMs were found to be in the deficiency to minimal enrichment range based on the enrichment factor. The contamination factor indicated low contamination levels of Cr and As, low to moderate contamination levels of Fe, Ni, Zn, Mo, Sn, and Pb, and moderate contamination levels of Co and Cu. The pollution load index and contamination degree indicated the sediments to be polluted and moderately polluted, respectively.

Protein enrichment of potato processing waste through yeast fermentation.

Potato starch obtained from waste waters of chips manufacturing was used as a fermentation substrate for yeast protein enrichment. Among 18 yeast strains, 6 strains were screened according to their biomass yield and protein content after fermentation for 16 h at 30 degrees C in an aerated glucose-based liquid media (4.5 Ls). Using concentrated media (25% solids) made from potato starch pre-hydrolyzed with malt flour and batch-fermented for 20 h at 26 degrees C under aerobic conditions, Candida utilis ATCC 9256 was the most efficient protein-forming strain. Scaled-up at the 100 Ls level, the aerobic batch process was improved under fed-batch conditions with molasses supplementation. After drying, fermented starch contained 11-12% protein, including 7-8% yeast protein.

The production of mixed cultures containing strains of Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc cremoris and Lactobacillus rhamnosus, on commercial starter media.

Mixed starters containing Lactococcus lactis, Leuconostoc cremoris and Lactobacillus rhamnosus strains were produced on commercial starter media (MB Complete, Thermolac, Marlac), as well as on milk. With the exception of Marlac, the starters were cultured under pH control. The effect of media and incubation temperature (22 or 32 degrees C) on population ratios, on specific acidifying activities (SAA) of the cultures as well as on their ability to produce aroma compounds in milk was studied. The starters had higher contents in lactobacilli when they were produced at 32 degrees C, whereas a tendency to obtain higher Leuconostoc populations was observed at 22 degrees C. With respect to the lactococci, there was a significant interaction between temperature and growth medium for both strains. Thus, Le. cremoris T2 reached higher populations at 32 degrees C if grown in MB complete and Thermolac, whereas in Marlac and skim milk, viable counts were higher at 22 degrees C. The lactococci represented 50% of the total population of the culture at the beginning of the incubation, but they composed between 80% and 99% of the total population following fermentation. The best medium for growth of Leuconostoc was milk, but populations of only 10(8) cfu/ml were reached. The lactobacilli did not grow well in MB Complete, and their development was best in the low-phosphate Marlac medium. The cultures grown on Marlac had the highest SAA values, whereas those grown on MB complete had the lowest. Overall, more ethanol and diacetyl were detected in the fermented milks when the starters used to inoculate them were produced at 22 degrees C.

True metabolizable energy values for poultry of commercial diets measured by bioassay and predicted from chemical data.

Data describing 419 commercial poultry feeds and 41 mixtures of feedingstuffs were used to develop multiple linear regression equations for predicting the true metabolizable energy (TME) values of mixed feeds. Equations using the three-variable combinations "ether extract, crude fiber, ash" and "ether extract, crude protein, NFE" were equally useful as predictors of TME, explaining about 80% of the variation. The combination "ether extract, crude protein, carbohydrate", used in published equations for predicting apparent metabolizable energy, explained only about 60% of the variation. Equations with four or more variables were not significantly better than the three-variable equations. The commercial data were split into three groups. Equations developed on the separate groups were consistent. The equations are recommended for use with mixed feeds whose parameters fall within the ranges of the values observed in the experiment.

Soft open charm production in Heavy-Ion Collisions.

The effects of strong longitudinal color electric fields on the open charm production in nucleus-nucleus (A+A) collisions at 200A GeV are investigated within the framework of the HIJING/BB[over ] v2.0 model. A threefold increase of the effective string tension due to in-medium effects in A+A collisions results in a sizable ( approximately 60%-70%) enhancement of the total charm production cross sections (sigma (cc)(NN)). The nuclear modification factor shows a suppression at moderate transverse momentum (p(T)) consistent with BNL Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider data. At Large Hadron Collider energies the model predicts an increase of sigma (cc)(NN) by approximately an order of magnitude.

A high pressure liquid chromatographic method for the quantitation of sub-microgram amounts of zearalenone (F-2) in agricultural products.

