[Assessment of daily aluminum intake by food consumption]. / Estimarea aportului zilnic de aluminiu prin consum de alimente.

Aluminum is naturally present in foods; the contents of aluminum may increase during cooking or technological processes, or during conditioning. The average aluminum intake for humans is 10 mg/day. In case of drug administration, the normal average intake may reach 50-1000 mg/day. Foods represent the major source of aluminum for humans. We assessed the aluminum contents in samples of vegetal (vegetables and fruits), animal foods (milk and dairy, meat ) and drinking water, in order to evaluate the daily aluminum intake. Aluminum assessment was made by the colorimetric method with eriocromcianin R. The gathered values (mg Al3+/100 g product), range between 0.0177 and 0.5473, are similar to those reported in the literature, and allow the assessment of aluminum intake by daily food consumption. The daily aluminum intake by means of normo- and hypocaloric menus was computed, and ranges between 2.4231 and 0.8677 mg aluminum.

[The current aspects of food quality]. / Aspecte actuale privind calitatea alimentului.

Foods may become damaging factors to the human body, both by inadequate intake (over- and sub-nutrition), and by the accidental presence of biological agents (bacteria, viruses, parasites), and the toxic chemical substances, which may be normal compounds of a given product (alkaloids, antivitamins, goitrogen substances), or may come from food altering (toxic amines, peroxide fat compounds), may be produced by certain contaminant microorganisms (mycotoxins), may pollute the food product (toxic metals, pesticides), or may be added willingly (adjuvants) in higher concentrations than allowed by sanitary legislation. Changes in of a food's quality, as long as the food may become improper for consumption, therefore damaging to the consumer's health, is called alteration. Altering processes are different, according to the chemical composition of the food product and to the factors that act upon it. National and international organisms for the safeguard of population's health are permanently monitoring food quality and give normatives and rules that will be imposed to the products offered for human consumption.

[The presence of nitrates and nitrites in the environment in different geographical areas of Moldova correlated with morbidity from methemoglobinemia]. / Cercetarea prezentei nitratilor si nitritilor din mediul ambiant din zone geografice diferite din Moldova în corelatie cu morbiditatea prin methemoglobinemie.

It was studies the content of nitrates and nitrites in water sources and vegetables from different geographical regions, resulting high values of nitrates in colinae and plain regions, and low values in mountain and submountain region. The high value of nitrates are related with methaemoglobinaemia. The nitrites from edible water studied and from vegetables presented very low values in the order of ppm.

[The presence of detergents in surface water sources and their health and ecological implications]. / Cercetarea prezentei detergentilor în unele surse de apa de suprafata si implicatiile sanitare si ecologice ale acestora.

The presence of anionic detergents in some surface waters (the Danube River in its inferior sector, the Prut River and its affluents, and the lakes on the Bistrita River) which are sources of drinking water for some towns was investigated. The presence of the anionic detergents is due to the discharge of industrial and household waste waters. Although the anionic detergents levels are low they raise health problems as these substances may favor the digestive absorption of some noxious or carcinogenic substances concomitantly present in the water source.

[Environmental pollution studies of fluorine coming from industry]. / Cercetarea poluarii mediului ambiant cu fluor provenit din industrie.

Fluorine in optimal concentration prevents dental caries, while an excess or deficiency in it may lead to pathologic alterations which make fluorine be one of the environmental pollutants the concentration of which is limited by health standards. This investigation, carried out in the area of an aluminium plant, showed the presence in excess of fluorine and fluorine-containing dusts in the atmospheric air, determining an increased fluorine content in the ground and vegetal cultures of the respective area. Negative effects of these noxae upon vegetation and animals were noticed.

[The determination of vitamin A in vegetable food products]. / Contributii la determinarea vitaminei A în produse alimentare de natura vegetala.

Vitamin A was determined by the Sb trichloride colorimetric method in different types of margarine samples, results which observe the legislation being obtained. In order to estimate the stability of vitamin A in margarine an experiment aimed at determining the concentration in margarine samples preserved in different ways for 90 days was initiated. The obtained results point out the maintainance of vitamin A at high values, between 63 per cent and 85 per cent of the initial content, as compared to the control, in which only 50 per cent of the added quantity was found.