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4-Methylimidazole (4-MEI), as a Maillard reaction product, often occurs in heat-processed food. Due to its widespread occurrence and strong carcinogenicity in food and beverages, 4-MEI has received attention from regulatory organizations and consumers. Some studies have reported the occurrence and exposure of 4-MEI in food, but few studies have involved traditional tea beverages, which is related to the limited analytical methods currently being influenced by complex tea matrices. For this issue, this study presents a simple, reliable, and highly sensitive analytical method for the determination of 4-MEI in tea using liquid chromatography–high resolution mass spectrometry. By means of this method, a total of 570 tea samples from typical tea-producing regions in China were monitored for contamination of 4-MEI. The results showed that the average 4-MEI level (136 μg/kg) in oolong tea was significantly higher than that in other types of tea samples. Based on contamination levels and tea consumption data in China, the daily intake doses (0.04–1.16 μg/day) of 4-MEI among tea consumers were obtained. As a result, the health risk of Chinese tea consumers consuming 4-MEI alone through tea consumption is relatively low, but the overall intake level of 4-MEI in other foods cannot be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zinc (Zn)-enriched pears, which are derived from genetically related cultivars or crops fortified using agronomic methods, have the potential to partly satisfy the human demand for Zn nutrition and diversify consumer choices. However, a standard for the Zn fortification level in pears is lacking, and the disparity in literature-reported fruit Zn concentrations can vary by substantial amounts. Before investigating the Zn concentrations in fruits of the main pear cultivars in China, common sample preparation methods were compared. Among the pre-treatment methods tested, the freeze-dry technique had a greater degree of discrete variation, whereas oven drying (fresh weight) was the optimal method for determining fruit Zn concentrations. Based on the optimal method, no significant distribution patterns of fruit Zn concentration were found among the regions and strains examined. The averaged pulp Zn concentration in all 26 cultivars was 0.72 mg kg−1, with the Hongxiangsu, Jinfeng, and 420 cultivars having the highest concentrations. Combined with the findings from our previous field experiments on Zn-fortified pears, a Zn concentration of ≥0.90 mg kg−1 is the suggested standard for pear enrichment. These results help us to better understand pear Zn nutrition levels and facilitate the marketisation of the fortified fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the rapid development of the cosmetic industry, cosmetic safety has become the focus of consumers' attention. However, in order to achieve the desired effects in the short term, the illegal addition of hormones in cosmetics has emerged frequently, which could induce skin problems and even skin cancer after long-term use. Therefore, it is of great significance to master the illegal addition in cosmetics and effectively detect the hormones that may exist in cosmetics. In this review, we analyze the illegally added hormone types, detection values, and cosmetic types, as well as discuss the hormone risks in cosmetics for human beings, according to the data in unqualified cosmetics in China from 2017 to 2022. Results showed that although the frequency of adding hormones in cosmetics has declined, hormones are still the main prohibited substances in illegal cosmetics, especially facial masks. Because of the complex composition and the low concentration of hormones in cosmetics, it is necessary to combine efficient sample preparation technology with instrumental analysis. In order to give the readers a comprehensive overview of hormone analytical technologies in cosmetics, we summarize the advanced sample preparation techniques and commonly used detection techniques of hormones in cosmetics in the last decade (2012–2022). We found that ultrasound-assisted extraction, solid phase extraction, and microextraction coupled with chromatographic analysis are still the most widely used analytical technologies for hormones in cosmetics. Through the investigation of market status, the summary of sample pretreatment and detection technologies, as well as the discussion of their development trends in the future, our purpose is to provide a reference for the supervision of illegal hormone residues in cosmetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A very simple system for preparing Tritium and Radiocarbon sample was established at Guangxi Normal University (GXNU), China. A series of 3H and 14C preparation experiments were conducted to verify the reliability of the system. The recovery rates of Tritium and graphite obtained were more than 85 %. The beam current of H− and 12C− for each sample was greater than 12uA and 40uA, respectively, which meets the requirement of AMS measurement. The measurement results of blank samples indicate the stability of the sample preparation system, and the tritium and carbon contamination introduced during the sample preparation processes were less than 3 × 10−16 and 2 × 10−15, respectively. The results