New study shows that a commonly used agricultural herbicide crosses the blood-brain barrier

Researchers explore possible effects in the brain

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: GLYPHOSATE, A WIDELY USED HERBICIDE, IS SPRAYED ON A VARIETY OF CROPS. THE GRAPHIC ILLUSTRATES POSSIBLE EFFECTS OF EXPOSURE TO GLYPHOSATE IN THE BRAIN. view more 

CREDIT: GRAPHIC BY SHIREEN DOOLING

Neurodegenerative illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease, are among the most perplexing in medical science. The underlying causes of such diseases range from genetic factors and overall cardiovascular health to dietary influences and lifestyle choices.

Various environmental contaminants have also been implicated as possible players in the development or advancement of neurodegenerative disease. Among these is a broad-spectrum herbicide, known as glyphosate. Glyphosate is commonly used herbicide, applied to agricultural crops around the world.

In a new study, first author Joanna Winstone, senior author Ramon Velazquez, and their colleagues at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) explore the effects of glyphosate exposure on the brains of mice. The research demonstrates, for the first time, that glyphosate successfully crosses the blood-brain barrier and infiltrates the brain. Once there, it acts to enhance levels of a critical factor known as TNF-α, (for tumor necrosis factor alpha).

TNF-α is a molecule with two faces. This pro-inflammatory cytokine performs vital functions in the neuroimmune system, acting to enhance the immune response and protect the brain. (Cytokines are a broad category of small proteins that are vital for proper cell signaling.)

When levels of TNF-α are dysregulated, however, a host of diseases linked with neuroinflammation can result. Among these is Alzheimer’s disease.

The study further demonstrates in cell culture studies that glyphosate exposure appears to increase the production of soluble beta amyloid (Aβ) and reduce the viability of neurons. The accumulation of Aβ, the sticky protein responsible for the formation of Aβ plaques, is one of the central diagnostic hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.

Further evidence suggestive of potential hazards to neurological health were observed when the researchers examined changes in gene expression via RNA sequencing in the brains of mice following glyphosate exposure. 

These RNA transcripts hinted at disruptions in the expression of genes related to neurodegenerative disease, including dysregulation of a class of brain cells responsible for producing the myelin sheath critical for proper neuronal communication. These cells, known as oligodendrocytes, are affected by elevated levels of TNF-α.

“We find increases in TNF-α in the brain, following glyphosate exposure,” Velazquez says. “While we examined AD pathology, this might have implications for many neurodegenerative diseases, given that neuroinflammation is seen in a variety of brain disorders.”

Velazquez and Winstone are researchers with the ASU-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center and ASU’s School of Life Sciences.

The research appears in the current issue of the Journal of Inflammation.

An enigmatic disease. A path of destruction.

A hundred years have passed since the first diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Despite vast investments in research and drug development, the affliction remains without effective treatment. A suite of therapies, developed over many decades at extravagant cost, have one by one failed to alleviate the symptoms of the disease.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia. The progression of the disease usually begins with mild memory loss. As the disease develops, increasing confusion and a breakdown in communication abilities often result, as the affliction attacks brain pathways involved in memory, language and thought.

Some 5.8 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, as of 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Research. Unlike heart disease or cancer, the death toll for Alzheimer’s disease is on a frightening upward trajectory. By 2040, costs of the disease are projected to rise dramatically to between $379 and more than $500 billion annually. The staggering toll of the illness is currently projected to nearly triple to 14 million people by 2050.

The onset of symptoms typically occurs after age 60 and the risk to individuals doubles every 5 years after age 65. Although genetics are believed to play a role in some cases of Alzheimer’s disease, and a family history of the disorder is considered a significant risk factor,  environmental factors are believed to play a significant role in the disease.

Researchers are trying to learn how genetic correlates may subtly interact with environmental and other factors to decrease or enhance the likelihood of developing the affliction. Some recent research suggests that lifestyle changes, including proper physical activity, nutritious food, limited alcohol consumption, and not smoking may help prevent or slow cognitive decline, noting that brain and cardiovascular health are closely linked.

