fatemeh salami

Organic acids remarkably affect the microbial control, stability, and organoleptic characteristics (flavor, color and aroma) of beverages. This study focuses on the determination of organic acids, including oxalic, citric, tartaric, malic, succinic, lactic, fumaric, acetic, propionic, and gallic acid, in 100 commercial malt beverages from different brands (five Iranian and five various imported brands) and flavored variants (classic, pomegranate, peach, tropical and lemon). In addition, the contents of total phenols, total flavonoids, ascorbic acid, and free amino acids were measured to assess the overall composition. Liquid Chromatography (LC) was employed to develop a method for analyzing the organic acids, while spectrophotometric techniques were used for quantifying other bioactive compounds. The results revealed significant variations in the organic acid profiles, with succinic acid being the most abundant, while tartaric acid was absent in all samples. Chemometrics technique (PCA method) was applied to classify the results. The results show that PCA can classify the malt drinks based on the additive values with a very high precision. To improve the quality control of malt beverages, some extra assessments, like organic acids and free amino nitrogen determination, should be considered for Iranian National Standard.

Olive oil is one of the most essential components of the Mediterranean diet, obtained by mechanical extraction from the Olea europaea tree. Based on organoleptic properties (odor and taste) and the amount of free fatty acids, it is divided into three categories: Olive oil, virgin olive oil, and extra virgin olive oil. Due to the expensive production procedure of extra virgin olive oil, it is prone to adulteration with low-quality olive oils and other vegetable oils.

The current study focused on determining the authenticity of olive oil using near-infrared spectroscopy as a non-destructive method in conjunction with chemometrics.

In this study, 100 samples of olive oils, comprising 34 domestic and 66 industrial olive oils, were purchased from the markets of Tehran and Roudbar. Common adulterants such as corn, canola, sunflower, and soybean oils were considered. Binary and ternary mixtures of olive oil with these vegetable oils were prepared and analyzed. Spectra were collected over the range of 12000 cm -1 to 4000 cm -1 , and the data were preprocessed using SNV and Detrend before principal component analysis (PCA).

The results indicated that corn oil and canola oil were the dominant adulterants in the olive oil samples, likely due to their inexpensiveness and availability in Iran.

Since multiple types of fraud were identified in the examined samples, it is recommended that future studies investigate other forms of fraud simultaneously. Additionally, the results demonstrated that principal component analysis could effectively categorize different samples with acceptable discrimination.

Propolis is produced by bees using a mixture of bees wax and saliva. It contains several bioactive compounds that mainly induce anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. In this review, we aimed to investigate the effects of propolis on kidney diseases. We used “Kidney”, “Disease”, “Propolis”, “Renal”, “Constituent”, “Mechanism”, “Infection”, and other related keywords as the main keywords to search for works published before July 2023 in Google scholar, Scopus, and Pubmed databases. The search terms were selected according to Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). This review showed that propolis affects renal disorders with inflammatory and oxidative etiology due to its bioactive compounds, mainly flavonoids and polyphenols. There have been few studies on the effects of propolis on kidney diseases; nevertheless, the available studies are integrated in this review. Overall, propolis appears to be effective against several renal diseases through influencing mechanisms such as apoptosis, oxidative balance, and inflammation.

Poisoning due to the bites and stings of venomous snakes and scorpions is a neglected public health problem, particularly in rural areas. Poor health facilities and inadequate knowledge of health care personnel are the major factors that result in envenomated human victims not receiving adequate care and medical attention. There is a great need for up-to-date and effective healthcare knowledge and awareness of the potency and lethality of venomous creatures in Iran. Assessment of the potency, acute toxicity, and lethal effects of venomous creatures come from a variety of specific tests, such as the 50% median lethal dose (LD50) and ample animal experimentations. 

In the present study, using modified Reed-Muench method, the LD0, LD50, and LD100 values of the venoms from five Iranian vipers and one scorpion were determined. The studied venomous creatures were: Macrovipera lebetina, Vipera albicornuta, Vipera raddei, Caucasicus intemedius agkistrodon, Montivipera latifii, and one scorpion Hemiscorpius lepturus. The venoms were injected in Albino mice (n=204) intraperitoneally, and their toxicities determined.

