Simultaneous Analysis of Mycotoxins, Potentially Toxic Elements, and Pesticides in Rice: A Health Risk Assessment Study.

Rice is a widely consumed food worldwide; however, it can be a source of pollutants, such as potentially toxic elements (PTEs), mycotoxins, and pesticides. Sixty rice samples imported from Pakistan (PAK), India (IND), and Thailand (THAI), as well as domestic Iranian (IRN) rice, were collected from Bushehr, Iran, and investigated for the contamination of PTEs, including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and nickel (Ni); pesticides, including chlorpyrifos, trichlorfon, diazinon, fenitrothion, and chlorothalonil; mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN), ochratoxin A (OTA), and deoxynivalenol (DON); and molds. Estimated daily intake (EDI) and hazard quotient (HQ) of pollutants and hazard index (HI) and incremental lifetime cancer risk (ILCR) of rice types for the Iranian adult population were calculated. The content of PTEs in Iranian rice was not higher than Iran's national standard limits. In contrast, other types of rice (imported) had at least one PTE above the permissible level. OTA content was below the detection limit, and all other mycotoxins were within the allowable range in all rice types. Thai rice was the only group without pesticides. The HI order of rice types was as follows: HIPAK = 2.1 > HIIND = 1.86 > HIIRN = 1.01 > HITHAI = 0.98. As was the biggest contributor to the HI of Iranian and Thai rice, and diazinon in the HI of Pakistani and Indian rice. The calculation of ILCR confirmed that the concentrations of Ni and Pb in Pakistani and Ni and As in Indian, Thai, and Iranian rice were not acceptable in terms of lifetime carcinogenic health risks.

Effect of partial replacement of fat with added water and tragacanth gum (Astragalus gossypinus and Astragalus compactus) on the physicochemical, texture, oxidative stability, and sensory property of reduced fat emulsion type sausage.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of partial fat replacement with two species of gum tragacanth (Astragalus gossypinus and Astragalus compactus) on physicochemical, textural, oxidative stability, and acceptability of reduced fat emulsion type sausages. Increasing the concentration of both gums to 1%, minimized extractable fat and cook loss. A. gossypinus at the concentration of 1% was the most effective in retardation of TBARS formation in sausages (p < 0.05). Reduced-fat sausages with 1% A. gossypinus showed the lowest carbonyls at the end of storage (28 days) (p < 0.05). Sausages with 1% A. gossypinus or A. compactus showed the lowest shear force (~6 and ~7 N respectively) and hardness (~21 N/cm2) among all treatments (p < 0.05). The results suggested that A. gossypinus (1%) enhanced oxidative stability and textural properties. Addition of 0.5% A. gossypinus showed an acceptable sensory score of the sausage formulation and as a potential fat replacer in the reduced fat sausages.