Bee pollen is currently one of the most widely consumed dietary supplements due to its high nutritional value and its potentially beneficial effects on health. Unfortunately, in recent years an increase in the fraudul...
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Bee pollen is currently one of the most widely consumed dietary supplements due to its high nutritional value and its potentially beneficial effects on health. Unfortunately, in recent years an increase in the fraudulent marketing of this product has been detected, mainly in terms of adulteration with pollen from other sources. This has made it necessary to seek new tools to ensure its authentication. Therefore, this study investigates the use of free amino acids as markers of the geographical origin and harvesting period of bee pollen. To demonstrate their potential as biomarkers, 72 samples from four apiaries (Pistacho, Tío Natalio, Monte and Fuentelahiguera), located in the same geographical area (Marchamalo, Guadalajara, Spain), were analyzed by liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection, with the data obtained undergoing canonical discriminant analysis. Variable amounts and numbers of free amino acids were found in the samples analyzed;proline predominated in all of them, in a concentration range of 298–569989 mg/kg. The differences observed in amino acid composition could be attributed to the flowering plants from which the bee pollen samples originated. In addition, it was possible to statistically assign over 75% of the samples to the corresponding apiary of origin, the best results being obtained for the Fuentelahiguera and Tío Natalio apiaries (100%);this classification was even superior in the case of the harvesting periods, as more than 90% of the samples were correctly assigned, and in one period (June) a 100% rate was obtained.
The basin of Rio de la Sabana is the largest tributary of the Tres Palos coastal lagoon in Southwest Mexico, east of Acapulco. This lagoon and its upstream basin areas have become a high priority area for the preserva...
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The basin of Rio de la Sabana is the largest tributary of the Tres Palos coastal lagoon in Southwest Mexico, east of Acapulco. This lagoon and its upstream basin areas have become a high priority area for the preservation of coastal and marine environments. To obtain information about water quality as affected by urban expansion since 2002, fourteen physicochemical parameters (temperature, pH, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen, ammonium, nitrate, nitrite, sulphate, phosphate), biochemical (biological and chemical oxygen demand, methylene blue active substances) and bacteriological parameters (total and fecal coliforms) were determined. This sampling was done for dry and rainy season conditions at seven locations (S1, S2, S3, …, S7) along the river, spaced 3 to 6 km apart to a total of 30.4 km. The results were grouped into four zones: (Z1) reference, (Z2) transition, (Z3) polluted, (Z4) recovery. The Alborada (S5) and Tunzingo (S6) sites, adjacent to dense high-class residential areas (Z3), had the greatest pollution charges in both seasons, while the La Poza (S7) site near the Tres Palos lagoon (Z4) showed a decrease in pollution. All parameters correlated with increasing head- to down-river sampling distance by following linear (pH, DO) or curvilinear patterns (all other parameters). Using sampling location and dry versus rainy sampling season as multivariate regression (predictor) variables led to least-squares capturing: 1) 66% to 95% of the T(°C), pH, DO, and PO3-4 variations, and 2) 57% to 96% of the log-linear variations of the other parameters. Among the parameters, T(°C), DO, and PO3-4 were not significantly affected by sampling season, while pH became so after deleting two higher than usual pH values at the S5 and S6 locations during the dry season.
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