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The hypothesis that seaweed farming contributes to carbon burial below the farms was tested by quantifying burial rates in 20 seaweed farms distributed globally, ranging from 2 to 300 years in operation and from 1 ha to 15,000 ha in size. This involved combining analyses of organic carbon density with sediment accumulation rate in sediments below seaweed farms relative to reference sediments beyond the farm and/or prior to the farm operation. One in every four farms sampled was set over environments that export, rather than retain materials. For the farms that were placed over depositional environments, where sediment accumulation could be quantified, the thickness of sediment layers and stocks of carbon accumulated below the farms increased with farm age, reaching 140 ton C ha-1for the oldest farm, and tended to exceed those in reference sediments beyond the farm and/or prior to the operation of the farms. Organic carbon burial rates in the farm sediments averaged (± SE) 1.87 ± 0.73 ton CO2equivalent (CO2-eq) ha-1year-1(median 0.83, range 0.10 – 8.99 ton CO2-eqha-1year-1), twice the average (± SE) burial rate in reference sediments (0.90 ± 0.27, median 0.64, range 0.10-3.00 ton CO2-eqha-1year-1), so that the excess organic carbon burial attributable to the seaweed farms averaged 1.06 ± 0.74 ton CO2-eqha-1year-1(median 0.09, range −0.13-8.10 ton CO2-eqha-1year-1). This first direct quantification of carbon burial in sediments below seaweed farms confirms that, when placed over depositional environments, seaweed farming tend to sequester carbon in the underlying sediments, but do so at widely variable rates, increasing with farm yield.

We estimated the proportion and number of deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCD) attributable to high body mass index (BMI) in Chile in 2018. We used data from 5927 adults from a 2016–2017 Chilean National Health Survey to describe the distribution of BMI. We obtained the number of deaths from NCD from the Ministry of Health. Relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals per 5 units higher BMI for cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory disease were retrieved from the Global BMI Mortality Collaboration meta-analyses. The prevalences of overweight and obesity were 38.9% and 39.1%, respectively. We estimated that reducing population-wide BMI to a theoretical minimum risk exposure level (mean BMI: 22.0 kg/m2; standard deviation: 1) could prevent approximately 21,977 deaths per year (95%CI 13,981–29,928). These deaths represented about 31.6% of major NCD deaths (20.1–43.1) and 20.4% of all deaths (12.9–27.7) that occurred in 2018. Most of these preventable deaths were from cardiovascular diseases (11,474 deaths; 95% CI 7302–15,621), followed by cancer (5597 deaths; 95% CI 3560–7622) and respiratory disease (4906 deaths; 95% CI 3119–6684). A substantial burden of NCD deaths was attributable to high BMI in Chile. Policies and population-wide interventions are needed to reduce the burden of NCD due to high BMI in Chile.

The presence of antimicrobial and pesticide residues in products sourced from peasant family farms selected from eight regions of Chile was determined. A total of 204 samples were analyzed from family farm products, including honey, lettuce, tomato, strawberry, raspberry, lamb meat, and cow's milk. Pesticide residues were found in 43 of 107 samples tested for them, but only 4 samples had concentrations that exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) set by Chilean regulations. As for animal products, 2 of 15 cow's milk samples tested positive for permethrin residues; however, these concentrations did not exceed Chilean MRLs. No pesticide residues were detected in honey samples. As for antimicrobial drugs, 4 of 14 lamb meat samples and 11 of 79 cow's milk samples tested positive for different classes of antimicrobial residues, such as tetracyclines, macrolides, aminoglycosides, and β-lactams. Among these, only three samples exceeded the MRLs for these matrices. Traces of tetracyclines and sulfonamides were detected in 7 of 29 honey samples. These findings show that these chemical contaminants are present in trace concentrations in foodstuffs produced by peasant family farms in Chile; however, most residues did not exceed the regulatory limits. This study is the first assessment of the presence of residues from antimicrobial drugs and pesticides in food products sourced from peasant family farms in Chile. Data about the current state of drug residues in this segment of food products provide a baseline for efforts to close possible gaps in current surveillance schemes.

Simple Summary Eggs are a readily available and important food source for low income families that raise chicken in their households. It is therefore important to monitor if these products are safe for human consumption and contain no antibiotic residues that could lead to allergic reactions, intoxication, or antimicrobial resistance. However, little is known about the antimicrobial content of eggs consumed in rural households in Chile. Consequently, the aim of this study was to collect chicken eggs from rural households in the central region of Chile and screen them for antimicrobial activity. The results indicate that most collected eggs (73% of the 83 surveyed households), exhibited antimicrobial activity for at least one of the four tested antimicrobials. These results indicate that household members who consume these eggs are in danger of developing antibiotic-related illnesses and could contribute to antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, further studies are required to identify the exact compounds used to treat the chickens and to establish preventive measures to eradicate antimicrobial presence in their food supply. Abstract Eggs are the main product generated from backyard poultry production systems (BPS) because they can quickly be consumed and sold to meet essential family needs. Nevertheless, antimicrobial residues can accumulate in this product. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of antimicrobial residues in eggs produced by poultry kept in BPS in central Chile. To assess this, eggs were obtained from 83 BPS and analysed to evaluate the presence of antibiotic residues (families: tetracyclines, beta-lactams, aminoglycosides and macrolides), using a Four-Plate Test screening method for the detection, based on a bacterial growth inhibition method. Results show a lack of biosecurity procedures at BPS level, making these systems susceptible to the dissemination of antimicrobial residues. These include intensive animal production units in the proximity, and the presence of shared watercourses with other farms. Furthermore, 66% of the surveyed owners are indicated as giving pharmacological treatments to their chickens. Eggs from 61 BPS were positive for at least one antimicrobial. Fifty-three BPS were positive for more than one antimicrobial, and one BPS was positive for all four antimicrobials tested. Consequently, there is a risk that poultry eggs produced in BPS in central Chile carry residues of different families of antimicrobials.

