François Brose

Monitoring Antibiotic Use and Residue in Freshwater Aquaculture for Domestic Use in Vietnam

Abstract Vietnam is an important producer of aquaculture products, and aquatic products are essential to the Vietnamese diet. However, Vietnam also has very little enforced regulation pertaining to antibiotic usage in domestic aquaculture, which raises concerns for antibiotic resistance in pathogenic bacteria. In this study, analysis was conducted on the presence of antibiotic residues in domestically sold fish and shrimp raised in freshwater farms in Vietnam, and an assessment of farmers’ knowledge of proper antibiotics usage was performed. The results indicated that a quarter of tested aquaculture products were antibiotic screening test positive, and there is a general lack of knowledge about the purpose and proper usage of antibiotics by aquaculture producers. Farmers’ decision-making processes about antimicrobial use are influenced by biased sources of information, such as drug manufacturers and sellers, and by financial incentives.

Control of the illegal administration of natural steroid hormones in urine and tissues of veal calves and in plasma of bulls

In the context of the control of the illegal administration of natural steroid hormones in cattle husbandry, decision levels of sex steroid hormones were established, taking into account the effect of the treatment, for the cases of the urine of male and female veal calves treated with estradiol and/or testosterone-containing implants, and the plasma of bulls treated by an injection of an estradiol—testosterone cocktail. At each decision level, a score was assigned, that represents the percentage of treated animals detected when the decision limit is applied. Concerning the veal calves, a maximum decision level is proposed for the 17β-estradiol in urine of 1 ng ml−1 in both male and female veal calves, giving a score of 95%. A minimum decision level was set at 2 ng ml−1 for testosterone in urine of male veal calves, with a score of 95% (95% of the implanted male veal calves display a urinary testosterone level lower than 2 ng ml−1). For female veal calves, a maximum decision level was set at 0.45 ng ml−1 for the urinary testosterone concentration (score of 90%). For bulls, the 17β-estradiol concentration in plasma is a good criterion for detecting injected bulls: a maximum decision level was set at 40 pg ml−1, displaying a score ranging from 100 to 45%, 2 and 7 days after the injection, respectively.

Effect of storage and cooking on the fatty acid profile of omega-3 enriched eggs and pork meat marketed in Belgium

The fatty acids (FA) profile was determined in n-3 enriched (Columbus™) Belgian eggs and pork in order to evaluate to what extent the n-3 fatty acids, which are very sensitive to oxidation, are resistant to storage or cooking. In standard eggs or pork, no change of the fatty acid profile was observed after storage or cooking without culinary fat, as well as in Columbus™ eggs and pork after storage. Some cooking processes (eggs in custard and meat in oven) induced a slight significant loss of n-3 fatty acids in Columbus™ eggs or pork (11.1% in fat from eggs cooked in custard vs. 15.3% in raw Columbus™ eggs and 11.0% in fat from oven cooked meat vs. 11.6% in raw Columbus™ meat). As expected, when Columbus™ pork is cooked with culinary fat, its fatty acid profile is modified according to the nature of the fat used.

Effect of fuel and kiln type on the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) levels in smoked shrimp, a Beninese food condiment

Smoked shrimp is a food condiment widely used in Beninese local cooking practices. A previous study revealed that this product is highly contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The present study explored possibilities to reduce PAH levels in shrimp smoked using cottage industry smoking techniques with barrel and chorkor kilns, by replacing wood by charcoal from Acacia auriculiformis and Mangifera indica, as fuels. Results showed that only shrimp smoked using acacia charcoal in a chorkor kiln had PAH levels (benzo[a]pyrene = 5 µg kg−1 and sum of benzo[a]pyrene, chrysene, benzo[a]anthracene and benzo[b]fluoranthene = 28 µg kg−1) in accordance with a European standard of 5 and 30 µg kg−1, respectively, and suitable physicochemical characteristics for good storage (moisture content = 11.9% ± 1.5%; water activity = 0.46 ± 0.03). However, further investigations still needs to be done to reduce the duration of product contact with combustion gasses in order to reduce the PAH content of smoked shrimp to safer levels, largely below standards.

