Current Analytical Chemistry - Volume 21, Issue 4, 2025

Currently, aluminum (Al) cookware is frequently utilized as a container for food preparation all over the world. The migration of elements from Al cookware can pose a serious potential health hazard. However, there is a lack of information about the leaching of multi-elements from Al cookware and their behaviours. A new investigation for leaching of multi-elements from Al cookware during conventional cooking environments was depicted in the current study.

Ten different Al cookware made by different manufacturers were used for simulating cooking media. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) as a fast, simple and reliable technique was used to investigate the leaching of multi-elements (34 elements) from Al cookware. Limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ) ranged between 0.001-0.030 and 0.004-0.100 µg/L, respectively.

This study revealed that numerous elements, including Al, arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), magnesium (Mg), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn) and vanadium (V) were released from Al cookware during conventional cooking conditions. Repeatability, reproducibility and recovery values ranged between 0.94 – 4.59% RSD, 1.76-4.71% RSD, and 96- 109%, respectively. The leaching amounts and behaviours of elements were closely related to the solution pH and cooking time. At acidic conditions, the concentrations of Al, Pb and Mn surpass WHO limits. After a 15-minute cooking duration, Al concentrations ranged from 56.8 to 8048 µg/L, which subsequently increased to 1097 – 201423 µg/L after 60 min. Several behaviours of Al leaching, including an extreme release, a linear release and a low release, were observed among samples. This could be probably due to the formation of a passivation layer of Al2O3 which prevents the oxidation of Al. Moreover, Pb and Mn were detected at 14.1–25.8 and 262.5 µg/L after 30 min, respectively. At neutral media, Al, Cu, As, V, Mg and Zn were quantified among all studied pots. Further interesting findings are to observe the behaviour leaching of Zn at concentrations of 55-120 µg/L, including a strong release within 30 min in some samples, while others showed a linear dissolution within 60 min of the cooking process.

The study provided for the first time a more detailed study of the processes involved in the release of multi-elements during cooking inside Al cookware compared to the other hitherto published studies, which is an important insight in the field of food safety and other areas. The cumulative release of multi-elements from Al cookware could emphasize the importance of assessing the quality of such cookware, urging a closer examination of its composition and possibly advocating for potential alterations in the future.

The additives from container closure systems used in biopharmaceuticals, including antioxidants and vulcanizing agents, may leach into drug products during production or storage and result in patient exposure. Thus, there is an urgent demand for developing a robust and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of these additives.

An approach utilizing vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography has been developed for the simultaneous determination of 8 antioxidants and free sulfur in biopharmaceutical samples. The extraction parameters, such as the choice of extraction solvent, HCl volume, vortex time, and disperser solvent, were optimized to ensure maximum extraction efficiency.

The optimized method was validated successfully, exhibiting acceptable recovery rates ranging from 89.2% to 109.0%, excellent repeatability (2.9% to 5.1%, n=6), and intermediate precision (3.7% to 5.9%, n=12), and satisfactory linearity with an R² value of 1.000 for all the additives. Additionally, the limits of detection and quantification were determined to be in the range of 1.9–30.0 μg/L and 7.5–120.0 μg/L, respectively.

The proposed method was effectively applied to the analysis of additives in biopharmaceutical samples.

Leishmaniasis caused by Leishmania protozoa can be fatal if left untreated. An effective and safe human vaccine has still not been produced to eradicate the disease. Among vaccine development studies, dead vaccines are still known as the most reliable and cheapest method. The selection of an effective and safe adjuvant is important for killed vaccines. We have not found any studies in which hydroxyapatite particles were used as adjuvants in vaccine research against leishmaniasis.

In this study, spherical Hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanoparticles with dimensions of 100nm were synthesized. Then, these particles were combined with autoclaved L. infantum antigens (ALA) to prepare vaccine formulations at different concentrations. To determine the immunogenicity of HAp, MTT cell viability analysis, nitric oxide (NO), and cytokine production abilities were investigated in vitro in J774 macrophage cells.

According to the study results, it was determined that the cell viability level was 97% at a concentration of 200 µg/ml, and there was a 10-fold increase in NO production and an approximately 8.5-fold increase in IL-12 cytokine production ability compared to the control group.

Considering the study results and the non-toxic properties of HAp, we have shown that HAp can be used as an adjuvant in the development of new leishmania vaccines.

Emerging contaminants are present in the water and need to be monitored and managed as they are of major environmental and health concern universally. Exposure to emerging contaminants in water sources can pose a significant risk to both aquatic species and human health. This study assessed the risks of emerging contaminants in urban and natural water sources.

