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A new Raman-based apparatus for proximal detection of energetic materials on people, was developed and tested for the first time. All the optical and optoelectronics components of the apparatus, as well as their optical matching, were carefully chosen and designed to respect international eye-safety regulations. In this way, the apparatus is suitable for civil applications on people in public areas such as airports and metro or railway stations. The acquisition software performs the data analysis in real-time to provide a fast response to the operator. Moreover, it allows for deployment of the apparatus either as a stand alone device or as part of a more sophisticated warning system architecture made up of several sensors. Using polyamide as substrate, the apparatus was able to detect surface densities of ammonium nitrate (AN), 2-methyl-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNT), 3-nitrooxy-2,2-bis(nitrooxymethyl)propyl] nitrate (PETN) and urea nitrate (UN) in the range of 100-1000 μg/cm2 at a distance of 6.4 m using each time a single laser pulse of 3 mJ/cm2. The limit of detection calculated for AN is 289 μg/cm2. AN and UN provided the highest percentages of true positives (>82% for surface densities of 100-400 μg/cm2 and fingerprints) followed by TNT and PETN (17%-70% for surface densities of 400-1000 μg/cm2 and fingerprints). © 2015, by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

This paper describes the interlaboratory study aimed at assessing the performance of 18 laboratories (14 national and 4 European) for Ochratoxin A (OTA) determination in cocoa powder samples. The study was tested at three levels of OTA covering the range in which presumably European regulatory limits could fall in the near future. For the extraction step, almost all laboratories used an aqueous solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate with the exception of one laboratory using dichloromethane consistently with the ELISA procedure adopted in the study. The clean-up step was performed by utilizing the immunoaffinity columns by the two main manufacturers (R-Biopharm Rhone and VICAM) and for the quantitative analysis, HPLC was used by all the participants except one using ELISA. From the output of the study, it can be concluded that at low level (0.19 μg/kg) 10 out of 18 (56%), at medium level (0.45 μg/kg) 11 out of 18 (61%), and at high level (1.45 μg/kg) 12 out of 18 (67%) results fell within the satisfactory ranges. This interlaboratory study provides an estimate of the performance of national and European laboratories involved in OTA determination in cocoa powder samples, which sounds extremely valuable in view of potential future legislation by the European Commission.

This paper describes the interlaboratory study aimed at validating a HPLC method of analysis for the determination of ochratoxin A (OTA) in cocoa powder. The method was tested at three levels of OTA, covering the range in which presumably European regulatory limits could fall. OTA was extracted from samples by blending with aqueous solution of bicarbonate, diluting with a solution of phosphate buffer saline, filtering, and cleaning‐up by an immunoaffinity column containing antibodies specific to OTA. After washing the immunoaffinity column, OTA was eluted with methanol, identified by reversed‐phase HPLC, and quantified by fluorescence detection. Five coded materials (blank and naturally contaminated samples) were sent to 31 laboratories (25 national and six European), together with OTA calibrant and spiking solutions. From the provided results, the relative standard deviation for repeatability (15–31%) and reproducibility (29–40%) showed reliable results adequately matching with the criteria sugg...