show that the simple sample preparation system is compact, low-contamination, and efficient, and meets the requirements for 3H and 14C measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tiankeng, a typical Karst relief of the Late Quaternary Period, in the south of China, plays an important role when researching the surface shape and evolution of the Karst relief. The accumulation of Chlorine-36 (T 1/2 = 301 ka) through the interaction of cosmic ray particles with Ca, K and Cl in rocks allow it to be used as the ideal nuclide for determination of the exposure age and erosion rate of limestone. In this work, an improved 36Cl sample preparation method for Tiankeng limestone was presented. The Isotope Dilution-AMS technique allows for the simultaneous measurement of 36Cl and Cl with a single AMS sample preparation. The barium introduced during the sample preparation was removed to avoid ionizer poisoning and attain a higher and more stable beam current. The method is particularly suitable for limestone samples, as well as for soil, sediment and water samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Chlorinated paraffins (CPs) are released into natural environment during processes of production and utilization with diet being the most important exposure route of CPs for human beings. Short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) have lower molecular weights, higher vapor pressures, and higher water solubilities than medium-chain chlorinated paraffins (MCCPs) and long-chain chlorinated paraffins (LCCPs), making SCCPs more likely to be readily released into the environment. Thus, SCCPs were enlisted as persistent organic pollutants being included in the Stockholm Convention in 2017. This review article summarized sample preparation and instrumental analysis methods of CPs for food types such as oil, meat, and aquatic foods. In addition, reported concentrations and profiles, dietary intake and risk assessment of CPs in food samples from various regions, such as China, Japan, and Germany are discussed for studies published between 2005 and 2022. This review is timely given the lack of a recent literature summary of the concentration and distribution of CPs in food. All these studies warranted the necessity to maintain continuous monitoring of CPs concentrations and their potential health risks given the concentrations of CPs in food are increasing worldwide. [Display omitted] • Food of animal origin has a higher concentration of CPs than food of plant origin. • Dietary intake of CPs was higher in China rather than other countries. • Lack of a thorough way to objectively assess the EDI of CPs in worldwide human food. • To decrease the intake through food, it is advised to regulate the production of CPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining Ge isotopic compositions of sulfides is important to understand the ore-forming processes. Single step anion-exchange chromatography was previously used to recover Ge from silicates and lignites. We apply this procedure to recover Ge from sulfides before determining Ge isotopic compositions by hydride generation (HG)-MC-ICP-MS. Germanium is quantitatively recovered by the proposed sample preparation method. There are no obvious isotope biases for Ge-bearing solutions containing significant amounts of Cu, Sn, and W. However, δ 74 Ge values show obvious shifts if the solutions contain high Zn, Pb, and Sb, which is possibly attributed to suppression of germane formation that fractionates Ge isotopes. The long-term reproducibility for Ge standard solution is about ± 0.18‰ for δ 74 Ge. Spex and Merck standard solutions yield mean δ 74 Ge values of − 0.70 ± 0.19‰ and − 0.36 ± 0.08‰, respectively. The calculated δ 74 Ge value (− 5.13‰) of sphalerite standard based on doping experiments is indistinguishable from those of sphalerite without doping (− 5.05‰ and − 5.01‰). Sulfides from the Jinding, Shanshulin, and Tianqiao Pb–Zn deposits in SW China have δ 74 Ge values of − 4.94‰ to + 2.07‰. The paragenetic sequence of sulfides from the Shanshulin and Tianqiao Pb–Zn deposits is pyrite, sphalerite and galena from early to late. Sulfides from the same ore show a trend of δ 74 Ge pyrite < δ 74 Ge sphalerite < δ 74 Ge galena , which may be controlled by the kinetic or Rayleigh fractionation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The first review related to herbal tea in China to date. [•] Firstly introduced the materials commonly used in herbal tea in China. [•] Review on recent (2005–2013) development of phytochemical analysis of herbal tea in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aquatic products, which are among the most important sources of animal protein, contain proteins, vitamins, and a variety of trace elements, thus occupying an indispensable part of a reasonable diet. China is the largest consumer market of aquatic products in the world. The quality and safety of aquatic products are closely related not only to the healthy development of the aquaculture industry, but also to people's health. However, the presence of harmful substances has a bearing on the quality and safety of aquatic products in the overall process, including breeding, processing, storage, and transportation. These harmful substances are enriched in aquatic products and are transferred