Toxic effects: the jury is out

The new study examines the neurological effects of glyphosate, the most ubiquitous herbicide in global use. Each year, around 250 million pounds of glyphosate are applied to agricultural crops in the U.S. alone. Although the chemical is regarded as generally safe to humans by the Environmental Protection Agency and the European Food Safety Authority, researchers are taking a second look.

Studies of acute herbicide use suggest they are non-harmful, but little is known about possible long-term effects from prolonged exposure. One issue of considerable concern is that glyphosate can cross the blood-brain barrier, a layer of endothelial cells preventing dissolved substances in the circulating bloodstream from readily passing into the extracellular fluid of the central nervous system, where the brain’s neurons reside.

Potential risks to brain health posed by glyphosate should be critically evaluated, particularly for those consistently exposed to the herbicide. “The Alzheimer’s connection is that there's a much higher prevalence of Alzheimer's disease in agricultural communities that are using this chemical,” Winstone says. “We're trying to establish a more molecular-science based link between the two.” 

The study exposed mice to high doses of glyphosate, then detected elevated levels of TNF-α in their brains. The researchers then exposed extracted mouse neurons in petri dishes to the same levels of glyphosate detected in the brains of mice, observing elevated amyloid beta and cell death in cortical neurons. Dysregulated oligodendrocyte RNA transcripts, which could indicate disruption of myelination, were detected in brain tissue.

Taken together, the results demonstrate a correlation between glyphosate exposure and classic symptoms of AD, though the authors stress that much more work will be required before a causative link can be established.

Nevertheless, the widespread use of the chemical and the disturbing correlates highlighted in the current study underscore the need for intensified investigation. Among the pressing questions to be answered: how does prolonged, low-dose exposure to glyphosate affect the brain; does glyphosate act synergistically with other chemicals present in common herbicides; and can glyphosate be detected post-mortem in patients who died of Alzheimer’s disease.

On the horizon, new drugs designed to reduce TNF-α in the brain are being explored, offering renewed hope for those with Alzheimer’s disease as well as other neurodegenerative ailments.

 

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JOURNAL

Journal of Inflammation

DOI

10.1186/s12974-022-02544-5 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animal tissue samples

ARTICLE TITLE

Glyphosate infiltrates the brain and increases pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF alpha: Implications for neurodegenerative disorders

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Jul-2022

Carbon removal using ‘blue carbon’ habitats “uncertain and unreliable”

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA

Restoring coastal vegetation – so called ‘blue carbon’ habitats – may not be the nature-based climate solution it is claimed to be, according to a new study. 

In their analysis researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), the French Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and the OACIS initiative of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, challenge the widely held view that restoring areas such as mangroves, saltmarsh and seagrass can remove large amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere.  

The findings of their review, published today in the journal Frontiers in Climate, identify seven reasons why carbon accounting for coastal ecosystems is not only extremely challenging but risky.  

These include the high variability in carbon burial rates, vulnerability to future climate change, and fluxes of methane and nitrous oxide. The authors, who also looked at information on restoration costs, warn that extra measurements can reduce these risks, but would mean much higher costs. 

However, they stress that blue carbon habitats should still be protected and, where possible, restored, as they have benefits for climate adaptation, coastal protection, food provision and biodiversity conservation. 

Lead author Dr Phil Williamson, honorary reader in UEA’s School of Environmental Sciences, said: “We have looked into the processes involved in carbon removal and there are just too many uncertainties. The expected climate benefits from blue carbon ecosystem restoration may be achieved, yet it seems more likely they will fall seriously short.   

“If you want to have extra carbon removal, you need extra habitat, and the scope for restoration is limited. Many of these sites have been built on, for coastal settlement, tourism and port development. 