A high-performance liquid chromatography connected to a hybrid triple quadrupole ion trap mass spectrometer was used to analyse the targeted emerging contaminants. The ecological and human health risk assessment methods were used to assess the possible risks of contaminants.

Emerging contaminants such as 17-ethinyl-estradiol, simazine, ibuprofen, atrazine, carbamazepine, terbuthylazine, and metolachlor showed the possibility of high ecological risks to aquatic species. Risk mixture values in all water sources showed that the aquatic species are at high risk in all seasons. The non-carcinogenic risk of all selected herbicides in all water sources showed risk quotient values below 1 for the entire population, signifying that the population is safe. Atrazine is the only contaminant that showed high carcinogenic risk to the adult group in river water during the summer season.

It can be concluded that aquatic species and public health are at risk. The outcomes of the study may aid in the development of environmental quality standards for regulatory and environmental sustainability purposes.

It is well-known that essential oils are a rich source of bioactive components and are traditionally used as one of the alternatives to conventional medicines for treating various diseases and symptoms. Like other natural products, they are safe but should be used with care since all substances have potential toxicity depending on the conditions of exposure, the dose, and the route of administration.

This manuscript studies the chemical composition and antimicrobial properties of essential oil derived from D. tripetala. The essential oil was extracted from fresh D. tripetala fruits using steam distillation and subsequently subjected to Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) analyses. The antimicrobial potential of the essential oil was evaluated against a panel of microorganisms, namely Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger.

The GC-MS analysis unveiled a diverse array of compounds within the essential oil, with the notable constituents being linalool, benzyl nitrile, benzene (2-nitroethyl), bicyclo(4.2.0)octa-1,3,5-triene, 1,3,7-Octatrien-5-yne, styrene, butylated hydroxytoluene, and Nerolidol 2. D. tripetala essential oil significantly inhibits the microbial activities of all the tested organisms. It exhibits inhibitory activity against Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli at a MIC value of 12.5%, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at a MIC value of 25%, Candida albicans at a MIC value of 50%, and Aspergillus niger at MIC value 25%. The strongest inhibition of the oil is against Klebsiella pneumoniae at a MIC value of 3.12%.

This research posits that the ethnomedicinal value ascribed to the essential oil of D. tripetala can be attributed to the presence of the identified compounds, some of which are already recognized for their biological activities. The essential oil presents promising potential as a source of lead compounds for developing anti-infective drugs, particularly those targeted against Klebsiella pneumoniae.

Different types of tobacco cultivars have been used as raw material in heated tobacco to maximize the sensory richness. However, the volatile profiles of different tobacco cultivars and their correlation with the sensory quality of heated tobacco remain unknown.

In this study, untargeted metabolomics profiling followed by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (VIP>1 and p<0.05) was performed to identify 446 and 445 volatile metabolites that were statistically different among three tobacco cultivars in the reconstituted leaf and the aerosol, respectively. Flue-cured tobacco K326 was rated the highest in the sensory evaluation, followed by air-cured tobaccos Badahe and Leye.

Correlation analysis revealed that 56 aerosol volatiles including aldehydes, alkenes, ketones, esters and other compounds have strong relevance with the sensory attributes.

The identified volatile compounds can be used to assist formula design of heated tobacco and establish sensory-related breeding objectives.

The corrosion of Mild Steel (MS) in harsh acidic environments, such as Hydrochloric acid (HCl), is a significant industrial issue with environmental consequences. Corrosion inhibitors, particularly those containing heteroatoms and aromatic rings, are a proven method for mitigating corrosion. Traditional methods for studying corrosion inhibitors often require resource-intensive experiments.

This study explores the use of Quantitative Structure-Property Relationship (QSPR) modeling, a Machine Learning (ML) technique, to predict the inhibition efficiency of organic corrosion inhibitors in HCl environments. Several ML models were employed: Linear Regression (LR), Random Forest Regression (RF), Support Vector Regression (SVR), Multilayer Perceptron Regression (MLP), and XGBoost Regression (XGB).

The investigation revealed that some models achieved exceptional predictive accuracy with significantly reduced errors and high precision. These models offer a promising avenue for efficient corrosion inhibitor design, reducing reliance on extensive experimentation.

This study contributes to the advancement of corrosion science and materials engineering by introducing innovative strategies for developing effective corrosion inhibitors using machine-learning-driven QSPR models.

