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Departamento de Medio Ambiente y Agronomía​ (INIA), The first step of nanomaterial accumulation in the aquatic environment is the uptake of particulate material. For substances with very low water solubility, exposure via water may be of limited relevance in comparison to the dietary route. The OECD Test Guideline 305 for bioaccumulation testing in fish using dietary exposure recommends to add substances to fish food following methodologies normally used in aquaculture (e.g. with a corn or fish oil vehicle). The feasibility of using such an approach for the testing of manufactured nanomaterials (MNs), due to their unique physical characteristics and solubility, needs to be investigated. In this study an easy, cost-effective method to prepare metal oxide nanoparticle (NP) spiked feed to give the required dietary exposure concentration to fish is described. Metal oxide NP (CeO2,TiO2 and ZnO) dispersions were prepared in oil (sunflower or olive oil) and used to soak fish feed pellets. NP surface deposition and homogeneity of distribution were analysed and confirmed. Discrepancies between nominal and measured concentrations highlighted the need to measure the achieved concentration in MN-spiked feed. The present method provides stable concentrations for bioaccumulation testing of MNs in fish through the dietary route. A method for•Fish feed preparation using nanomaterial-oil suspensions.•Homogenous spiking of nanomaterials on feed.•Nanomaterials stably maintained on feed immersed in water until eaten by fish., This work has been supported by a charge of the Ministry for Ecological Transition to INIA (EG17–017) and by the H2020 Project Gov4Nano (Grant Agreement No. 814401). Mona Connolly has received financing granted by the Community of Madrid (2018-T2/AMB-11392, Mode 2, Young Doctor Recruitment).

Biosurfactant production optimization by Candida tropicalis UCP0996 was studied combining central composite rotational design (CCRD) and response surface methodology (RSM). The factors selected for optimization of the culture conditions were sugarcane molasses, corn steep liquor, waste frying oil concentrations and inoculum size. The response variables were surface tension and biosurfactant yield. All factors studied were important within the ranges investigated. The two empirical forecast models developed through RSM were found to be adequate for describing biosurfactant production with regard to surface tension (R2 = 0.99833) and biosurfactant yield (R2 = 0.98927) and a very strong, negative, linear correlation was found between the two response variables studied (r = - 0.95). The maximum reduction in surface tension and the highest biosurfactant yield were 29.98 mNm-1 and 4.19 gL-1, respectively, which were simultaneously obtained under the optimum conditions of 2.5 % waste frying oil, 2.5 %, corn steep liquor, 2.5 % molasses and 2 % inoculum size. To validate the efficiency of the statistically optimized variables, biosurfactant production was also carried out in 2 and 50L bioreactors, with yields of 5.87 gL-1 and 7.36 gL-1, respectively. Finally, the biosurfactant was applied in motor oil dispersion, reaching up to 75% dispersion. Results demonstrated that the CCRD was suitable for identifying the optimum production conditions and that the new biosurfactant is a promising dispersant for application in the oil industry.

Cryofixation, freeze-etch techniques were used to study the structure of cake batters made from a lean cake formulation before heating and after heating to temperatures up to l00-l02°C. Batters were prepared without added emulsifiers and with saturated and unsaturated monoglycerides replacing 5 and l 0% of the oil. Unsaturated monoglyceri des were more effective than saturated monoglycerides in dispersing oil droplets through the batter. Saturated monoglycerides formed liquid crystals during baking. The temperature at which starch granules began to swell was slightly higher for saturated monoglyceride containing cakes. The batter matrix between starch granules was more clearly defined in unsaturated monoglyceride containing cakes.