Development of an LC-MS/MS analytical method for the simultaneous measurement of aldehydes from polyunsaturated fatty acids degradation in animal feed

Knowing that polyunsaturated fatty acids can lead to the formation of potentially toxic aldehydes as secondary oxidation products, an analytical method using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) detection was developed to measure the concentration of eight aldehydes in animal feed: malondialdehyde (MDA), 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE), 4-hydroxy-2-hexenal (4-HHE), crotonaldehyde (CRT), benzaldehyde (BNZ), hexanal (HXL), 2,4-nonadienal, and 2,4-decadienal. The developed method was validated according to the criteria and procedure described in international standards. The evaluated parameters were specificity/selectivity, recovery, precision, accuracy, uncertainty, limits of detection and quantification, using the concept of accuracy profiles. These parameters were determined during experiments conducted over three different days with ground Kelloggs® Corn Flakes® cereals as model matrix for animal feed and spiked at different levels of concentration. Malondialdehyde, 4-HHE, 4-HNE, crotonaldehyde, benzaldehyde, and hexanal can be analyzed in the same run in animal feed with a very good accuracy, with recovery rates ranging from 86 to 109% for a working range going from 0.16 to 12.50 mg/kg. The analysis of 2,4-nonadienal and 2,4-decadienal can also be performed but in a limited range of concentration and with a limited degree of accuracy. Their recovery rates ranged between 54 and 114% and coefficient of variation for the intermediate precision between 11 and 25% for these two compounds. Copyright

Cell-Free Spent Media Obtained from Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium crudilactis Grown in Media Supplemented with 3′-Sialyllactose Modulate Virulence Gene Expression in Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium

Complex oligosaccharides from human milk (HMO) possess an antimicrobial activity and can promote the growth of bifidobacteria such as Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis. In addition, fermentation of carbohydrates by bifidobacteria can result in the production of metabolites presenting an antivirulence effect on several pathogenic bacteria. Whey is rich in complex bovine milk oligosaccharides (BMO) structurally similar to HMO and B. crudilactis, a species of bovine origin, is able to metabolize some of those complex carbohydrates. This study focused on the ability of B. bifidum and B. crudilactis to grow in a culture medium supplemented in 3′-sialyllactose (3′SL) as the main source of carbon, a major BMO encountered in cow milk. Next, the effects of cell-free spent media (CFSM) were tested against virulence expression of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Both strains were able to grow in presence of 3′SL, but B. crudilactis showed the best growth (7.92 ± 0.3 log cfu/ml) compared to B. bifidum (6.84 ± 0.9 log cfu/ml). Then, CFSM were tested for their effects on virulence gene expression by ler and hilA promoter activity of luminescent mutants of E. coli and S. Typhimurium, respectively, and on wild type strains of E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium using RT-qPCR. All CFSM resulted in significant under expression of the ler and hilA genes for the luminescent mutants and ler (ratios of −15.4 and −8.1 respectively) and qseA (ratios of −2.1 and −3.1) for the wild type strain of E. coli O157:H7. The 3′SL, a major BMO, combined with some bifidobacteria strains of bovine or human origin could therefore be an interesting synbiotic to maintain or restore the intestinal health of young children. These effects observed in vitro will be further investigated regarding the overall phenotype of pathogenic agents and the exact nature of the active molecules.

Estrogenic Evaluation and Organochlorine Identification in Blubber of North Sea Harbour Porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) Stranded on the North Sea Coast

Thirteen individual organochlorine compounds at 3 concentrations (80, 400, and 2000 ng/mL culture medium), as well as mixtures, were assayed for the estrogen receptor (ER) activation or inhibition, using a luciferase reporter gene assay (RGA). None of the PCB 138, 153, or 180 or their mixture induced a response in the RGA. o,p′-DDT was the most potent xenoestrogen from the DDT group, inducing a response already at 80 ng/mL. From the HCH and HCB group, only β-HCH (at 400 and 2000 ng/mL) and δ-HCH (at 2000 ng/mL) displayed estrogenic activities. These 13 organochlorines were determined by GC-MS in 12 samples of North Sea harbor porpoise blubber. The PCBs were the main contaminants. Within each group, PCB 153 (6.0 × 102~4.2 × 104  μg/kg), p,p′-DDE (5.1 × 102~8.6 × 103  μg/kg), and HCB (7.6 × 101~1.5 × 103  μg/kg) were the compounds found in highest concentrations. The hormonal activity of the porpoise blubber samples was also assayed in RGA, where two samples showed estrogenic activity, seven samples showed antiestrogenic activity, and one sample showed both estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity. Our results suggest that the 13 POPs measured by GC-MS in the samples cannot explain alone the estrogenicity of the extracts.