Trace Elements in Edible Flowers from Italy: Further Insights into Health Benefits and Risks to Consumers.

The use of edible flowers in cooking dates back to ancient times, but recently it is gaining success among the consumers, increasingly attentive to healthy and sustainable foods of high quality, without neglecting taste, flavour, and visual appeal. The present study aims to deepen the knowledge regarding the mineral composition of edible flowers, an aspect not widely investigated in scientific literature. The concentrations of Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, and Zn have been determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP OES) in flowers belonging to a wide variety of species.

Mineral composition of organic and conventional white wines from Italy.

Despite of the increased interest of consumers for organic agro-food products and of the growing demand for organic wines, scientific literature reports a limited number of studies aimed to evaluate the chemical composition of organic wine with respect to conventional wine in terms of major and trace metals. In the present study the concentrations of 19 elements (Al, As, B, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, Pb, Sr, V, and Zn) were determined in samples of white wines from Italy, conventionally and organically produced. No significant difference in the mineral composition was found between the two groups, except for Ni, which showed a higher concentration in organic wines.

Trace elements in Plantago lanceolata L., a plant used for herbal and food preparations: new data and literature review.

Plantago lanceolata L. is a common grassland and roadside plant, widely used in many countries in food and herbal preparations. In this study, samples of this wild plant were collected from rural, suburban/urban, and industrial environments; the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, V, and Zn were measured in the edible parts of the plant (leaves), in the roots, and in the soils in order to calculate the bioaccumulation and translocation factors.

Chemical and magnetic analyses on tree bark as an effective tool for biomonitoring: A case study in Lisbon (Portugal).

Tree bark has proven to be a reliable tool for biomonitoring deposition of metals from the atmosphere. The aim of the present study was to test if bark magnetic properties can be used as a proxy of the overall metal loads of a tree bark, meaning that this approach can be used to discriminate different effects of pollution on different types of urban site. In this study, the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, P, Pb, V and Zn were measured by ICP-OES in bark samples of Jacaranda mimosifolia, collected along roads and in urban green spaces in the city of Lisbon (Portugal).

Is there a risk of trace element contamination in herbal preparations? A test study on the lichen Cetraria islandica.

Lichens are a source of unique secondary metabolites, which have been proved to have many biological properties with possible pharmaceutical roles, including e.g. antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal or anti-inflammatory activities and to be worth of consideration for potential human use.

The bark of the branches of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) for a retrospective study of trace elements in the atmosphere.

Tree bark has proved to be a useful bioindicator for trace elements in the atmosphere, however it reflects an exposure occurring during an unidentified period of time, so it provides spatial information about the distribution of contaminants in a certain area, but it cannot be used to detect temporal changes or trends, which is an important achievement in environmental studies. In order to obtain information about a known period of time, the bark collected from the annual segments of tree branches can be used, allowing analyses going back 10-15 years with annual resolution. In the present study, the concentrations of As, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn were measured by atomic emission spectrometry in a series of samples covering the period from 2001 to 2013 in an urban environment.

Branch bark of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) for reconstructing the temporal variations of atmospheric deposition of hexavalent chromium.

The bark from the annual segments of the branches of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) is exposed to trace element deposition for a known period of time and thus it is a possible candidate as a bioindicator for reconstructing historical changes in pollution. A series of samples were analysed for Cr(VI) concentration by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ET-AAS) after selective extraction in a sodium carbonate solution.

Human contribution to trace elements in urban areas as measured in holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) bark.

The effect of human activities on the presence of trace elements in the atmosphere was evaluated by analyzing samples of holm oak bark, collected in Italy in a large city, in a small town, and in a reference area, scarcely inhabited. In all cases, point sources of pollution were excluded (e.g.

The bark of holm oak (Quercus ilex, L.) for airborne Cr(VI) monitoring.

In this work, the bark of holm oak was used as a bioindicator to study the atmospheric distribution of Cr(VI). The chosen method (alkaline extraction and atomic absorption determination) was found in the literature, adapted for use with the matrix involved, and validated. The method had some limits, but provided an excellent estimation of Cr(VI) concentrations with good sensitivity and a reasonable time of analysis and cost.

Temporal trends (1981-2007) of trace and rare earth elements in the lichen Cetraria islandica (L.) Ach. from Italian herbaria.

Twenty-four herbarium specimens of Cetraria islandica collected in Italy from 1981 to 2007 were used for retrospective analysis. Cd, Ce, Cu, Fe, Gd, La, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sb, V, Y, and Zn concentrations were measured. Pb showed a negative temporal trend, linked to the ban of leaded fuel for vehicles.

Effects of cadmium and arsenic on Pteris vittata under hydroponic conditions.

Pteris vittata is known to hyperaccumulate arsenic, and a large number of studies on this fern species can be found in the literature aimed at evaluating its behavior when coexposed to other toxic elements. In the present study, P. vittata was treated with different concentrations of As and/or Cd in a hydroponic system, that is, under complete bioavailability of the elements, with the objective of investigating the effects of these two elements and their interactions.

Trace elements in farmed and wild gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata.

In the present study, we sought to determine the concentration of several trace elements (total and organic mercury, selenium, cadmium, lead, arsenic, copper, chromium, iron, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium and zinc) in muscle tissue of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), an edible finfish species that is widely cultured in the Mediterranean area. The phenomenon of bioaccumulation and bioamplification (especially of mercury) was investigated by comparing farmed fish with wild specimens of the same species. Farmed specimens showed mercury and arsenic concentrations significantly lower than wild specimens, and no relationship was found between mercury concentration and body size.

Zinc tolerance and accumulation in the ferns Polypodium cambricum L. and Pteris vittata L.

Zn uptake and compartmentalisation were studied in two ferns, the European Polypodium cambricum L., a possible Zn tolerant, and the sub-tropical Pteris vittata L., an As accumulator also able to accumulate Zn.

Study of the distribution of trace elements in six species of marine organisms of the Ligurian Sea (north-western Mediterranean)--comparison with previous findings.

This paper presents the results of the determination of several trace elements (total and organic mercury, selenium, cadmium, lead, copper, manganese and zinc) in six species of marine organisms (Nephrops norvegicus, Engraulis encrasicolus, Mullus barbatus, Mullus surmuletus, Merluccius merluccius, and Sarda sarda), sampled in the Ligurian Sea (North-West Mediterranean) during a three-year period, from 1998 to 2000. The species analysed (388 samples) are the same studied in previous investigations in the same area (260 samples), so that a comparison with previous data measured in 1977-1986 was possible, in order to evaluate the variation of the marine environment in that area with respect to that period. Biological parameters of the specimens (length and weight of the individuals, and also sex for N.

Trace elements in the muscle of red shrimp Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816) (Crustacea, Decapoda) from Ligurian sea (NW Mediterranean): variations related to the reproductive cycle.

Concentrations of total and organic mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, iron, manganese and zinc were determined in the muscular tissue of 135 specimens of Aristeus antennatus (Risso, 1816) collected during a 3-year period in the Ligurian sea (NW Mediterranean). The aim of the present work was to study the relationships between the concentrations of these trace elements and the main biological parameters characterising the organisms, i.e.

Arsenic biomonitoring using a hyperaccumulator fern (Pteris vittata).

Samples of Pteris vittata L. (brake fern or ladder brake) collected in Genova and in areas outside urban centres, have been analysed for arsenic content in order to assess if hyper accumulating plants are suitable for monitoring purposes. Hyper accumulation ability of the Ligurian fern populations was evaluated by analysing specimens grown with hydroponic media added with As(v).