A highly sensitive and reliable method for the quantitation of sub-microgram quantitaties of zearalenone (F-2) residues in corn, corn oil and mixed feed is described. The isolation of this mycotoxin from a mixed solvent extract involves partitioning of the alkali soluble components from a chloroform solution, followed by acidification and extraction of organic components into chloroform, a silica gel column clean-up and analysis by high pressure liquid chromatography using a ultraviolet (UV) detector at 280 nm. The limit of detection of the instrument is shown to be 2.5 ng and that of the method is 100 ppb. The percent recoveries of zearalenone in corn is found to be 72.1 +/- 6.0 at the levels between 0.1 and 1.0 ppm, in corn oil 72.6 +/- 8.8 at levels 0.25 and 1.0 ppm and in pig starter 67.3 +/- 4.5 at 1.0 ppm level. In the case of two field samples, the reproducibility of analysis is very good and the mycotoxin contents are shown to be 11.5 +/- 0.26 and 0.61 +/- 0.07 ppm.

Bis-diazotized benzidine as a spray reagent for detecting zearalenone on thin layer chromatoplates.

Bis-diazotized benzidine is a highly sensitive spray reagent for detecting zearalenone (F-2) in corn samples. As little as 2.0 ng of this Fusarium toxin could be visualized on a thin layer plate after development. In addition, this spray reagent is more specific than the spray reagents currently used for zearalenone.

Development of bacterial contamination during production of yeast extracts.

Baker's yeast suspensions having bacterial populations of 10(6) and 10(8) CFU/ml were subjected to autolysis processes designed to obtain yeast extracts (YE). The bacterial contaminants added to the yeast cell suspensions were produced with spent broths obtained from a commercial yeast production plant and contained 59% cocci (Leuconostoc, Aerococcus, Lactococcus) as well as 41% bacilli (Bacillus). Autolyses were conducted at four different pH levels (4.0, 5.5, 7.0, and 8.5) and with two autolysis-promoting agents (ethyl acetate and chitosan). Processing parameters were more important than the initial bacterial population in the development of contaminating bacteria during manufacture of YE. Drops in the viable bacterial population after a 24-h autolysis were observed when pH was adjusted to 4.0 or when ethyl acetate was added. A significant interaction was found between the effects of pH and autolysis promoters on the bacterial population in YE, indicating that the activity of ethyl acetate, as opposed to that of chitosan, was not influenced by pH.

Transverse-mass dependence of two-pion correlations in Au+Au collisions at square root[s(NN)] = 130 GeV.

Two-pion correlations in square root[s(NN)] = 130 GeV Au+Au collisions at RHIC have been measured over a broad range of pair transverse momentum k(T) by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC. The k(T) dependent transverse radii are similar to results from heavy-ion collisions at square root[s(NN)] = 4.1, 4.9, and 17.3 GeV, whereas the longitudinal radius increases monotonically with beam energy. The ratio of the outwards to sidewards transverse radii (R(out)/R(side)) is consistent with unity and independent of k(T).

Measurement of single electrons and implications for charm production in Au+Au collisions at square root[s(NN)] = 130 GeV.

Transverse momentum spectra of electrons from Au+Au collisions at square root[s(NN)] = 130 GeV have been measured at midrapidity by the PHENIX experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider. The spectra show an excess above the background from photon conversions and light hadron decays. The electron signal is consistent with that expected from semileptonic decays of charm. The yield of the electron signal dN(e)/dy for p(T) > 0.8 GeV/c is 0.025+/-0.004(stat)+/-0.010(syst) in central collisions, and the corresponding charm cross section is 380+/-60(stat)+/-200(syst) microb per binary nucleon-nucleon collision.

Centrality dependence of charged particle multiplicity in Au-Au collisions at square root of (s)NN = 130 GeV.

We present results for the charged-particle multiplicity distribution at midrapidity in Au-Au collisions at square root of [s(NN)] = 130 GeV measured with the PHENIX detector at RHIC. For the 5% most central collisions we find dN(ch)/d eta(vertical line eta = 0) = 622+/-1(stat)+/-41(syst). The results, analyzed as a function of centrality, show a steady rise of the particle density per participating nucleon with centrality.