“Nevertheless, we believe that every effort should be made to halt, and wherever possible reverse, the worldwide loss of coastal vegetation. That’s because blue carbon habitats are more than carbon stores – they also provide storm protection, support biodiversity and fisheries, and improve water quality.” 

The sediments beneath mangrove forests, tidal saltmarshes and seagrass meadows are rich in organic carbon, accumulated and stored over many hundreds of years.   

Many recent studies and reviews have favourably identified the potential for these coastal blue carbon ecosystems to provide a natural climate solution in two ways: by conservation, reducing the greenhouse gas emissions arising from the loss and degradation of such habitats, and by restoration, to increase carbon dioxide drawdown and its long-term storage. 

This new review focuses on the latter, assessing the feasibility of achieving quantified and secure carbon removal (negative emissions) through the restoration of coastal vegetation. 

Increasingly businesses and states have pledged to offset their emissions by restoring these ecosystems through carbon credits, assuming reliable knowledge on how much CO2 they will remove in future from the atmosphere.   

However, Dr Williamson and co-author Prof Jean-Pierre Gattuso, of CNRS and the OACIS initiative of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, say the policy problem is more subtle. That is, CO2 removal using coastal blue carbon restoration has questionable cost-effectiveness when considered only as a climate mitigation action, either for carbon-offsetting or for inclusion in countries’ Nationally Determined Contributions, which set out their efforts to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change under the Paris Agreement. 

“If we use these ecosystems for carbon offsets in a major way, expecting that they would remove up to, say, 100 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide over the period 2025-2100, but find they only remove 10 or maybe just one gigatonne of CO2, then climate tipping points could be crossed, with really serious consequences,” said Dr Williamson. 

“If, however, such ecosystems are restored to protect biodiversity, and we find that they also remove several gigatonnes of CO2, then that would be a bonus, assuming other means are used for climate mitigation. 

“Restoration should therefore be in addition to, not as a substitute for, near-total emission reductions. Where coastal blue ecosystems restoration projects are carried out primarily for carbon removal, they need to include comprehensive long-term monitoring to verify that the intended climate benefits are being achieved.” 

Prof Gattuso said: “Many important issues relating to the measurement of carbon fluxes and storage have yet to be resolved, affecting certification and resulting in potential over-crediting.  

“The restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems is nevertheless highly advantageous for climate adaptation, coastal protection, food provision and biodiversity conservation. Such action can therefore be societally justified in very many circumstances, based on the multiple benefits that such habitats provide at the local level.” 

‘Carbon removal using coastal blue carbon ecosystems is uncertain and unreliable, with questionable climatic cost-effectiveness’, Phillip Williamson and Jean-Pierre Gattuso, is published in Frontiers in Climate on July 28. 

ENDS 

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JOURNAL

Frontiers in Climate

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Systematic review

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Carbon removal using coastal blue carbon ecosystems is uncertain and unreliable, with questionable climatic cost-effectiveness

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

28-Jul-2022

Climate change could be making it harder for seabirds to feed, study finds

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE CORK

 

IMAGE: MANX SHEARWATER FLYING OVER THE SEA view more 

CREDIT: JAMIE CARBY

University College Cork (UCC) researchers have found that that cloudier waters, caused in part by climate change, is making it harder for seabirds to catch fish.

On Little Saltee, a small island off the coast of Ireland, the researchers attached tiny trackers to the feathers of Manx shearwaters.  The aim of the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, was to understand how underwater visibility affects seabirds’ ability to forage for fish and other prey. It is the first study to examine the impact of ocean clarity on seabirds’ diving abilities.

Climate change is leading to the oceans becoming cloudier

Jamie Darby, a marine ecologist in the School of Biological Environmental and Earth Sciences and the MaREI centre at UCC, and lead author of the study, stated “The chemical and physical properties of the planet’s oceans are changing at an unnatural rate, bringing about challenges for marine life. One consequence of climate change is that large areas of our oceans are becoming cloudier.”