to humans via the food chain. Accurate determination of such harmful substances in aquatic product samples is imperative because of their complex matrices and extremely low concentrations. Many efficient sample preparation techniques such as liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, and QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe method) with different configurations have been developed and widely employed for preconcentration in different matrices of aquatic products. Meanwhile, solid-phase microextraction has been demonstrated to be advantageous for some volatile and ultra-trace harmful substances. Suitable sample preparation techniques are important for effectively removing matrix interferences as well as for improving the sensitivity and accuracy of the method. It is important to develop appropriate sample preparation techniques for different target compounds in aquatic products. The harmful substances in aquatic products can be segregated into three categories according to their sources: (1) environmental pollutants in aquatic products; (2) substances acquired during aquaculture, transportation, and processing; (3) biotoxins in aquatic products. This article reviews the progress in sample pretreatment techniques for three harmful substances in aquatic products over the past decade. Various sample pretreatment techniques have been summarized and described, including liquid-liquid extraction, solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, QuEChERS, and magnetic solid-phase extraction. In addition, the merits and demerits of these techniques and future research directions are discussed. Finally, we reviewed the progress in functionalized materials for the preparation of aquatic product samples. With the increasing demand for aquatic products, quick, sensitive, and practical detection methods, such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) are gaining importance. SERS has great potential for fast and accurate on-site detection of harmful substances in aquatic products. Several nondestructive sample pretreatment techniques have also been developed for harmful substances in aquatic products. The application and development of these techniques will guarantee the safety of aquatic products. Moreover, in vivo solid-phase microextraction is a potential method for aquatic product analysis. This technique integrates sampling, extraction, and enrichment into a single step, thus significantly reducing the processing time, labor, and cost. Overall, with the development and application of sophisticated materials and techniques, we can expect theoretical and practical advances in aquatic product analysis.

A simple modification method was developed for the functionalization of amino terminated carbon nanotubes (CNT-NH 2 ) by using isocyanates as modifiers via the nucleophilic addition reaction. Two types of functionalized magnetic carbon nanotubes (MCNT) were prepared through deposition of magnetic nanoparticles on CNT-NH 2 and modification with different isocyanates. p-Tolyl-functionalized MCNT (Tol-MCNT) with better adsorption performance were selected as adsorbent for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE), which could extract sulfonamides (SAs) from various milk samples with a enrichment factor of about 30 after optimization. By combining the MSPE with liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), a new method was developed. Both skimmed and whole milk samples of three brands were analyzed with this method, and 4 SAs including sulfadiazine, sulfisomidine, sulfamethazine and sulfameter were detected with the concentration from unquantifiable to 72 ng/L, which were all well below the maximum residue limits in milk according to the regulations of China and EU., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of urine collected in preservative tubes for chemistry strip analyses and particle counting to determine whether the transport of urine samples with all of their constituents is possible., Materials and Methods: 275 pathologic urine specimens were included. Each urine sample was evaluated after 4, 8, 12, 24, and 48 hours of storage in BD Vacutainer(®) Plus Urinalysis Preservative (BD UAP) tubes and compared with refrigeration at 4 °C. All analyses were peformed on H-800 and FUS-200 automatic modular urine analyzers (Dirui Industry, Changchun, China). The kappa coefficients (κ), false positive (FP) and false negative (FN) rates were evaluated. κ > 0.8 was accepted as good agreement., Results: Haemoglobin (Hb), leucocyte esterase (LE), and protein (Pro) analyses should be performed within 4 hours, whereas glucose (Glc) was stable until the end of 48 hours in both storage conditions. Nitrite (Nit) was well preserved in BD UAP tubes for 24 hours but was stable only up to 8 hours at 4 °C. Bilirubin (Bil) had very high FN rates even at 4 hours in both conditions. The particle counting showed high FN rates for white blood cells (WBC) and red blood cells (RBC), whereas squamous epithelial cells (EC) were stable up to 8 hours in both conditions., Conclusions: Preanalytical requirements for both urine chemical strip analyses and particle counting in a unique sample were not met in either condition. Thus, the transfer of urine samples for centralization of urinalysis is not yet feasible.