Concentrations of trace elements [corrected] and organochlorines in Mutton bird (Puffinus griseus).

The Sooty Shearwater (Puffinus griseus, commonly known as Mutton bird) is a migratory wild seabird, annually harvested for food by certain native groups in New Zealand and Australia and in many parts of the world. The concentrations of 22 elements and several organochlorine pesticides [2,2-bis(chlorophenyl)-1,1,1-trichloroethane (DDT), its derivatives dichlorodiphenyldichloroethene (DDE) and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (DDD), aldrin, chlordane, dicofol, lindane, and methoxychlor] in Mutton bird were determined over two consecutive years to evaluate its safety for human consumption. Twenty bird carcasses were purchased in each of 2007 and 2008 from a local source. No significant year effect (P>0.05) was found in the following nine trace elements: Al, As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Se. The concentrations of Hg, Li and Na were higher (P<0.05) in 2008 samples compared to 2007. The toxic trace elements (mg/kg wet weight) in all the samples were below the maximum residual level (MRL). The concentration of Fe, Ca and Se in Mutton bird was higher than that in domestic land animal meats reported in literature. The residual organochlorine concentrations were all below the recommended MRL. Thus Mutton bird meat is high in essential nutrient elements and of low toxicological risk. Due to active use of agrochemical in New Zealand, a monitoring program for contaminants in Mutton birds is recommended.

Development of a Simple, Fast, and Cost-Effective Nanobased Immunoassay Method for Detecting Norovirus in Food Samples.

This study presents a quick, low-cost, and easy technique for the detection of norovirus in several food samples, including cucumber, lettuce, and chicken. The developed sandwich immunoassay method depends on employing nanotechnology for the detection step. Lactoferrin immobilized on activated Q-tips cotton swabs was used as a general capturing reagent to bind viruses from the sample surface. The cotton swabs were then submerged in a gold nanoparticle solution, which had previously decorated with a specific antibody for noroviruses. Positive samples retained the red color of the gold nanoparticles on the surface of Q-tips, even after washing, while the negative control samples easily lost their color through washing. The results confirmed that the developed assay has superior sensitivity and selectivity with a LOD between 10 and 53 pfu/mL for all tested samples. In light of the difficulty, complexity, and high cost of the methods recently used for detecting viruses in food samples, this method presents a promising reliable technique that can be employed for the rapid detection of norovirus in food samples with an acceptable accuracy.