Implants made of titanium are significant in the orthopedic and dental fields. Strong osteointegration can only be achieved by surface modification technologies. The benefits of titanium are numerous, but its inert state prevents it from integrating with human cell's biologically. The titanium implant’s surface is crucial for osseointegration and implant success; hence this is necessary. How to apply osteoconductive coatings or increase the surface roughness of titanium dental implants has been investigated. Surface treatments include grit blasting, acid etching, anodizing, and coatings with calcium phosphate. Clinical efficacy has been demonstrated for most marketed surfaces (>95%). The exact involvement of surface topography and chemical reactions in early dental implant osseointegration is still unclear.

Sixteen implant samples were made with different parameters. Each one has 5 parameters, including Sandblast Pressure (SP), Sandblast Cycle (SC), Anodizing Time (AT), Anodizing Voltage (AV), and Etching Time (ET). Physical and chemical characterization was used to identify optimized samples. SEM, EDS, XRD, Biodegradation, Contact Angle, Microhardness, MTT, Real-Time PCR, and Antibacterial tests were taken from the samples.

Different surface treatments showed that all surfaces were roughened and micro-nano structures had been shaped. The microhardness of some samples increased during surface treatment. Sample number 14 has potentially antibacterial activities.

Future dental implants may be able to detect tissue formation and cellular attachment, which could facilitate medication release. The future of flexible, multipurpose dental implants lies in additive manufacturing, biosensing, and triggered drug-release technologies.

The primary objective of this study was to develop a simple, selective, sensitive, and rapid method for the determination of trace levels of Rhodamine B in different cosmetic items.

At present, synthetic dyes in various colors are essential in cosmetic products, not only for adding pleasant scents, but also for enhancing their appeal and restoring natural colors. Rhodamine B, a pink synthetic azo dye, is widely used in the cosmetic industry. It poses risks if ingested by humans and animals, causing skin, eye, and respiratory irritation. Scientific studies have shown that it has carcinogenic, reproductive, developmental, neurotoxic, and chronic toxic effects on both humans and animals. Therefore, the improvement of precise and fast measurement techniques for detecting Rhodamine B in different sample types is crucial.

The objective of this study was to find a fast, accurate, and sensitive method for the determination of trace levels of Rhodamine B in different cosmetic items.

The technique used has been based on Dispersive Surfactant Micelle-mediated Extraction (DSME) combined with digital image analysis.

The optimized method yielded a linear calibration graph ranging from 25 to 300 µg L^-1, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9975 and the Limit of Detection (LOD) of 6.7 µg L^-1. The proposed method was used to measure Rhodamine B in lipstick and nail polish samples, resulting in satisfactory recoveries ranging from 97.8 to 107.2%.

DSME could remove the necessity of high temperature, hazardous organic solvents, and anionic surfactants in Cloud Point Extraction (CPE) and Catanionic Surfactants-based Coacervation Extraction (CSCE). Additionally, experiments have shown the results from digital image analysis to be in line with those from a commercial UV-Vis spectrophotometer and a spectrofluorometer. The authors believe that utilizing DSME image analysis could be a beneficial alternative to the analytical analysis of other colored species in routine analysis.

Polygonum hydropiper, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, contains abundant volatile components and effective ingredients such as flavonoids, exerting anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial effects. The pharmacologically active components are differentially distributed in different parts of P. hydropiper. Leaf loss commonly occurs during the processing of medicinal and edible products.

In the present study, the total flavonoid content and DPPH antioxidant activity of the stems and leaves of P. hydropiper were compared and analyzed. A method for determining the content of six antioxidant-active components in P. hydropiper stems and leaves was established based on high-performance liquid chromatography. Simultaneously, the contents of volatile compounds in stems and leaves were determined using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, and the compositional differences between stem and leaf extracts of P. hydropiper were analyzed.

This study aims to develop and validate an analytical method based on combined HPLC and GC-MS analysis of the constituents of P. hydropiper, and to compare the differences in constituents in different tissues of P. hydropiper using the method.

The average total flavonoid content in the leaves of the eight batches of P. hydropiper was 0.4 mg/mL, while the average total flavonoid content in the stems was 0.3 mg/mL. The average DPPH scavenging rate of the leaves in the eight batches of P. hydropiper was 99.35%, while the average DPPH scavenging rate of the stems was 98.88%. According to the results of the HPLC assay, the content of flavonoids is significantly higher in leaves than in stems. Kaempferol was not detected in stem samples from various batches. The highest percentage of terpenoids was found in the leaves by GC-MS assay.

The medicinal components were concentrated in the leaves of P. hydropiper, which could contribute to cost savings, increase production efficiency, and promote the development of the P. hydropiper industry.