This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
Lebanon has witnessed elevated levels of pollution over the last few years due to increased waste incineration, emissions from vehicles and electricity generators, and mass demonstrations involving the burning of tires. The resultant generation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the incomplete combustion of organic materials present in these sources may contaminate various foods including olive oil. Lebanon has a sizeable olive oil industry that is a main pillar of its agricultural sector. In this study, we investigated the occurrence of 16 semi-volatile lipophilic organic pollutants in 25 bottled olive oil brands, marketed in Lebanon, using a solid phase extraction (SPE) method followed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS). PAHs were detected in 60% of brands (41% of samples) where 12% of brands contained traces of probably carcinogenic (Class 2A) compounds and 56% of brands contained traces of possibly carcinogenic (Class 2B) compounds. One brand revealed levels of benzo[a]pyrene of 9.45 μg/kg and 11.9 μg/kg in batches collected over two production dates which are higher than the limit set by the European Commission for benzo[a]pyrene in food (2 μg/kg). The same batches contained a total of 19.3 μg/kg and 26.7 μg/kg of the four PAHs: benzo[a]pyrene, benz[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, and chrysene which also exceeded the limit set by the EC for the combination of these four PAHs in olive oil (10 μg/kg). This study is the first-of-its-kind in Lebanon and emphasizes the need to perform adequate cleanup steps in the manufacturing process in order to reduce the content of carcinogenic PAHs in olive oil.
Jomana Elaridi; Maysa Fakhro; Osama Yamani; Hani Dimassi; Hiba Othman; Zouhair Attieh. GC–MS analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bottled olive oil marketed in Lebanon. Toxicological Research 2020, 36, 211 -220.
AMA StyleJomana Elaridi, Maysa Fakhro, Osama Yamani, Hani Dimassi, Hiba Othman, Zouhair Attieh. GC–MS analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bottled olive oil marketed in Lebanon. Toxicological Research. 2020; 36 (3):211-220.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJomana Elaridi; Maysa Fakhro; Osama Yamani; Hani Dimassi; Hiba Othman; Zouhair Attieh. 2020. "GC–MS analysis of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bottled olive oil marketed in Lebanon." Toxicological Research 36, no. 3: 211-220.
Cereals are prone to fungal infection during growth, harvesting, transportation, and/or storage. As a result, cereals such as wheat grains and wheat-derived products may be contaminated with mycotoxins leading to acute and chronic health exposure. The current study investigated the presence of the mycotoxins: ochratoxin A (OTA), ochratoxin B (OTB), T-2, and HT-2 toxins in samples of wheat grains (n = 50), wheat flour (n = 50), and bread (n = 37) from the main mills in Lebanon using LC-MS/MS. Accuracy ranged from 98–100%, recoveries from 93–105%, and intraday and interday precision were 5–7% and 9–12%, respectively. The tested wheat grains, wheat flour, and bread samples did not contain detectable levels of T-2 and HT-2 toxins and OTB. Four wheat flour samples (8% of flour samples) showed positive OTA levels ranging from 0.6–3.4 μg·kg−1 with an arithmetic mean of 1.9 ± 0.2 μg·kg−1. Only one sample contained an OTA concentration greater than the limit set by the European Union (3 μg·kg−1) for wheat-derived products. This study suggests that mycotoxin contamination of wheat grains, wheat flour, and bread in Lebanon is currently not a serious public health concern. However, surveillance strategies and monitoring programs must be routinely implemented to ensure minimal mycotoxin contamination of wheat-based products.
Jomana Elaridi; Osama Yamani; Amira Al Matari; Saada Dakroub; Zouhair Attieh. Determination of Ochratoxin A (OTA), Ochratoxin B (OTB), T-2, and HT-2 Toxins in Wheat Grains, Wheat Flour, and Bread in Lebanon by LC-MS/MS. Toxins 2019, 11, 471 .
AMA StyleJomana Elaridi, Osama Yamani, Amira Al Matari, Saada Dakroub, Zouhair Attieh. Determination of Ochratoxin A (OTA), Ochratoxin B (OTB), T-2, and HT-2 Toxins in Wheat Grains, Wheat Flour, and Bread in Lebanon by LC-MS/MS. Toxins. 2019; 11 (8):471.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJomana Elaridi; Osama Yamani; Amira Al Matari; Saada Dakroub; Zouhair Attieh. 2019. "Determination of Ochratoxin A (OTA), Ochratoxin B (OTB), T-2, and HT-2 Toxins in Wheat Grains, Wheat Flour, and Bread in Lebanon by LC-MS/MS." Toxins 11, no. 8: 471.
Emerging markets represent an exceptional opportunity for the pharmaceutical industry. Although a precise definition is not yet available, economists define emerging markets as developing prosperous countries in which investment is expected to result in higher income despite high risks. Qualifying a market as emerging is not merely based on the economic status of the country, but also on several criteria that render the definition applicable to each country. Jim O'Neil, retired chairman of asset management at Goldman Sachs, identified leading economies of emerging markets: Brazil, Russia, India, and China (BRIC) and later Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) and then Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey (MIST), which followed years later as the second tier of nations. Sales of the pharmaceutical markets in BRICS and MIST countries doubled in 5 years, reaching a market share of approximately 20%. The shift toward these new markets has been attributed to the large populations, growing prosperity, and increasing life expectancy in BRICS and MIST countries. In addition, companies are experiencing flattened growth of developed markets, expiration of patents leading to the up-selling of less expensive generic drugs, and tight regulations enforced in mature markets. Particular attention must therefore be given to these emerging markets. The strategies adopted by pharmaceutical companies that want to expand in these markets must be tailored to the pace of development of each country. These countries need drugs against infectious diseases and communicable diseases such as sexually transmitted diseases. They are readily exploitable territories for the innovative products of pharmaceuticals. Nevertheless, with the increase in wealth and longevity, a change of lifestyle is occurring. These changes accompany a shift in disease patterns. A disproportionally fast rise in the incidence of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, and oncologic diseases has been observed in emerging markets, mimicking their Western counterparts. The incidence of diabetes and oncologic diseases is expected to grow by 20% or more by 2030. This shows that pharmaceutical industries will also be able to market their global products in these new countries. Conquering emerging markets can be challenging for industries. These challenges can be grouped into 3 categories: infrastructure development, cost-containment policies, and value-driven drug evaluation. Top strategies considered to overcome these challenges include adequate tailoring and a gain in market.
Maya Tannoury; Zouhair Attieh. The Influence of Emerging Markets on the Pharmaceutical Industry. Current Therapeutic Research 2017, 86, 19 -22.
AMA StyleMaya Tannoury, Zouhair Attieh. The Influence of Emerging Markets on the Pharmaceutical Industry. Current Therapeutic Research. 2017; 86 ():19-22.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaya Tannoury; Zouhair Attieh. 2017. "The Influence of Emerging Markets on the Pharmaceutical Industry." Current Therapeutic Research 86, no. : 19-22.