Fluoroquinolones are a valuable synthetic antibacterial class widely used in the treatment of infectious diseases both in humans and animals. Until recently, it has been thought that bacterial resistance to fluoroquinolones develops very slowly. Nowadays, there are multiple studies that reveal the alarming occurrence of bacterial resistance and there is a high risk of becoming therapeutically useless. The emergence of this phenomenon comes from injudicious usage in therapy, the presence of residues and their metabolites in food of animal origin and also in sewage, compost and domestic waste, which end up in soil and water sources. In the present paper, we reviewed important issues regarding fluoroquinolones impact on the environment in connection with the development of bacterial resistance: (1) the presence of fluoroquinolones as pollutants in soil, surface waters, and food. Fluoroquinolones are persistent with high specificity to interact with soil compared to other antibiotics. Pollution of water sources raises concerns regarding the effects of small concentrations (ng L⁻¹) on human health and also of the environment. The non-therapeutic use in animal farms conducts to food pollution; the cultivated plants could concentrate the fluoroquinolones (over 100 μg L⁻¹); (2) the increase of bacterial resistance to fluoroquinolones occurring with specific mutations in the target enzymes as well by the plasmid-mediated resistance and active efflux of the cell; (3) international regulations of the fluoroquinolone residues in food that are far to encompass all compounds; (4) fluoroquinolones residues analysis with standardized methods should provide limits of detection lower than maximum residue limit values; and (5) trends and perspectives: (a) a wider process of harmonization of regulations; (b) the fluoroquinolones restriction, necessary for low levels of bacterial resistance; (c) the soil and waste water purification methods; (d) the practice of soil planting scheme as an alternative; and (e) an environmental label in order to facilitate the selection of drugs.

In the present investigation, emulsifying potential of galactan exopolysaccharide (EPS) extracted from Weissella confusa KR780676 has been evaluated with various food grade flavours (vanilla, cardamom and pineapple). Concentration of EPS was optimized as 1% with these flavours, in addition to the effect of salinity (NaCl), monovalent ion (KCl) and temperature on emulsion activity (EA), and emulsion stability (ES) was also inspected. Filter paper wetting test exhibited water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) and oil-in-water (o/w) type emulsions. The extent in granule disintegration and the retrogradation process of flavour emulsions were studied with pasting properties. Electron micrography and particle size analysis revealed the morphology and the size of emulsion droplets. Thermal stability of emulsions has found 100% at various temperatures (−20 to 60 °C) for vanilla and pineapple flavour, whereas, it was varying for cardamom as per the temperature disparity. Emulsion stability of vanilla and pineapple flavour was retained as such for various concentrations of NaCl whereas decreased for cardamom in direct proportion. In case of KCl all the three flavours showed greater stability. These emulsifying properties indicate that galactan EPS can be a prospective alternative to commercial biopolymers in food and pharmaceuticals industries.

Most fossil fuel-derived polymers used for food packaging are non-biodegradable and induce pollution by microplastic, calling for safer material. Here we review microbial production and applications of pullulan, a unique biopolymer produced by fermentation of agro-residues, using a strain named Aureobasidium pullulan. Chemically modified pullulan is widely used in food, pharmaceuticals, biomedical, and cosmetics. Compared to conventional polymers, pullulan increases the tensile strength 6–37-folds and increases the bioadhesion time 72–120-folds. Pullulan has been recently produced from agro-based waste with yields as high as 58-69 g/L.

