Dissipation and residue determination of fluopyram and its metabolites in greenhouse crops.

Background: Fluopyram is a pesticide widely used in tomato and cucumber crops cultivation to control fungal diseases that develop especially in environments with moderate temperatures and high humidity, such as in a greenhouse. The pathway of fluopyram dissipation has been monitored in cucumber and cherry tomato under greenhouse conditions.

Results: In the greenhouse trials, cherry tomato and cucumber were treated by irrigation water with the commercial product at the manufacturer's recommended dose and double dose.

Optimization and establishment of QuEChERS based method for determination of propoxycarbazone and its metabolite in food commodities by liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry.

This study reports a method for propoxycarbazone pesticide determination including its metabolite in food commodities (lettuce, beetroot, soybean meal and honey). Both compounds were extracted, and samples cleaned using a buffered QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) method based on the AOAC Official Method, followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS). Both matrix-matched calibration curves showed good linearity (R = 0.

Screening of drugs and homeopathic products from Atropa belladonna seed extracts: Tropane alkaloids determination and untargeted analysis.

Homeopathic products are still a controversial issue in modern medicine, understood as complementary or alternative medicine (CAM). In this particular case, homeopathic products prepared from Atropa belladonna extracts may present specific problems due to the effects derived from its components. This article applies a simple, rapid, reliable method to the analysis of different homeopathic products obtained from Atropa belladonna; drugs containing high concentration of plant extracts; and Atropa belladonna seeds.

Monitoring of phytochemicals in fresh and fresh-cut vegetables: a comparison.

Bearing in mind that fresh-cut market is currently the fastest growing subsector in the food industry, a comparison of the levels of phytochemicals in fresh and fresh-cut vegetables has been carried out. Thus, several families of phytochemicals, such as phenolic acids, isoflavones, flavones, flavonols and glucosinolates were determined in fresh and fresh-cut samples including tomato, carrot, grape, eggplant and broccoli. Both type of products have potential and similar beneficial properties, regarding its content as phytochemicals, except tomato, which should be consumed as fresh.

DNA damage in horticultural farmers: a pilot study showing an association with organophosphate pesticide exposure.

A study of horticultural farmers exposed to organophosphate pesticides (OPs) and controls investigated the relationships between OP exposure, DNA damage and oxidative stress. Blood acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and urinary dialkylphosphate (DAP) levels determined exposure and 8-hydroxy-29- deoxyguanosine (8OHdG) indicated oxidative stress status. The farmers had approximately 30% lower AChE activity and increased DAP levels compared with the controls, reflecting moderate OP exposure.

Determination of polychlorinated biphenyls in ambient air by gas chromatography coupled to triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometry.

A multiresidue method for determining 22 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in air has been developed and validated by gas chromatography (GC) coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) using a triple quadrupole analyzer (QqQ). The method was validated in terms of both steps of sampling and analysis. The sampling method, which is based on active sampling using polyurethane foam (PUF) as adsorbent, was validated by generating standard atmospheres.

Chemical compounds of the foraging recruitment pheromone in bumblebees.

When the frenzied and irregular food-recruitment dances of bumblebees were first discovered, it was thought that they might represent an evolutionary prototype to the honeybee waggle dance. It later emerged that the primary function of the bumblebee dance was the distribution of an alerting pheromone. Here, we identify the chemical compounds of the bumblebee recruitment pheromone and their behaviour effects.

Quality control criteria for analysis of organic traces in water.

The aim of this paper is the discussion of quality control (QC) criteria for environmental monitoring of organic contaminants at trace levels in water. In addition, QC criteria in the identification and confirmation of target analytes have been considered.

Assessment of relevant factors and relationships concerning human dermal exposure to pesticides in greenhouse applications.

Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to the gas chromatographic data obtained from 23 different greenhouse trials. This was used to establish which factors, including application technique (very small, small, medium and large drop-size), crop characteristics (short/tall, thin/dense) and pattern application of the operator (walking towards or away from the treated area) are relevant to the dermal exposure levels of greenhouse applicators. The results showed that the highest exposure by pesticides during field applications in greenhouses, in the climatic conditions and in the crop conditions typical of a southern European country, occurs on the lower legs and front thighs of the applicators.