The results revealed that the LD50 values of the above-mentioned creatures were 3.87, 2.05, 1.63, 1.45, 0.84, and 6.33 mg/kg, respectively. Among the vipers, M. latifii had the most potent venom while M. lebetina’s venom had the lowest toxicity.

Theoretically, the determined LD50 values provide for objective comparisons of the toxicity among of the venoms. However, comparison becomes complicated due to variations in the venoms’ LD50. Further, based on the venoms’ toxicity levels, H. lepturus’ venom caused the lowest toxicity in the Albino mice.

Vinegar, as a traditional fermented product, plays a significant role in human health and nutrition. This product is produced in different types industrially or domestically. Under production, the vinegar may contain ethanol that its inclusion is banned in the foods by Islam and its content should be adapted to the legislations developed in Islamic countries. Therefore, at this study we measured ethanol concentration of vinegars distributed in Tehran (capital city of Iran).

Headspace-gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector was developed for determination of ethanol. Acetonitrile and nitrogen were used as internal standard and carrier gas, respectively. For analysis, 140 samples (37 domestic and 103 industrial vinegars) were purchased from local market.

Our developed method could successfully determine the ethanol content at low concentration. In this regard, LOD, LOQ, and recovery were 0.0069% v/v, 0.021% v/v, and 100.14%, respectively. In 13 samples, the ethanol content was higher than 0.5% v/v that is the maximum limit determined by Iranian national standard. Out of 13 samples, 10 vinegars were domestically prepared. Evaluation of our results revealed that ethanol concentration in domestic vinegars was higher than industrial products. Therefore, domestic production of vinegars should be controlled and monitored strictly.

Various types of alcohol for severalapplications are available worldwide, of which, disinfection is one of the most important. In Muslim nations, consumption of alcoholic beverages is prohibited even at low quantities in accordance to halal status. Therefore, denatonium benzoate (commercially known as Bitrex) that has sharp bitterness is added to alcohol to avoid its edible usage. In this regard, at least 10 mg l-1 of denatonium benzoate is added to industrial alcohol according to Iranian Ministry of Health regulation. In our study, we examined the concentration of denatonium benzoate and also purity of alcohol samples collected from capital city of Iran (Tehran).

In total, 62 samples of alcohol were collected and analyzed by HPLC for Bitrex and alcoholmeter for purity. For HPLC, C18 column (150×4.6 mm, 5 µm) as stationary phase and phosphate buffer/acetonitrile solution containing sodium lauryl sulfate (50:50 v v-1) as mobile phase with flow rate of 1.2 ml min-1 were used.

The results revealed that some companies (41 samples out of 62) did not use denatonium benzoate in their products and used fruit essences instead to improve the taste and smell of alcohol. These results were against the force of Ministry of Health in mandatory addition of denatonium benzoate to prevent the samples’ further abuse. In addition, purity of most alcohols was not compatible to the information provided by the labels. We concluded that more restriction and supervision is required to prevent adulteration.

Eryngium caeruleum M.Bieb. (Syn. Eryngium caucasicum Trautv.)belongs to Apiaceae family. It is found abundantly in northern provinces of Iran as an edible plant. Hundreds of years ago, Eryngium genus was known as a medicinal herb in Persian medicine books which was named “Qaracaane” and the plant’s roots were used in traditional medicine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional parameters in roots, spring and autumn leaves of E. caucasicum for the first time.

The parameters including proximate composition (protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, ash, moisture and calorie) were measured by the standard methods of the AOAC, mineral contents (iron, zinc, copper and manganese) were measured by atomic absorption and amino acid contents was measured by RP-HPLC.

Regarding the results, it was found that the autumn leaves showed the highest amount of fiber, protein, moisture, zinc, copper and manganese. Also, spring leaves contained the highest levels of calorie, while the roots showed much more ash, carbohydrate and iron content. In terms of amino acids contents, threonine was the dominant among the rest of essential amino acids in all investigated parts of E. caeruleum. The results showed that both the aerial parts and the roots of Eryngium caeruleum could be good sources of nutritional ingredients.

According to the obtained results it can be concluded that E. caeruleum has the capacity for prospective production of new natural medicinal supplements in order to improve body health and prevent or treat diseases.