Recently, in Italy, consumers are choosing hen eggs from farming systems with higher ethical value, due to their perception of a related higher quality and safety. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the existence of differences in elemental content in Italian eggs from organic, barn, and caged hen farming methods and to determine the related potential consumer exposure risk to inorganic contaminants due to the consumption of eggs. One hundred seventy-six egg samples were collected and analyzed using Q-ICP-MS to investigate the content of 14 elements (Pb, As, Hg, Cd, Tl, Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Se, Co, Ni, V, and Cr) and 13 rare earth elements (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFipronil is an insecticide which is not approved for use in any food-producing animal species in the European Union (EU). However, the inappropriate use of fipronil in mites' disinfestation products utilized in poultry farms in the Netherlands and other EU countries in 2017, led to the detection of residues of this pesticide in eggs across Europe. In Italy, a national monitoring plan was established to verify the possible misuse of fipronil in Italian laying hens.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe new scenario for global food production and supply is decidedly complex given the current forecast of an increase in food fragility due to international tensions. In this period, exports from other parts of the world require different routes and treatments to preserve the food quality and integrity. Fumigation is a procedure used for the killing, removal, or rendering infertile of pests, with serious dangers to human health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis work reports a study of the proton-binding capacity of biopolymers obtained from different materials supplied by a municipal biowaste treatment plant located in Northern Italy. One material was the anaerobic fermentation digestate of the urban wastes organic humid fraction. The others were the compost of home and public gardening residues and the compost of the mix of the above residues, digestate and sewage sludge.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSoluble bio-based substances (SBO) that have been isolated from urban biowaste have recently been reported to enhance plant leaf chlorophyll content and growth. The same SBO have also been shown to enhance the photochemical degradation of organic pollutants in industrial effluent. These findings suggest that SBO may promote either C fixation or mineralization, according to operating conditions.
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