A suitable analytical method is required to study the behaviour of florfenicol (FF) and its metabolite florfenicol amine (FFA) in broiler’s feathers. An LC-MS/MS method was developed, assessed and intra-laboratory-validated for FF and FFA analyses. We chose cloramphenicol-d5 as an internal standard, acetone as a solvent for the extraction of the analytes and dichloromethane for the clean-up. Through LC-MS/MS analysis, we established a detection limit of 20 μg kg–1, as well as calculated quantification limits of 24.4 and 24.5 μg kg–1 for FF and FFA, respectively. Validation parameters such as linearity, recovery and precision were calculated following Commission Decision 2002/657/EC. For linearity, all standard curves showed a standard coefficient greater than 0.99. Recoveries ranged from 99% to 102% for all studied concentrations. The results show that this analytical method is precise and reliable. For the depletion study, 64 Ross 308 broilers were treated with a therapeutic dosage of 10% FF duri...

Tetracyclines, sulfonamides and amphenicols are broad spectrum antimicrobial drugs that are widely used in poultry farming. However, a high proportion of these drugs can be excreted at high concentrations in droppings, even after the end of a therapy course. This work intended to assess and compare concentrations of florfenicol (FF), florfenicol amine (FFa), chlortetracycline (CTC), 4-epi-chlortetracycline (4-epi-CTC), and sulfachloropyridazine (SCP) in broiler chicken droppings. To this end, 70 chickens were housed under controlled environmental conditions, and assigned to experimental groups that were treated with therapeutic doses of either 10% FF, 20% CTC, or 10% SCP. Consequently, we implemented and designed an in-house validation for three analytical methodologies, which allowed us to quantify the concentrations of these three antimicrobial drugs using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Our results showed that FF and FFa concentrations were detected in chicken droppings up to day 10 after ceasing treatment, while CTC and 4-epi-CTC were detected up to day 25. As for SCP residues, these were detected up to day 21. Noticeably, CTC showed the longest excretion period, as well as the highest concentrations detected after the end of its administration using therapeutic doses.

Antimicrobial residues might persist in products and by-products destined for human or animal consumption. Studies exploring the depletion behavior of florfenicol residues in broiler chicken claws are scarce, even though claws can enter the food chain directly or indirectly. Hence, this study intended to assess the concentrations of florfenicol (FF) and florfenicol amine (FFA)&mdash, its active metabolite&mdash, in chicken claws from birds that were treated with a therapeutic dose of florfenicol. Furthermore, concentrations of these analytes in this matrix were compared with their concentrations in edible tissues at each sampling point. A group of 70 broiler chickens were raised under controlled conditions and used to assess residue depletion. Sampling points were on days 5, 10, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 after ceasing treatment, thus extending beyond the withdrawal period established for muscle tissue (30 days). Analytes were extracted using HPLC-grade water and acetone, and dichloromethane was used for the clean-up stage. Liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectroscopy detection (LC&ndash, MS/MS) was used to detect and quantify the analytes. The analytical methodology developed in this study was validated in-house and based on the recommendations described in the Commission Decision 2002/657/EC from the European Union. Analyte concentrations were calculated by linear regression analysis of calibration curves that were fortified using an internal standard of chloramphenicol-d5 (CAF-d5). The depletion time of FF and FFA was set at 74 days in claws, based on a 95% confidence level and using the limit of detection (LOD) as the cut-off point. Our findings show that FF and FFA can be found in chicken claws at higher concentrations than in muscle and liver samples at each sampling point.

Improvements and good practices (GPs) in rural environments are often developed by peasants themselves and shared among trust-based networks. The level of adoption of GPs by peasant family farmers (PFF) has been poorly studied. This paper describes the performance and results of the innovation adoption index (InAI) and rate (InAR) which were used to estimate the adoption of GPs for pesticide and veterinary drug use by PFF from eight different regions of Chile. Surveys were conducted among 257 farmers to find out about the adoption (yes/no) of a set of GPs in the adequate handling, use and storage of these chemical products, as well as some identifying information. The farmers in this study are producers of berries, dairy cows, honey and vegetables. The results of the survey showed an average of 57.33% GPs were adopted by farmers. Group averages of 55.23%&ndash, 61.32% were observed in the numbers of practices adopted by farmers. This survey data collection was part of a wider study intended to design a national plan to reduce chemical residues in food produced by PFF in Chile, with a focus on organizing practical workshops with extension officers and farmers.