Darby and the research team investigated the diving patterns of the black and white Manx shearwaters in relation to local environmental conditions like cloud cover and water clarity. Over 5000 different dives were recorded and using publicly available databases, and a range of relevant information about weather patterns and ocean conditions were amassed.

Struggling to find food

The study found that the birds dove deeper when sunlight could penetrate further underwater, suggesting that visibility is key to their ability to dive for food. As the planet warms and the ocean becomes cloudier this finding is important because it means that seabirds will have to overcome this challenge.

“Our findings support the idea that the birds needed sufficient sunlight to be able to forage at depth. While this study examined one particular seabird. The results can be extended to other animals. Many visually-dependent predators could find themselves struggling to find food as human activities continue to make the oceans murkier” stated Jamie Darby.

JOURNAL

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

DOI

10.1098/rspb.2022.0862 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Animals

ARTICLE TITLE

Underwater visibility constrains the foraging behaviour of a diving pelagic seabird

A window of opportunity for methane to slip by nature’s filters

Peer-Reviewed Publication

STOCKHOLM UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: METHANE LEAKS THROUGH THE NATURAL MICROBIAL FILTER WHEN THE METHANE TRANSPORT SUDDENLY INCREASES IN RESPONSE TO WARMING OCEANS AND SUBSEQUENT METHANE HYDRATE MELTING. THE METHANE EMISSIONS DEPEND ON THE SEDIMENT TYPE; IN FINE-GRAINED SEDIMENTS SUCH AS CLAY, FRACTURES FORM THAT LEAD TO HIGHER EMISSIONS. ILLUSTRATION: CHRISTIAN STRANNE view more 

CREDIT: CHRISTIAN STRANNE

Warmer oceans can lead to large amounts of methane being released from the seabeds, which may amplify climate warming. A new study develops a method to understand the role of microorganisms in increasing emissions of methane from seabeds.

Vast reservoirs of the potent greenhouse gas methane are stored beneath the sea in a solid ice-like combination with water. This solid is known as methane hydrate. For over three decades, various concerns have been raised that warming the seafloor may cause this methane to be rapidly released, perhaps even reaching the atmosphere where it would cause further climate warming. Happily, this methane hydrate is mostly located beneath the seafloor and under hundreds of meters of seawater. Even if warming melts this methane hydrate and releases methane gas, the natural microbial filters present in the seafloor were expected to destroy most of the methane before it ever reaches the open seawater.

However, there have been some gaps in our knowledge of the relevant seafloor processes. In particular, can seafloor warming be rapid enough that methane hydrate could melt so fast that the released methane would overwhelm and ultimately bypass the natural microbial filters?
“The microbial filter layer in the sediment—we call it the ‘sulfate-methane transition’, where methane is removed—is somewhat delicate,” explains Assistant Professor Christian Stranne at the Department of Geological Sciences, Stockholm University.
“The filter layer takes many years to form and reach peak methane-consuming efficiency. The filter is a living thing, made of microorganisms that consume methane under anaerobic (no-oxygen) conditions. The filter also moves up and down within the sediment, depending on the rate at which methane is reaching it.”

In a new study, just published in Communications Earth and Environment, Stranne and colleagues from Stockholm University and Linnaeus University have combined a new model of the biological behaviour and vertical movements of this microbial filter with existing models of seafloor sediments’ physical behaviour. The physical parts of the model include processes such as how cracks form and methane can move up thorough the sediment after methane hydrates melt.

Christian Stranne explains: “Imagine that the amount of methane rising through the sediment suddenly increases, as might happen if methane hydrate begins to melt faster. It can take decades for the filter to adjust itself to consume methane at the new rate. Our new study shows that during the time that the filter is not reestablished, substantial methane can leak past the filter, and into the ocean water.”

Despite this “window of opportunity”, methane from melting hydrates that reaches the seawater faces further methane-destroying processes. These processes make it nearly impossible for substantial methane from methane hydrate melting to reach the atmosphere. However, methods as demonstrated in this study can be applied to other regions where seafloor-released methane is much shallower and is more likely to reach the atmosphere, such as the Arctic continental shelves, according to Christian Stranne.

“Methane hydrates are a massive storehouse of carbon, so it remains important to understand how they interact with ocean changes, and potentially, the atmosphere, over long and, in the case of our study, rather short timescales. We now know that there is indeed a possible process for melting methane hydrates to temporarily bypass what was previously thought to be a strong filter in the sediment,” says Christian Stranne.

The warming rate is, however, of great importance: “Our results suggest that if our oceans warm at a pace significantly lower than 1 °C per 100 years, the filter can keep up with the pace and remain highly efficient. Unfortunately, we see higher warming rates than that in some of our oceans.”

The study was funded by the Swedish Research Council, VR.

Reference: Christian Stranne, Matt O’Regan, Wei-Li Hong, Volker Brüchert, Marcelo Ketzer, Brett F. Thornton, & Martin Jakobsson, (2022) Anaerobic oxidation has a minor effect on mitigating seafloor methane emissions from gas hydrate dissociation, Communications Earth & Environment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-022-00490-x

Contact:

Christian Stranne, e-mail christian.stranne@geo.su.se, phone +46 706476154

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JOURNAL

Communications Earth & Environment

DOI

10.1038/s43247-022-00490-x 

ARTICLE TITLE

Anaerobic oxidation has a minor effect on mitigating seafloor methane emissions from gas hydrate dissociation

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

28-Jul-2022

New Antarctic study shows levels of ‘forever chemicals’ reaching the remote continent have been increasing

New evidence from Antarctica shows that toxic ‘fluorinated forever chemicals’ have increased markedly in the remote environment in recent decades and scientists believe CFC-replacements could be among likely sources.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LANCASTER UNIVERSITY

 

IMAGE: TAKING A FIRN CORE SAMPLE view more 

CREDIT: DR MARKUS FREY, BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY

New evidence from Antarctica shows that toxic ‘fluorinated forever chemicals’ have increased markedly in the remote environment in recent decades and scientists believe CFC-replacements could be among likely sources.

Known as forever chemicals because they do not break down naturally in the environment, chemicals such as perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs) have a wide array of uses such as in making non-stick coatings for pans, water-repellents for clothing, and in fire-fighting foams. One of these chemicals, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), bioaccumulates in foodwebs and is toxic to humans with links to impairment of the immune system and infertility. 

In this new study, published by the journal Environmental Science & Technology, and led by scientists from Lancaster University along with researchers from the British Antarctic Survey and the Hereon Institute of Coastal Environmental Chemistry, Germany, firn (compacted snow) cores were taken from the extremely remote, high and icy Dronning Maud Land plateau of eastern Antarctica.

The cores, which provide a historic record between 1957 and 2017, provide evidence that levels of these chemical pollutants have shown a marked increase in the remote snowpack of Antarctica over the last few decades.

The most abundant chemical discovered by far was the shorter chain compound, perfluorobutanoic acid (PFBA). Concentrations of this chemical in the snow cores increased significantly from around the year 2000 until the core was taken in 2017.

Professor Crispin Halsall of Lancaster University, and who led the study, believes this increase can be partly explained by a switch by global chemicals manufacturers around 20 years ago from producing long-chain chemicals like PFOA to shorter-chain compounds, such as PFBA due to health concerns associated with human exposure to PFOA.

Dr Jack Garnett who conducted the chemical analysis on the snow samples, added: “The large increase in PFBA observed from the core, particularly over the last decade, suggests there is an additional global source of this chemical other than polymer production. We do know that some of the chemicals replacing the older ozone-depleting substances like CFCs and HCFCs, such as the hydrofluoroethers, are produced globally in high quantities as refrigerants but can breakdown in the atmosphere to form PFBA.

