Optimization of a macro-element extraction system from cocoa honey samples using ultrasound and Doehlert design with multiple responses.

Cocoa honey is a product obtained at the beginning of the cocoa bean fermentation process that gets its name from its sweet flavor. Information about its chemical composition is still rarely explored in the literature. A simple, fast, and low-cost procedure of sample preparation based on ultrasound extraction and MIP OES was developed to determine the amounts of Ca, K, Mg, and P found in cocoa honey samples.

Intake of microplastics by commercial fish: A Bayesian approach.

The disordered growth of large cities around water bodies causes environmental damage due to discarded plastics and microplastics (MPs) that aquatic organisms can ingest. This study analyzed the occurrence, type, and abundance of MPs in the gastrointestinal contents of four species of commercial fish (120 total specimens), namely, Brazilian mojarra (Eugerres brasilianus) and mullets (Mugil curema, Mugil curvidens, and Mugil liza), obtained in Porto Seguro in Bahia, Brazil, between March and May 2019. A priori probability distributions were generated using a Bayesian approach and simulations to assess MP intake based on varying exposure amounts (θ = 0.

Larvae of the South Atlantic coral Favia gravida are tolerant to salinity and nutrient concentrations associated with river discharges.

Rivers release freshwater, nutrients and pollutants into reefs. This type of environmental stress reduces coral larvae settlement and alter its energy metabolism. We investigated the tolerance of Favia gravida (Scleractinia) larvae to river discharges.