In most publications concerning edible W/O/W-emulsions, the low-HLB emulsifier polyglycerol polyricinoleate (PGPR) is used to stabilize the W/O-interface in combination with a high-HLB emulsifier which stabilizes the O/W-interface. Therefore, PGPR was used as the reference low-HLB emulsifier and compared to two alternative low-HLB emulsifiers namely ammonium phosphatide (AMP) and low-HLB sucrose ester O-170. As high-HLB emulsifiers both random coil (sodium caseinate) and globular proteins (whey protein isolate) were used. Hereby, the use of WPI led to similar, high enclosed water volume fractions for all used low-HLB emulsifiers whereas the use of Na-Caseinate led to almost no enclosed water in the emulsions containing ammonium phosphatide. Finally, the influence of osmotic pressure gradients on the release of an enclosed compound was examined. Therefore, the W/O/W-emulsions were diluted in iso-, hypo- and hypertonic solutions after which the release of an enclosed marker compound was followed over time. Hereby, AMP- and O-170 stabilized W/O/W-emulsions released the enclosed marker due to swelling under hypotonic dilution whereas hyper- and isotonic dilution never led to release of the enclosed marker, regardless of the used low-HLB emulsifier.

A method is proposed for the identification of surfactants by ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) with high-resolution mass spectrometry detection after screening water and food samples for the total concentration of cationic and anionic surfactants by microextraction–fluorimetry. The method is based on the use of dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction with chloroform of surfactant ion pairs with organic reagents (eosin and acridine yellow), measuring the fluorescence of the obtained adducts using a smartphone, obtaining RGB colorimetric characteristics, and determining the total surfactant concentration. The main analytical characteristics of the identification of cationic surfactants (alkylpyrdinium, alkyltrimethylammonium, alkyldimethylbenzylammonium (benzalkonium), alkylmethylethylbenzylammonium, didecyldimethylammonium, benzyldimethyl[3-(myristoylamino)propyl]ammonium, N,N-bis(3-aminopropyl)dodecylamine chlorides) and anionic surfactants (alkyl benzene sulfonates (sulfonol), alkyl sulfates, laureth sulfates, alkyl sulfonates, and sodium alkyl carboxylates) by chromatography–mass spectrometry under the selected conditions of chromatographic separation and mass spectrometric detection are found. The features of the chromatographic behavior of the surfactant polymerhomologs under the conditions of UPLC and gradient elution are considered.

Population and economic growth pose unique challenges in securing sufficient water, energy, and food to meet demand at the sub-national (regional), national, and supra-national level. An increasing share of this demand is met through trade and imports. The unprecedented rapid growth, extent, and complexity of global value chains (GVCs) since the 1980s have reshaped global trade. The GVCs – and new economic patterns of regionalization – affect the demands on water, energy, and food within countries and across global supply chains. East Asia is of particular interest due to the region’s rapid economic growth, substantial population size, high interdependence of the region’s economies, and varying degree of resource availability. While greater interdependence across the region has increased the efficiency of production and trade, these activities require the input of water-energy-food and generate disturbances in the environment. The transnational inter-regional input-output approach is utilized in a tele-connected Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEFN) analysis of the East Asia GVC to assess competing demands for these resources and environmental outcomes.This analysis demonstrates the hidden virtual flows of water, energy, and food embodied in intra-regional and transnational inter-regional trade. China’s current national export oriented economic growth strategy in East Asia is not sustainable from the WEFN perspective. China is a net virtual exporter of nexus resources to Japan and South Korea. China’s prioritization of economic growth and trade in low value added and pollution intensive sectors consumes a great amount of nexus resources within its territory to satisfy consumers’ demands in Japan and South Korea. Japan’s Kanto and Kinki regions and South Korea’s Sudokwon region were the major beneficiaries while China bore the environmental burden associated with the production of exports. For example, net virtual exports from China’s East region included over 1.2billionm³ of scarce water and 61.3million metric (CO₂ equivalent) tons of greenhouse gases (i.e. CO₂, NH₄, and N₂O) and 2 million metric tons of SOₓ emissions.Trade is an important mechanism for overcoming resource bottlenecks, but, taking into account environmental linkages, regional specialization is not necessarily mutually beneficial. This analysis demonstrates a mismatch between regional water-energy-food availability and final resource consumption and the lack of attention for environmental impacts in national economic growth strategies. Resource scarce countries like China must, therefore, incorporate trade-off decisions between pursuing national economic growth, incurring environmental degradation, and food security into strategic regional development policies.

A green vortex assisted based liquid-liquid microextraction (VA-LLME) method was developed for preconcentration of selenium. Ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (APDC) was used to form a hydrophobic complex with selenium in natural water, agricultural soil and food samples by GFAAS. Whereas Triton X-114, a nonionic surfactant and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate ionic liquid were used for Se extraction as a dispersing medium. The conical flasks contents were shack on a vortex mixer to increase the extraction efficiency. Multivariate techniques were used to evaluate extraction parameters; pH, vortex time, APDC amount, volume of ionic liquid and Triton X-114 and centrifugation rate on the recovery of Se. The central composite design (CCD) was used for further optimization of the essential extraction parameters. The enhancement factor and limit of detection were obtained as 98.7 and 0.07 µg L⁻¹. The certified reference materials was used for accuracy of method and the related standard deviation was found to be 3.51%. The resulted data indicated that concentrations of Se in all types of water samples were below the permissible limit recommended by WHO.

A green and innovative eutectic solvent based extraction method was proposed for the determination of trace level vanadium in water and food samples by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. In this extraction technique magnetic stirrer was used for preparation of eutectic solvent by mixing of zinc chloride and acetamide at different molar ratios. Extraction capability of eutectic solvent was increased by adding a non ionic surfactant (Triton X-114) to enhanced phase transfer ratio, to significantly increase the recovery of hydrophobic complex of vanadium with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate. A multivariate technique was applied to evaluate the important extraction parameters, which plays important role for optimum recovery of the targeted analyte by proposed extraction method. Multivariate techniques such as (factorial design and central composite design) were applied to screening out the most significant extraction parameters and optimized them. Under optimized extraction conditions, limit of detection and enhancement factor were found to be 0.01 µg L⁻¹ and 64.6, respectively. The relative standard deviation for the determination of trace level vanadium at 0.32 µg L⁻¹ concentration, was achieved to be <3.0% (n = 10). Validity and accuracy of the proposed extraction method was checked by analysis of certified reference materials of Canadian lake water and tomato leaves with % age recovery >98%. The eutectic solvent extraction method was successfully applied for the determination of the trace level vanadium in real water samples of different sources and acid digested food samples, collected from different locations of Tokat city, Turkey.