“The Montreal Protocol certainly provided huge benefits and protection to the ozone, the climate and to us all. However, the wider environmental and toxicity impact of some of these replacement chemicals is still unknown.”

PFOA shows an increase in the snow core from the mid-1980s onward, but with no evidence of a decline in more recent years to match the global industry phase out of this chemical. This indicates that production of PFOA was maintained or that volatile precursors to this chemical have remained high in the global atmosphere.

The researchers behind the study believe the chemicals are likely reaching Antarctica by the release of volatile ‘precursor’ chemicals into the atmosphere at industrial manufacturing sites.  These precursors waft in the global atmosphere until they eventually degrade in the presence of sunlight to form the more persistent PFCAs.

Successive snowfall over the years has deposited these chemicals from the atmosphere resulting in a historical record of global contamination that is now trapped in the snow pack.

The results, which are consistent with modelled estimates of PFCA chemical emissions, further add to evidence that show increases in these forever chemicals in the Arctic and the Tibetan Plateau and helps provide a global picture and further understanding of how chemicals such as these are transported in the atmosphere.

Dr Anna Jones, Director of Science at the British Antarctic Survey, said: “These findings are a sobering reminder that our industrial activities have global consequences. Antarctica, so remote from industrial processes, holds this next signal of human activity arising from emissions thousands of miles away. The snow and ice of Antarctica are critical archives of our changing impact on our planet”.

Dr Markus Frey, scientist from the British Antarctic Survey and co-author of the report, said: “This is another example that despite its extreme remoteness man-made pollution does reach the Antarctic continent and is then archived in snow and ice, which allows us to establish a history of global atmospheric pollution and effectiveness of mitigation measures.”

The results are published in the paper ‘Increasing Accumulation of Perfluorocarboxylate Contaminants Revealed in an Antarctic Firn Core (1958-2017)’.

DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c02592

CAPTION

Logging the firn core sample

CREDIT

Dr Markus Frey, British Antarctic Survey

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JOURNAL

Environmental Science & Technology

DOI

10.1021/acs.est.2c02592 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Observational study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Increasing Accumulation of Perfluorocarboxylate Contaminants Revealed in an Antarctic Firn Core (1958-2017)

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

26-Jul-2022

Rising interest rates may trigger liquidity crisis and price falls in global stock markets – new research

Study comes as U.S. Federal Reserve pursues fastest tightening of monetary policy since 1980s

Peer-Reviewed Publication

UNIVERSITY OF BATH

Global central banks responding to spiralling inflation with aggressive interest rate hikes may trigger a liquidity crisis, high volatility and price falls in global stock markets, new research from the University of Bath shows.

The study of banking stocks between 2003 and 2012, which encompassed the global financial crisis, also showed that uncertainty about central banks’ policy decisions adversely affected market liquidity as investors, spooked by fears of even tighter monetary policy, shifted their money to lower risk areas.

“The global financial crisis illustrated starkly how increased funding costs and changes in market liquidity can trigger stock market failures. Our research has demonstrated that excessive financing spreads can harm market liquidity, leading to increased asset price volatility and stock market uncertainty,” said Dr. Ru Xie of the university’s School of Management.

Xie, who co-authored the study Bank funding constraints and stock liquidity, with Professor Philip Molyneux and Binru Zhao from Bangor Business School, and Dr. Qingwei Wang from Cardiff Business School, said the research identified that uncertainty over central banks’ monetary policies reduced investors’ willingness to assume risk as it increased their fears of future asset price volatility – further reducing market liquidity.

“In financial crisis and periods of market uncertainty, investors switch funds to where they feel it is safer. This flight to safety can lead to a huge shortage of liquidity, which forces banks and financial firms to fire-sell securities to meet increased liquidity demand, which in turn depresses financial sector share prices,“ Xie said.

