Publications by authors named "D Van Der Elst"

In early 2009 nicotine was unexpectedly detected in dried mushroom samples. As its origin has not yet been elucidated, this study addressed possible endogenous synthesis of nicotine. Therefore, fruiting bodies were grown in a representative and controlled (nicotine-free) setup.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

For decades, near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been a valuable tool for material analysis in a variety of applications, ranging from industrial process monitoring to quality assessment. Traditional spectrometers are typically bulky, fragile and expensive, which makes them unsuitable for portable and in-field use. Thus, there is a growing interest for miniaturized, robust and low-cost NIR sensors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Illicit-drug production, trafficking and seizures are on an all-time high. This consequently raises pressure on investigative authorities to provide rapid forensic results to assist law enforcement and legal processes in drug-related cases. Ideally, every police officer is equipped with a detector to reliably perform drug testing directly at the incident scene.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic residues can enter the environment when using animal manure as fertilizer. Twenty-five mixed beef cattle farmyard manure samples and 9 mixed fattening calf slurry samples from different farms across Belgium were investigated for the presence of 69 antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant and spp. Doxycycline, oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, flumequine and lincomycin were detected in all fattening calf slurry samples with mean concentrations of 2776, 4078, 48, 31, 536 and 36 µg/kg manure, respectively.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF