Abstract Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on the safety of ‘Hovenia dulcis fruit extract’ as a novel food (NF) for its use in food supplements. The NF concerns a hot water extract of sliced and dried fruits and peduncles of Hovenia dulcis Thun. The production process is described in sufficient detail but contains contradictory information regarding the mixing with another ingredient of the NF. The NF is comprised of mostly carbohydrates (about 90%), about 2% proteins, 5% moisture, less than 1% fat and about 2% ash. In addition, the NF contains small amounts of flavonoids such as dihydromyricetin, myricetin and quercetin. The Panel notes limitations of the data provided from the batch testing regarding proximate analyses and plant secondary metabolites. Given these limitations, the Panel considers that the data provided by the applicant do not demonstrate that different batches produced with the described production process meet the proposed specifications. The target population is the general adult population excluding pregnant and lactating women and people with a chronic disease, such as liver malfunction. Limited information was provided on a history of consumption of Hovenia dulcis fruits and on an extract approved in South Korea. A number of toxicological studies were performed. However, the study reports did not allow to verify that the test item was representative of the NF. The same applied to a human study provided by the applicant. The Panel concludes that the safety of the NF has not been established.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are a class of highly toxic and unremitting organic pollutants that are widely distributed in the natural environment. In this work, a metal-organic framework (MOF) designated as HKUST-1 [Cu₃(BTC)₂] was synthesized, characterized, and applied as a solid-phase extraction sorbent for the determination of a trace polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, anthracene (Ant) as model compound, in various real samples by spectrofluorimetry. The synthesized MOF exhibited large surface areas and high extraction ability, making it excellent candidate as sorbent for enrichment of trace anthracene. The effects of influential parameters on the performance of the dispersive micro-solid-phase extraction (Dμ-SPE) process, such as the initial anthracene concentration, pH, sorbent dosage, and shaking time, were investigated and optimized by the experiment design method. Under the optimized experimental conditions, good linearity in the range of 3–85 ng mL⁻¹ with correlation coefficient 0.997 and good sensitivity with low detection limit 0.5 ng mL⁻¹ for Ant was achieved. The method has been validated in the analysis of real tap water, soft drink, and vegetable juice samples with recoveries in the range of 86.33–103.00% and relative standard deviations in the range of 1.94–3.77%. The as-prepared HKUST-1 was used for at least four times without any obvious decline of extraction capability. The results of this study show the great potential of MOFs as sorbents in Dμ-SPE procedures for the separation and determination of trace Ant in complicated matrices.

Dietary exposure to nitrate and nitrite occurs via three main sources; occurrence in (vegetable) foods, food additives in certain processed foods and contaminants in drinking water. While nitrate can be converted to nitrite in the human body, their risk assessment is usually based on single substance exposure in different regulatory frameworks. Here, we assessed the long-term combined exposure to nitrate and nitrite from food and drinking water. Dutch monitoring data (2012–2018) and EFSA data from 2017 were used for concentration data. These were combined with data from the Dutch food consumption survey (2012–2016) to assess exposure. A conversion factor (median 0.023; range 0.008–0.07) was used to express the nitrate exposure in nitrite equivalents which was added to the nitrite exposure. The uncertainty around the conversion factor was taken into account by using conversion factors randomly sampled from the abovementioned range. The combined dietary exposure was calculated for the Dutch population (1–79 years) with different exposure scenarios to address regional differences in nitrate and nitrite concentrations in drinking water. All scenarios resulted in a combined exposure above the acceptable daily intake for nitrite ion (70 µg/kg bw), with the mean exposure varying between 95–114 µg nitrite/kg bw/day in the different scenarios. Of all ages, the combined exposure was highest in children aged 1 year with an average of 250 µg nitrite/kg bw/day. Vegetables contributed most to the combined exposure in food in all scenarios, varying from 34%–41%. Food additive use contributed 8%–9% to the exposure and drinking water contributed 3%–19%. Our study is the first to perform a combined dietary exposure assessment of nitrate and nitrite while accounting for the uncertain conversion factor. Such a combined exposure assessment overarching different regulatory frameworks and using different scenarios for drinking water is a better instrument for protecting human health than single substance exposure.

Water scarcity exacerbated by growing demand in different sectors has created environmental, social, and economic challenges in the Urmia Lake Basin, Iran. Tackling this problem requires an integrated approach considering the basin as an interconnected system where a change in one sector affects others. Here, a System Dynamics Model is developed to simulate the water-energy-food nexus in the Urmia Lake Basin as a holistic multi-sectoral system and to assess the impacts of proposed lake restoration measures, especially looking for trade-offs. Besides considering climate change impacts, the effect of different sets of measures including increasing irrigation efficiency, increasing return flows, inter-basin water transfers, crop land retirement, and reviving a portion of the lake on the natural resources and socio-economic state of the basin are analysed. Results show that Urmia Lake level is sensitive to climate change scenarios. A holistic restoration approach could be effective in increasing the lake level to the proposed ecological level by 2040. However, in doing so, electricity demand in the agricultural sector could grow significantly. It is shown that a 20% retirement of irrigated wheat lands to curb water demand, if coupled with a 20% increase in yield on 80% and 50% of irrigated and rain-fed fields respectively, will not reduce wheat production in the basin. The effectiveness of water demand management measures is highly dependent on continuous monitoring and enforcement, particularly in restricting growth in agricultural water consumption. This study considered all nexus sectors in a holistic way to assess the total impact of proposed measures which on paper look positive, but may have unexpected consequences such as increasing energy demand for electric pumps. In dialogue with Urmia Lake restoration practitioners, this work can feed in to inform effective decisions for the restoration of Urmia Lake.

