Christina-Ariadni Valagkouti

The International Hellenic University (IHU) successfully hosted the WG4 Workshop titled “WATER AND NUTRIENT RECOVERY STRATEGIES” of the FULLRECO4US Cost Action (Weblink: https://fullreco4us.eu/), on 8 and 9 April 2024. Professor Petros Samaras, of the Department of Food Science and Technology of IHU (https://lnkd.in/dmSCRY9J), who was also the Chair and local organizer of the Working Group meeting, organized the meeting in the IHU premises at Thermi, in collaboration with Professor Derya Y. Koseoglu-Imer, who is the WG4 Leader from the Istanbul Technical University and Professor Mohammad Taherzadeh from the University of Borås & Millow in Sweden, who is the COST Action's coordinator, having the continuous support of IHU in the context of international cooperation.   FULLRECO4US is a Cost Action on Cross Border Transfer and Development of Sustainable Resource Recovery Strategies Towards Zero Waste, targeting a discussion platform and collaborations centered on holistic approaches to waste recycling and valorization, and on the development of new cross-border interdisciplinary and intersectoral networks.   During the beginning of the workshop the FUELPHORIA Horizon project was presented by Dr Atsonios, the coordinator from CERTH/Greece followed by a more detailed presentation of one of the demos of the project on the valorisation of microalgae cultivated in digestate towards biodiesel production. Then, Mr Kotoulas from the Thessaloniki Water and Sewerage Authority presented the efforts of the Authority for energy and materials recovery from the Thessaloniki Wastewater Treatment Plant. Research activities of the participating groups were presented then, related to advanced processes for the recovery of nutrients and added value products from effluents, and the production of high quality waters. During the second day, the attendants discussed about research challenges and chances for the establishment of collaboration networks, while steps were scheduled as a follow up of the workshop towards the preparation of joint journal publications.   Researchers from the following universities and organisations from Greece and other countries in Europe participated in the Workshop in person: The International Hellenic University and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, the Istanbul Technical University, Turkey, the University of Liverpool, UK, the Agricultural University of Tirana, Albania, the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, the University of Galway, Ireland, the Riga Technical University, Latvia, the Norwegian Institute for Water Research, Norway, the Thessaloniki Water Supply and the Q-Lab Laboratory, Greece.

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Congratulations to our colleagues and their collaborators on the publication of their paper entitled „Dietary exposure assessment to mycotoxins from traditional meat products in Croatia“. The aim of this study was to evaluate the human exposure to the mycotoxins, including aflatoxins (AFs) B1, B2, G1 and G2 (AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, AFG2), ochratoxin A (OTA), cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), citrinin (CIT) and sterigmatocystin (STC), which may be present in traditional meat products (TMPs), using 288 samples available on the market in relation to the consumption data of Croatian citizens. AFs and CIT weren't detected in any sample, so the exposure to these mycotoxins in TMP can be considered negligible. The determined exposure to STC far below the exposure of low health concern set by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). For the consumer risk associated with CPA in food there isn't yet a health-based guideline value (HBGV). Although OTA was detected in a relatively small number of samples, it contributed to the exposure of TMP consumers. According to the Margin of Exposure (MoE) approach for OTA, a concern was identified in 0.12% of consumers for neoplastic effects in the case of the UB scenario, while a potential health risk was identified in 4.15% of consumers for non-neoplastic effects. Among the TMP categories, dry-fermented sausages contributed the most to consumer exposure for all three mycotoxins detected. Results indicate that mycotoxins presence should be monitored over a longer period of time where different data can be expected in order to observe the trend of human exposure. Explore the publication using the link below: https://lnkd.in/euDGteSX

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Congratulations to our colleagues and their collaborators on the publication of their paper entitled „Pesticides and Polychlorinated Biphenyls in Milk and Dairy Products in Croatia: A Health Risk Assessment“. The aim of this study was to evaluate contamination levels and the frequency of detection of pesticides (OPPs) and polychlorinated biphenyls (seven PCB congeners) in a cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk and dairy products from Croatia. No concentrations exceeded the maximal residue levels defined by the legistation of European Union. Pesticides were quantified in 27% of samples, and seven PCBs were quantified in 5.23% of samples. Among the three pesticide groups, the highest numbers of quantified results were found for organochlorine pesticides (12.1–20.8%). The sum of seven PCBs was quantified within the range of 3.3–6.67%. Based on the estimated daily intakes, chronic risk characterisation showed no risk for adults or ten-year-old children for the consumption of cow’s milk and dairy products. You can access the paper at the following link: https://lnkd.in/dF45ru2W

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EFSA now offering training on protocol development related to food & feed safety

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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) just launched the 2024 Plant Health 4 Life campaign! 🌳 👨‍🌾 The main aim behind this is to raise awareness among EU citizens on plant health risks and how can this have an impact on our societies from food safety and production to the economy. Follow #PlantHealth4Life and stay tuned with the work of #EFSA by following the link below!

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Staying on top of what food is healthy is not always easy.😪 This is why agencies such as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) are there to do the research for you, to ensure #FoodSafety.👩‍🔬 Following such a scientific assessment into the 8️⃣ smoke flavourings, which may currently be added to EU food products, the experts could not rule out genotixicity concerns. For this reason, we decided not to renew 🚫 the authorisation of these 8️⃣ smoke flavourings. After a phase-out period, they will no longer be permitted for use in the EU. Interested in more information? Find out here 👉 https://lnkd.in/dsSYtvAH

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