This study investigated the effect of food or water deprivation on the pharmacokinetics of paracetamol in 30 Holstein-Friesian preruminant calves (10 controls, 10 food withheld and 10 water-deprived) aged 24–25 days. Control calves were given paracetamol at 24–25 days and again at 28–29 days of age. In the food withheld and water-deprived calves paracetamol studies were performed before and after 4 days of food or water deprivation. In the control group there were no significant differences in pharmacokinetic parameters for paracetamol in 24–25 and 28–29-day-old calves. Witholding food for 4 days was associated with an increase in the mean residence time (MRT) of paracetamol (P < 0.01). When food was withheld total body clearance (ClB) of paracetamol was significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The volume of distribution (V(ss)) was not significantly altered. Similarly, water deprivation was associated with a significant increase in MRT and significant decrease in ClB of paracetamol (P < 0.01). The V(ss) was not significantly altered. Food or water deprivation also influenced the formation of major metabolites (glucuronide and sulphate) of paracetamol. It is concluded that food or water deprivation may impair the elimination drugs that undergo metabolism by UDP-glucuronyltransferase and sulphotransferase in cattle.

Among oral delivery systems, oil in water nano-emulsions (O/W NEs) are of particular interest to improve pharmacokinetics of lipophilic compounds. Recently, we have implemented a successful strategy to improve O/W NEs stability, based on a polymeric coating on an oil core, namely secondary O/W NEs, through the use of pharma grade formulations. However, in the field of food supplements, food grade materials are the top choice since they combine safety and cost effectiveness. Here, we have replaced pharma grade (PG) with food grade (FG) materials in the preparation of the polymer coated O/W NEs, and performed a comparative study between the two formulations to assess the FG one. At the same time, in order to provide formulations with enhanced mucus-adhesion to the intestinal barrier, secondary O/W NEs were prepared by adding thiol groups to chitosan (Ct) via a simple non-covalent procedure based on N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) salification, thus easily implementable to a food supplement formulation. PG and FG formulations, in different materials combinations, were prepared and physico-chemically characterized (DLS, ¹H NMR, ITC, CRYO-TEM) showing similar behaviour. FG formulations (NEs, Ct-NEs and Ct-NAC-NEs) loaded with curcumin were prepared and compared with the free drug in terms of drug bioaccessibility through the INFOGEST protocol confirming improved bioaccessibility. Very interestingly, by comparing mucus-adhesion properties of the two polymeric coatings (Ct and Ct-NAC) within an intestine on chip device able to mimic the complex intestinal functions, a significant enhancement in the mucus-adhesive properties of the proposed novel Ct-NAC-NE formulation was observed with respect to Ct due to the presence of thiol groups. Nonetheless, in-vivo assays are required as a final assessment of the proposed system.

Pharmaceutical and food pollutants have threatened global health. Pharmacotherapy has left a positive impression in the field of health and life of people and animals. However, the many unresolved problems brought along with residues of pharmaceuticals in the environmental and food. Consumption of the world's freshwater resources, toxic chemicals, air pollution, plastic waste directly affects water and soil resources. Pesticides have a wide role in pollutants. Therefore, the determination of pesticides is significant to eliminate their negative effects on living things. Nowadays, there are many analytical methods available. However, new analysis methods are still being researched due to certain limitations of traditional methods. Electrochemical sensors have drawn attention because of their superior properties, such as short analysis time, affordability, high sensitivity, and selectivity. The development of new analytical strategies for assessing risks from pharmaceutical to food pollutants in water and soil sources is important for the measurement of different pollutants. Moreover, the 2D-carbon nanomaterials used in the development of electrochemical sensors are widely utilized to enlarge the surface area, increase porosity, and make easy immobilization. Graphene (graphene derivations) and carbon nanotubes integrated nanosensors are widely used for the determination of pesticides. 2D-carbon nanomaterials can be tailored according to the purpose of the study. The characterization and synthesis methods of 2D-carbon nanomaterials are widely explained. Furthermore, enzyme nanobiosensors, especially Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), are widely used to determine pesticides. The three main topics are focused on in this review: 2D-carbon nanomaterials, pesticides that threaten life, and the application of 2D-carbon nanomaterials-based electrochemical sensors. The various developed 2D-carbon nanomaterials-based electrochemical sensors were applied in pharmaceutical forms, fruits, tap/lake water, beverages, and soils sources. This work aims to indicate the recently published paper related to pesticide analysis and highlight the importance of 2D-nanomaterials on sensors.

