Analytical methods for waste minimisation in the convenience food industry

Waste creation in some sectors of the food industry is substantial, and while much of the used material is non-hazardous and biodegradable, it is often poorly dealt with and simply sent to landfill mixed with other types of waste. In this context, overproduction wastes were found in a number of cases to account for 20–40% of the material wastes generated by convenience food manufacturers (such as ready-meals and sandwiches), often simply just to meet the challenging demands placed on the manufacturer due to the short order reaction time provided by the supermarkets. Identifying specific classes of waste helps to minimise their creation, through consideration of what the materials constitute and why they were generated. This paper aims to provide means by which food industry wastes can be identified, and demonstrate these mechanisms through a practical example. The research reported in this paper investigated the various categories of waste and generated three analytical methods for the support of waste minimisation activities by food manufacturers. The waste classifications and analyses are intended to complement existing waste minimisation approaches and are described through consideration of a case study convenience food manufacturer that realised significant financial savings through waste measurement, analysis and reduction.     

Chemical pollution: Transfer of chemical elements to the aboverground phytomass of herbaceous plants

Changes in the species composition and a decrease in species diversity and total plant biomass along the gradient of soil pollution with heavy metals have been shown. Data on the concentrations of chemical elements (Zn, Cu, Cd, Pb, Co, Ni, Mn, Cr, and Fe) in the aboveground organs of herbaceous plants and the biomass of each species make it possible to estimate the role of higher producers in the incorporation of chemical elements into biogenic cycles in background zones and under conditions of chemical pollution. Plants of the composite family (Asteraceae) play the main role in accumulation of chemical elements. The results obtained indicate that natural ecosystems have mechanisms limiting excessive accumulation of chemical elements into the aboveground plant biomass.     

Nitrite and Freshwater Fish

Nitrite occurs naturally in fresh waters as a result of nitrification of ammonia and denitrification of nitrate, and its concentration can be enhanced by partial oxidation of ammoniacal discharges. Nitrite is toxic to vertebrates including fish and a principal effect is the conversion of haemoglobin to methaemoglobin which is incapable of oxygen transport although there are circulatory and tissue effects as well. The toxic species is the nitrite ion (NO₂) which is believed to enter the blood via the branchial chloride/bicarbonate exchange and fish such as salmonids with high chloride uptake rates are more susceptible than those with low chloride uptake rates, for example carp. Nitrite toxicity is strongly aleviated by chloride and the concentration ratio of these ions is of great importance in assessing toxicity. Short term and long term toxicity data for a variety of fish species are presented. There are no field data on fish populations in waters where nitrite was the only pollutant. However extensive field surveys indicated that, waters with a mean chloride concentration of 25 mg l^-1 in good salmon fisheries were associated with concentrations of nitrite below 50 μg l^-1 N · NO₂, good coarse fisheries below 100 μg l^-1 N · NO₂.     

Reversion of mutant strains of Salmonella Typhimurium by raw and finished waters from southeastern Louisiana

Samples of raw and finished water were collected from water treatment plants in southeastern Louisiana between January 1975 and May 1976. The water source for each plant is the Mississippi River. Finished water samples also were obtained at water treatment plants at St. Francisville, LA. and Baton rouge, LA. where deep wells serve as sources of water. All samples were assayed for mutagens using histidine dependent mutant strains of Salmonella typhimurium. Almost twice as many of the finished water samples collected at Luling, Jefferson and New Orleans induced reversions than did the corresponding raw water samples. Often reversion of finished water samples occurred only with metabolic activation. When samples from Belle Chasse and Port Sulphur were assayed, the number of finished water samples inducing reversion were comparable or less than comparable to those with raw water. Nearly equal numbers of finished water samples from St. Francisville and from Baton Rouge induced genetic change. However, the majority of the samples from Baton Rouge which caused reversion, did so only with liver enzyme activation. Discussed is the significance of these findings, as well as the possible role of chlorination procedures in halogenating hydrocarbons into compounds which are mutagenic and/or carcinogenic.     

Mycosporine-like amino acids: possible UV protection in eggs of the sea hare Aplysia dactylomela

We investigated mycosporine amino acid (MAA) involvement as protective sunscreens in spawn of the sea hare Aplysia dactylomela to determine if adult diet and ultraviolet (UV) exposure affected the UV sensitivity of developing embryos. Adults were fed a red alga rich in MAAs (Acanthophora spicifera) or a green alga poor in MAAs (Ulva lactuca). Adults on each diet were exposed for 2 wk to ambient solar irradiance with two types of acrylic filters; one allowed exposure to wavelengths >275 nm (designated UV) and one to wavelengths only >410 nm (designated NOUV). Spawn from each adult group was likewise treated with UV or NOUV and monitored during development for differences in mortality and metabolic rate (measured as oxygen consumption: V˙ _O2). Also recorded were number of eggs or embryos per capsule, times to hatching, hatching success, size at hatching, and V˙ _O2 of adults. Spawn from adults eating red algae was almost twice as rich in MAAs as spawn from adults eating green algae, suggesting that MAA content is diet-related. Although overall quantities of MAAs in the spawn reflected MAA contents of the adult diet, specific MAAs were differentially sequestered in the spawn. Thus, porphyra-334, found in high concentration in Aplysia dactylomela's preferred red algal food, was present in only low concentration in the spawn. Conversely, mycosporine-glycine, in low concentration in red algal food, was the most abundant MAA in the spawn. UV treatment of adults had no effect on quantities of MAAs in the spawn. Adults exposed to UV had significantly higher V˙ _O2s and spawned twice as often. The UV-treated adults produced spawn with significantly higher V˙ _O2s and their embryos developed to hatching sooner. The only significant effect of UV exposure of the spawn was to reduce the percentage of veligers hatching from 71 to 50%. There was no significant effect on hatching time or size of the veligers at hatching, nor on number of eggs per capsule. Received: 13 May 1997 / Accepted: 27 June 1997