The research found, however, that proactive and prudent macroeconomic policies could play an important role in breaking the vicious circle of a liquidity crisis. Xie suggested that a more gradual approach to tighten monetary policy could offer one path to fighting the inflationary pressures preoccupying central banks currently.

“The key is finding a balance between addressing inflation and triggering a dangerous liquidity crisis. The risk is that ever-tighter monetary policy and interest rate hikes taken in very large steps will increase funding costs for financial institutions, and generate a liquidity crisis, which will increase the risk of global recession. Central banks, focused on rates and inflation, must also be aware of the dangers of a liquidity crisis,“ Xie said.

The U.S. Federal Reserve announced a 75-basis-point rate increase on Wednesday. That, combined with increases in March, May and June, has raised the central bank's overnight interest rate from near zero to a level between 2.25% and 2.50%.

Notes to editors

• For more information contact the University of Bath Press office at press@bath.ac.uk
• Click here to read the full research paper

About Bath

The University of Bath is one of the UK's leading universities for high-impact research with a reputation for excellence in education, student experience and graduate prospects.

Bath is 8th in the UK in The Guardian University Guide 2022, 9th in The Times & Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022, 8th in the Complete University Guide 2023, whilst Sports at Bath was rated in the world’s top 10 in the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2022. For graduate employability, Bath is in the world’s top 100 universities according to the QS World University Rankings 2022. Overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2021 was 10% above the national average.  https://www.bath.ac.uk/corporate-information/rankings-and-reputation/

Research from Bath is also helping to change the world for the better. Across the University’s three Faculties and School of Management, our research is making an impact in society, leading to low-carbon living, positive digital futures, and improved health and wellbeing. Find out all about our ‘Research with Impact’ https://www.bath.ac.uk/campaigns/research-with-impact/ .

 

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JOURNAL

European Journal of Finance

DOI

10.1080/1351847X.2022.2098046 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Data/statistical analysis

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Bank funding constraints and stock liquidity

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

27-Jul-2022

Technique for the isolation of volatile food compounds optimized

Odorant analysis 2.0

Peer-Reviewed Publication

LEIBNIZ-INSTITUT FÜR LEBENSMITTEL-SYSTEMBIOLOGIE AN DER TU MÜNCHE

 

IMAGE: LABORATORY OF THE RESEARCH GROUP FOOD METABOLOME CHEMISTRY AT THE LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR FOOD SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AT THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH view more 

CREDIT: J. KRPELAN / LEIBNIZ INSTITUTE FOR FOOD SYSTEMS BIOLOGY AT THE TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OF MUNICH

A research team from the Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB) has succeeded in automating an established method for the gentle, artifact-avoiding isolation of volatile food ingredients. As the team's current comparative study now shows, automated solvent-assisted flavor evaporation (aSAFE) offers significant advantages over the manual process. It achieves higher yields on average and reduces the risk of contamination by nonvolatile substances.

The optimized method is particularly important for odorant analysis. Odorants contribute significantly to the sensory profile of food and have a major influence on eating pleasure. Knowing the key odorants that shape the aroma of a food is therefore of interest both for analytical quality control and for targeted product development in the food industry.

Isolating volatile compounds from food - anything but trivial

However, isolating volatile compounds from food is not trivial. Many established methods lead to losses of labile odorants as well as to odor-active artifacts and are therefore unsuitable for odorant research. The manual SAFE technique developed in 1999 made it possible for the first time to easily isolate even thermally labile odorants from food without artifact formation. "This is an important prerequisite for using further analytical methods to identify the key odorants," says Philipp Schlumpberger, who contributed equally to the study with Christine Stübner. Both are currently working on their doctorates at LSB.

Today, manual SAFE is established worldwide as a standard procedure in aroma research. Nevertheless, the research team saw a need for optimization in ease of use, in the yields achieved, and in reducing the risk of transferring nonvolatile material, which can significantly interfere with subsequent analytical steps.