The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of fumonisin B1 in various corn milling fractions processed by an industrial plant. Corn kernels and six derived milling fractions (germ, bran, large and small grits, animal feed flour, and flour) were sampled. In addition, in order to evaluate the effect of cooking, samples of polenta were prepared starting from naturally contaminated flour obtained from the industrial processing cycle. The industrial plant worked continuously at a rate of 60 tons per day. Two sublots of 5 tons each were investigated with samples of derived products taken at regular time intervals. Due to a similar heterogeneous distribution of fumonisin B1 with other mycotoxins, such as aflatoxins, the sampling scheme was derived from the European Directive 98/53 for aflatoxins. Both lots of kernels showed fumonisin contamination at 4.54 and 5.09 mg/kg, respectively. Germ, bran, and animal feed flour showed contamination levels, namely 8.92 mg/kg (lot 1) and 9.56 mg/kg (lot 2), 7.08 mg/kg (lot 1) and 8.08 mg/kg (lot 2), and 9.36 mg/kg (lot 1) and 6.86 mg/kg (lot 2) higher than large and small grits and flour (0.39 mg/kg [lot 1] and 0.42 mg/kg [lot 2], 0.60 mg/kg [lot 1] and 1.01 mg/kg [lot 2], and 0.40 mg/kg [lot 1] and 0.45 mg/kg [lot 2], respectively). These results seem to account both for the industrial yields of the derived products and the distribution of fumonisin contamination in a kernel. The cooking of polenta in a domestic pressure cooker did not affect fumonisin contamination because the mycotoxin concentrations were similar to those of the starting flour (0.40 and 0.45 mg/kg).

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a potent nephrotoxin that can affect human health through their diet. Cereals and coffee represent, by far, the main contributors to OTA exposure, but recently other food commodities like wine, raisins, and cocoa products have been found to be additional sources of intake for consumers. Ochratoxin A contamination in cocoa derived products presents an emerging risk for consumer. Recently, both monitoring programs and research have been aimed at ascertaining the status of contamination worldwide, and critical control points in cocoa processing. At the moment, all studies confirmed that cocoa can result in contamination quite frequently, and at levels worthy of interest. This paper describes a study to carry out a method of analysis for the determination of OTA in cocoa derived products. Performance characteristics of the method, as within‐day and between‐day repeatability, reproducibility, and accuracy are described, showing reliable results adequately matching the criteria su...

Recently food safety issues received increasing attention and they will be more and more the matter of interest of risk assessors. Among the others, Ochratoxin A (OTA) contamination in wine resulted in an emerging risk for consumers. Recently, both monitoring programs and researches have been performed, aimed at individuating the status of contamination world‐wide and critical control points in the wine‐making chain. At the moment, all studies confirmed that red wines resulted in contamination more frequently and at higher levels than white wines. This paper describes a study to carry out an automated method of analysis for the determination of OTA in wine samples, in order to process a high number of samples for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) purposes. Method performance characteristics, such as repeatability, internal reproducibility, and accuracy, showed good performance and reliability of the method, adequately matching with the criteria suggested by Comite Europeen de Normal...

In the last decades there have been several terroristic attacks with improvised explosive devices (IED) that have raised the need for new instrumentation, for homeland security applications, to obtain a reliable and effective fight against terrorism. Public transportation has been around for about 150 years, but terroristic attacks against buses, trains, subways, etc., is a relatively recent phenomenon [1]. Since 1970, transportation has been an increasingly attractive target for terrorists. Most of the attacks to transport infrastructures take place in countries where public transportation is the primary way to move. Terrorists prefer to execute a smaller-scale attack with certainty of success rather than a complex and demanding operation to cause massive death and destruction. [1]. Many commonly available materials, such as fertilizer, gunpowder, and hydrogen peroxide, can be used as explosives and other materials, such as nails, glass, or metal fragments, can be used to increase the amount of shrapnel propelled by the explosion. The majority of substances that are classified as chemical explosives generally contain oxygen, nitrogen and oxidable elements such as carbon and hydrogen [2]. The most common functional group in military explosives is NO2. That functionality can be attached to oxygen (ONO2) in the nitrate esters (PETN), to carbon (C-NO2) in the nitroarenes (TNT) and nitroalkanes (Nitromethane), and to nitrogen (N-NO2) as in the nitramines (RDX). Some organic peroxides, such as TATP and HMTD, are popular amongst terrorists because they are powerful initiators that can be easily prepared from easily available ingredients. Azides are also powerful primary explosives commonly used as initiators (commercial detonators) in civilian and military operations, therefore they could be potentially used by terrorists as initiators for IEDs. © 2014 SPIE.