This paper introduces a novel triple bottom line sustainability assessment to evaluate the water-energy-food nexus of desalination for agriculture. Falling technology costs and rising water scarcity worldwide make desalination an increasingly attractive proposition, and agriculture is one of the main sectors grappling with its potential impacts. To explore this issue, we combine a wide range of primary and secondary environmental, economic, and social data with a triple bottom line / WEF nexus analysis, to demonstrate both the holistic sustainability impacts of desalination for agriculture, and the multi-sectoral policy environment within which desalination is adopted. We apply this approach to 54 privately-owned desalination plants that treat brackish groundwater for agricultural use in the San Quintín Valley of Baja California, Mexico. We find that subsidized energy for local agribusinesses plays an important role in making desalination economically viable in the region. This in turn fuels a large agricultural export industry that represents a significant virtual water transfer to the US market. Rapid population growth in the area driven by agricultural labor needs exacerbates the issues of social equity and sustainability that these subsidies and transfers raise. We conclude with a discussion of how to manage these identified trade-offs across the water-energy-food nexus.

A water-energy-food (WEF) nexus assessment supports natural resource management by providing an integrated framework for evaluation and decision-making. The participation of a wide range of stakeholders is essential for achieving environmental, economic, and social sustainability in this framework. This analysis supports the decision-making process of the nexus assessment by facilitating dialogue between stakeholders in order to achieve long term efficiencies, especially in rural landscapes where most of the services connected to WEF securities are provided. We identify the most relevant stakeholders operating in the connection between agricultural practices and the WEF nexus to stimulate their engagement in the nexus governance. The study area was the Atlantic Forest Reserve of Ribeirão das Lajes, Brazil. A stakeholder analysis, generating qualitative data using snowball sampling interviews was applied and, after the identification of stakeholders, an analytical categorization disclosing potential conflicts among them was performed. We obtained a pool of stakeholders from different organizational types, including a large number of public entities at local and state levels. The main threat to the development of the project is considered to be the lack of communication between the parties. We note that the prior identification of this group of stakeholders facilitates this communication, enhancing social representation in the area. Outcomes of this study demonstrate the relevance of stakeholder analysis in nexus governance for integrated natural resource management.

Groundwater pollution with nitrate of agricultural origin is a major problem in many countries. A great deal of effort is focused on finding ways to reduce leaching from agricultural land. In this study, different land management scenarios were evaluated with the SWAT model in order to determine which are the most effective in reducing nitrate leaching on specific soil types in the Krška kotlina alluvial plain (Slovenia). The area is very important both for agriculture production and drinking water resources. The model was calibrated for three soil moisture field trial sites, each representing one major soil type of the area. Simulated soil moisture values were in good agreement with the observed values (PBIAS (percent bias) ±25%). Of the nine land management scenarios that were evaluated, vegetable rotation caused the most nitrate leaching on all soil types, but it fared better on Cambisol than on Fluvisol. Orchards on the other hand leached the least amount of nitrate, but also fared better on Cambisol. Presented studies should be considered as a preliminary stage in the study of nitrate pollution in the investigated area. Results show that nitrate leaching varies for different land management scenarios on different soil types. Further work should concentrate on field trials to evaluate the impacts of reduced fertilization on nitrate leaching and both crop yield and quality on different soil types.

Salmonella is one of the main foodborne pathogens that affect humans and farm animals. The Salmonella genus comprises a group of food-transmitted pathogens that cause highly prevalent foodborne diseases throughout the world. The aim of this study was to appraise the viability of Salmonella Typhimurium biofilm under water treatment at room temperature on different surfaces, specifically stainless steel (SS), plastic (PLA), rubber (RB), and eggshell (ES). After 35 D, the reduction of biofilm on SS, PLA, RB, and ES was 3.35, 3.57, 3.22, and 2.55 log CFU/coupon without water treatment and 4.31, 4.49, 3.50, and 1.49 log CFU/coupon with water treatment, respectively. The dR value (time required to reduce bacterial biofilm by 99% via Weibull modeling) of S. Typhimurium without and with water treatment was the lowest on PLA (176.86 and 112.17 h, respectively) and the highest on ES (485.37 and 2,436.52 h, respectively). The viability of the S. Typhimurium on ES and the 3 food-contact surfaces was monitored for 5 wk (35 D). The results of this study provide valuable information for the control of S. Typhimurium on different surfaces in the food industry, which could reduce the risk to consumers.

Salmonella is one of the main foodborne pathogens that affect humans and farm animals. The Salmonella genus comprises a group of food-transmitted pathogens that cause highly prevalent foodborne diseases throughout the world. The aim of this study was to appraise the viability of Salmonella Typhimurium biofilm under water treatment at room temperature on different surfaces, specifically stainless steel (SS), plastic (PLA), rubber (RB), and eggshell (ES). After 35 D, the reduction of biofilm on SS, PLA, RB, and ES was 3.35, 3.57, 3.22, and 2.55 log CFU/coupon without water treatment and 4.31, 4.49, 3.50, and 1.49 log CFU/coupon with water treatment, respectively. The dR value (time required to reduce bacterial biofilm by 99% via Weibull modeling) of S. Typhimurium without and with water treatment was the lowest on PLA (176.86 and 112.17 h, respectively) and the highest on ES (485.37 and 2,436.52 h, respectively). The viability of the S. Typhimurium on ES and the 3 food-contact surfaces was monitored for 5 wk (35 D). The results of this study provide valuable information for the control of S. Typhimurium on different surfaces in the food industry, which could reduce the risk to consumers.