The valve is critical

"As we discovered, the problems are mainly associated with the manual operation of the valve on the dropping funnel. Therefore, we replaced it with an electronically controlled pneumatic valve. To fully automate the SAFE apparatus, we optionally extended it with an automatic liquid nitrogen refill system as well as an endpoint detection and shutdown system," explains Martin Steinhaus, section and working group leader at LSB.

As the team's study now shows, the installation of the automatic valve increased yields, particularly for lipid-rich food extracts and for odorants with comparatively high boiling points. In addition, operator errors, which can lead to contamination of isolates with nonvolatile substances in the manual version, are eliminated with the automated SAFE.

"In the meantime, automated SAFE has replaced the manual variant in our laboratories. Other academic and industrial research groups are already following our example,” says principal investigator Martin Steinhaus.

Publication: Schlumpberger, P., Stübner, C.A. & Steinhaus, M. (2022) Development and evaluation of an automated solvent-assisted flavour evaporation (aSAFE). Eur Food Res Technol. 10.1007/s00217-022-04072-1. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00217-022-04072-1.pdf

More Information:

Funding:

Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. The study was partially supported by funds of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) based on a decision of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) under the innovation support program (Grant No. 2816504314).

Videos on aSAFE:

Videos on automated and fully automated SAFE can be found on the Institute's YouTube channel at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1iN8PyMGvarKilzgo_pQww

Contact:

Expert contact:

PD Dr. Martin Steinhaus
Head of Section I and the Research Group Food Metabolome Chemistry

Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology
at the Technical University of Munich (LSB)

Lise-Meitner-Str. 34
85354 Freising, Germany
Phone: +49 8161 71-2991
E-mail: m.steinhaus.leibniz-lsb@tum.de

Press contact at LSB:

Dr. Gisela Olias
Knowledge Transfer, Press and Public Relations

Phone: +49 8161 71-2980
E-mail: g.olias.leibniz-lsb@tum.de

www.leibniz-lsb.de

Information about the Institute:

The Leibniz Institute for Food Systems Biology at the Technical University of Munich (LSB) comprises a new, unique research profile at the interface of Food Chemistry & Biology, Chemosensors & Technology, and Bioinformatics & Machine Learning. As this profile has grown far beyond the previous core discipline of classical food chemistry, the institute spearheads the development of a food systems biology. Its aim is to develop new approaches for the sustainable production of sufficient quantities of food whose biologically active effector molecule profiles are geared to health and nutritional needs, but also to the sensory preferences of consumers. To do so, the institute explores the complex networks of sensorically relevant effector molecules along the entire food production chain with a focus on making their effects systemically understandable and predictable in the long term.

The LSB is a member of the Leibniz Association, which connects 97 independent research institutions. Their orientation ranges from the natural sciences, engineering and environmental sciences through economics, spatial and social sciences to the humanities. Leibniz Institutes devote themselves to social, economic and ecological issues. They conduct knowledge-oriented and application-oriented research, also in the overlapping Leibniz research networks, are or maintain scientific infrastructures and offer research-based services. The Leibniz Association focuses on knowledge transfer, especially with the Leibniz Research Museums. It advises and informs politics, science, business and the public. Leibniz institutions maintain close cooperation with universities - among others, in the form of the Leibniz Science Campuses, industry and other partners in Germany and abroad. They are subject to a transparent and independent review process. Due to their national significance, the federal government and the federal states jointly fund the institutes of the Leibniz Association. The Leibniz Institutes employ around 21,000 people, including almost 12,000 scientists. The entire budget of all the institutes is more than two billion euros.

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JOURNAL

European Food Research and Technology

DOI

10.1007/s00217-022-04072-1 

METHOD OF RESEARCH

Experimental study

SUBJECT OF RESEARCH

Not applicable

ARTICLE TITLE

Development and evaluation of an automated solvent‑assisted flavour evaporation (aSAFE)

ARTICLE PUBLICATION DATE

4-Jul-2022

COI STATEMENT

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.