The objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of five different food seeds (sunflower, poppy, hemp, flax and sesame) regarding fatty acid, mineral (Fe, Cu, Zn, Na, Mg, K, Ca, Al) and protein content. In addition, the total antioxidant capacity of the seeds was evaluated using the photochemiluminescent assay. The food seeds were subjected to lipid extraction and converted into fatty acid methyl esters before the gas chromatography analysis. In all food seeds, the saturated (SFAs), monounsaturated (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were identified, respectively. PUFAs were the most abundant fatty acids (61.2% ± 0.07% and 84.8% ± 0.08% of total fatty acids), with the highest content in flax and hemp seed oil. Also, high amounts of omega-3 from PUFAs were determined in flax and hempseed oil. Based on the obtained results the sunflower, sesame and poppy seeds are good sources of omega-6, while flax and hemp seeds are good sources of omega-3. All samples are rich in minerals (Na, K, Ca, Mg) and have more than 20% protein content.

Background, aim and scope After the discovery of chloroform in drinking water, an extensive amount of work has been dedicated to the factors influencing the formation of halogenated disinfections by-products (DBPs). The disinfection practice can vary significantly from one country to another. Whereas no disinfectant is added to many water supplies in Switzerland or no disinfectant residual is maintained in the distribution system, high disinfectant doses are applied together with high residual concentrations in the distribution system in other countries such as the USA or some southern European countries and Romania. In the present study, several treatment plants in the Somes river basin in Romania were investigated with regard to chlorine practice and DBP formation (trihalomethanes (THMs)). Laboratory kinetic studies were also performed to investigate whether there is a relationship between raw water dissolved organic matter, residual chlorine, water temperature and THM formation. Materials and methods Drinking water samples were collected from different sampling points in the water treatment plant (WTP) from Gilau and the corresponding distribution system in Cluj-Napoca and also from Beclean, Dej and Jibou WTPs. The water samples were collected once a month from July 2006 to November 2007 and stored in 40-mL vials closed with Teflon lined screw caps. Water samples were preserved at 4°C until analysis after sodium thiosulfate (Na 2 S 2 O 3 ) had been added to quench residual chlorine. All samples were analysed for THMs using headspace GC-ECD between 1 and 7 days after sampling. The sample (10 mL) was filled into 20-mL headspace vials and closed with a Teflon-lined screw cap. Thereafter, the samples were equilibrated in an oven at 60°C for 45 min. The headspace (1 mL) was then injected into the GC (Cyanopropylphenyl Polysiloxane column, 30 m×53 mm, 3μm film thickness, Thermo Finnigan, USA). The MDLs for THMs were determined from the standard deviation of eight standards at 1μg/L. The MDLs for CHCl 3 , CHBrCl 2 , CHBr 2 Cl and CHBr 3 were 0.3, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.6 μg/L, respectively. All kinetic laboratory studies were carried out only with water from the WTP Gilau. The experiments were conducted under two conditions: baseline conditions (pH7, 21°C, 2.5 mg/L Cl 2 ) to gain information about the change of the organic matter in the raw water and seasonally variable conditions

This study aimed to investigate the ways in which the thermal behavior, composition, and volatile compound contents of roasted coffee beans depend on variety and roasting intensity. The thermal analysis revealed various transformations in coffee composition, namely, drying, water loss, and decomposition of polysaccharides, lipids, amino acids, and proteins. The results showed that volatile compounds are released differently in coffee depending on coffee type and degree of roasting. The most abundant volatile compounds present in the samples were 2-butanone, furan, 2-methylfuran, methyl formate, 2.3-pentanedione, methylpyrazine, acetic acid, furfural, 5-methyl furfural, and 2-furanmethanol. The total polyphenol contents ranged between 13.3 and 18.9 g gallic acid/kg, being slightly higher in Robusta than in Arabica varieties and in more intensely roasted beans compared to medium-roasted beans. The Robusta variety has higher mineral contents than Arabica, and the contents of most minerals (K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, P, N, and S) increased with roasting intensity. Discrimination between coffee varieties and roasting intensities is possible based on mineral and polyphenol contents.

As air quality becomes increasingly deteriorated in world-wide cities, air quality monitoring has extended beyond the criteria pollutants (CO, SO 2 , NO x , O 3 and PM) in order to include several toxic air pollutants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In the present study it was investigated the presence of 29 VOCs and PM including PM 2.5 , PM 2.5-10 and PM >10 fractions, in an urban area from Romania. The total VOCs was higher in the urban area (176.72 -192.54 µg/m 3 ) than in the rural area (131.58 µg/m 3 ). The dominant VOCs from the rural area were terpenes (23.0%), esters (21.5%) and aliphatic hydrocarbons (21.1%), while in the urban area the dominant VOCs were aldehydes/ketones (23.5 -30.8%), aliphatic hydrocarbons (25.2 -28.6%) and aromatic hydrocarbons (15.8 -16.8%). The BTEX level ranged between 21.23 -27.15 µg/m 3 . The level of PM total was higher, almost triple, in the urban area (21.2 -320.5 µg/m 3 ) than in the rural area (29.2 -117.3 µg/m 3 ), reflecting the general level of urbanization. In the rural area the fine particles (PM 2.5 ) was the dominating fraction (91%), while in the high traffic urban area, the coarse particles (PM 2.5-10 ) was the dominating fraction (44%).