Contaminants of emerging concern present in domestic waste streams include a highly diverse group of potentially biologically active compounds that can be detected at trace levels in wastewater. Concerns about potential uptake into crops arise when reclaimed water is used in food crop production. The present study investigated how 9 contaminants of emerging concern in reclaimed water are taken up into edible portions of two food crops. Two flame retardant chemicals, tris(1‐chloro‐2‐propyl) phosphate (TCPP) and tris(2‐chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) and several polar pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, diphenhydramine, sulfamethoxazole, and trimethoprim) accumulated in a linear, concentration‐dependent manner in lettuce (Lactuca sativa) irrigated with reclaimed water, suggesting passive uptake of both neutral and ionizable chemical contaminants in lettuce. Furthermore, concentration‐dependent accumulation of TCEP and TCPP from reclaimed water was also observed in strawberry fruits (Fragaria ananassa). Collectively, these data suggest that highly polar or charged contaminants can be taken up by crops from water bearing contaminants of emerging concern and can be accumulated in the edible portions. Using these data, however, estimates of human exposure to these contaminants from reclaimed water food crop accumulation suggest that exposure to the contaminants of emerging concern examined in the present study is likely substantially lower than current exposure guidelines. Environ Toxicol Chem 2015;34:2213–2221. © 2015 SETAC

Pickering emulsions stabilized by food-grade particles have garnered increasing interest in recent years due to their promising applications in biorelated fields such as foods, cosmetics, and drug delivery. However, it remains a big challenge to formulate nanoscale Pickering emulsions from these edible particles. Herein we show that a new Pickering nanoemulsion that is stable, monodisperse, and controllable can be produced by employing the spherical micellar nanoparticles (EYPNs), self-assembled from the food-derived, amphiphilic egg yolk peptides, as an edible particulate emulsifier. As natural peptide-based nanoparticles, the EYPNs have a small particle size, intermediate wettability, high surface activity, and deformability at the interface, which enable the formation of stable Pickering nanodroplets with a mean dynamic light scattering diameter below 200 nm and a polydispersity index below 0.2. This nanoparticle system is versatile for different oil phases with various polarities and demonstrates the easy control of nanodroplet size through tuning the microfluidization conditions or the ratio of EYPNs to oil phase. These food-grade Pickering nanoemulsions, obtained when the internal phase is an edible vegetable oil, have superior stability during long-term storage and spray-drying based on the irreversible and compact adsorption of intact EYPNs at the nanodroplet surface. This is the first finding of a natural edible nano-Pickering emulsifier that can be used solely to make stable food Pickering nanoemulsions with the qualities of simplicity, versatility, low cost, and the possibility of controllable and mass production, which make them viable for many sustainable applications.

Aquaculture, which is growing 3–5 times faster than terrestrial agriculture, will play an important role to meet future global food production needs. However, over 80% of global sewage production is returned to the environment untreated or poorly treated. In developing nations, these nontraditional waters of diverse quality are being recycled for aquaculture, yet chemical residues are differentially studied. Here, we examined pharmaceuticals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and flame retardants in marine bivalves using isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and low-pressure gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LP GC-MS/MS). Green-lipped mussels from the field and oysters from aquaculture net pens, which are harvested as food products, were collected adjacent to point source municipal wastewater and landfill leachate effluent discharges, respectively, in Hong Kong, the fourth most densely populated country in the world. Multiple classes of pharmaceutical, pesticides, PAHs, and phosphorus-based flame retardants were detected at low μg/kg levels. Acceptable servings per week indicated minimal risk for a number of chemicals; however, such calculations could not be performed for other contaminants of emerging concern. Future efforts are needed to better understand contaminant influences on marine bivalve populations and aquaculture product safety, particularly in rapidly urbanizing regions of developing countries with limited wastewater infrastructure.