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The study demonstrated that Pleurotus eryngii cultivation on substrate enriched with thymus (Thymus vulgaris) post‐extraction waste (TPEW) and spent coffee grounds (SCG) can beneficially affect yield and modify the mineral composition, profile of phenolic compounds, organic acids, and antioxidant activity. Cultivation with TPEW and SCG did not result in any significant differences in the contents of K, Mg, P, and S in fruiting bodies. The highest content of Ca and Na was recorded in cultivation with TPEW. The use of TPEW and SCG increased the total phenolic content, while in the phenolic profile changes were observed in the variants of 50% and 100% TPEW and 50% SCG. Cultivation with TPEW increased the sum of the organic acids and quinic, malonic, malic, acetic, and succinic acids, while addition of SCG resulted in their significant decrease. Practical applications: The use of different additives to growing substrate is a possible way to improve the harvest yield. Moreover, this modification of cultivation allows to manage some waste materials. However, the application of waste materials can carry the risk to introduce substances potentially dangerous for human health into substrate. Additionally, the supplementation allows to modify the content of bioactive compounds. In this context, the monitoring of the quality of fruiting bodies seems to be necessary. Therefore, the study evaluated the content of elements (especially toxic trace elements), some bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity was examined. The results pointed, how the waste materials added to the substrate affect the quality of the final product. These findings could lead to improvements in the commercial production of P. eryngii and increase the quality of the final product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sediments from an oxbow lake located in the Prosna River valley (Poland) were analysed to investigate the developmental history of the wetland ecosystem and any response to abrupt climatic changes. High resolution plant macrofossil analysis and radiocarbon dating were undertaken on two cores, with lower resolution geochemical analysis conducted on one of these cores. We provide evidence of a palaeolake with a late Glacial origin (older than 12,500 years). Abundant fossil presence of macrophytes (e.g. multiple Potamogeton species) in the studied palaeomeander may indicate that the north–south orientation of the Prosna valley made it an important route for the spreading of aquatic plants during the late Glacial. Chara sp., Batrachium sp. and Potamogeton spp. were the pioneer plants that colonised cold water with a high Ca2+ content. Early Holocene warming trigged a decrease in water level at the oxbow lake and facilitated the expansion of thermophilous water plants, for example, Ceratophyllum demersum, Typha sp. and Lemna trisulca, which usually occur in shallow water. A decreasing water level resulted in the gradual isolation of the study site from the influence of groundwater, leading to acidification of the habitat and the development of a Sphagnum population, with S. contortum and S. teres as dominant species. The presence of S. contortum (the oldest occurrence in the European lowlands) and S. teres during the early Holocene may indicate that river valleys and the peatlands that developed in this region acted as an important habitats (and possibly refugia) for some minerotrophic Sphagnum species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trees are considered good candidates for phytoremediation of soils contaminated with trace elements (TE), e.g. mine tailings. Using two year-old Tilia cordata plants, we demonstrated the nature and the scale of root architecture, especially root apices, as an indicator of mining sludge toxicity and plant capability to cope with these stress conditions. The novelty of our research is the analysis of the root response to substrate with extremely high concentrations of numerous toxic TE, and the 3D illustration of the disorders in root apex architecture using a clarity technique for confocal microscopy. The analysis demonstrates (1) a marked reduction in the size of the root apex zones (2) the occurrence of vascular tissues abnormally close to the root apex (3) collapse of the internal tissues in many root apices. Simultaneously, at the cellular level we observed some signs of a defensive response - such as a common increase of cell wall (CW) thickness and the formation of local CW thickenings - that enlarge the CW capacity for TE sequestration. However, we also detected harmful effects. Among others, a massive deposition of TE in the middle lamella which caused major damage - probably one of the reasons why the inner tissues of the root apex often collapsed – and the formation of incomplete CWs resulting in the occurrence of extremely large cells. Moreover, many cells of the root apex exhibited degenerated protoplasts. All these alterations indicate the harsh conditions for lime growth and survival and simultaneously, the manifestation of a defensive response. The obtained results allowed us to conclude that analysis of the nature and scale of structural alterations in roots can be useful indicators of plant ability to cope with stress conditions, e.g. in prospect of using the examined plants for reclamation of soils contaminated with TE. Image 1 • Clearing technique excellently documented the nature of root architecture alterations. • Root architecture analysis clearly shows the extremely high toxicity of the substrate. • Mining sludge exposure caused an increase of CW capacity for TE sequestration. • CW thickening occurred not only in the laboratory but also in similar to field conditions. • Presence of incomplete CW indicates a strong cell dysfunction. The nature and scale of alterations in root apex architecture can be considered as an indicator of mining sludge toxicity and the degree of plant resistance to contaminated substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to estimate the significance of the role of arsenite (As(III)), arsenate (As(V)), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) presence in modified Knop medium in the efficiency of phytoextraction of arsenic (As) in Acer platanoides root, stem, and leaves. The addition of particular As forms in single, double, and triple experimental systems was associated with a lower increase of seedling biomass compared to control plants (system free of As forms addition). Depending on As forms and their concentration in solution, negative symptoms from slight visible changes (inorganic forms separately or jointly), through smaller and discolored leaves (after DMA addition), and finally to their withering (after high DMA addition) were observed. Changes of color and shape for root systems exposed to particular As forms separately or jointly were also observed, in spite of the fact that there were no significant changes in biomass of seedlings growing in all experimental systems. The highest mean concentrations of As in root, stem, and leaves (590, 70, and 140 mg kg−1 dry weight (DW), respectively) were observed in plants growing under different experimental systems. The highest bioconcentration factor values were 10.8 for plants exposed to 0.06 mM of As(III) and DMA, while the highest translocation factor (1.0) was recorded for plants growing under the same As forms (0.6 and 0.06 mM, respectively). The obtained results indicate that the presence of particular As forms not only determines As phytoextraction and transport of this metalloid form but also has a decisive influence on plant morphology and survivability. As regards the practical aspects of phytoremediation, the kind of As forms present in substrate are more important than their total concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare earth elements (REEs) are a group of elements whose concentration in numerous environmental matrices continues to increase; therefore, the use of biological methods for their removal from soil would seem to be a safe and reasonable approach. The aim of this study was to estimate the phytoextraction efficiency and distribution of light and heavy (LREEs and HREEs) rare earth elements by three herbaceous plant species: Artemisia vulgaris L., Taraxacum officinale F.H. Wigg. and Trifolium repens L., growing at a distance of 1, 10, and 25 m from the edge of a frequented road in Poland. The concentration of REEs in soil and plants was highly correlated (r > 0.9300), which indicates the high potential of the studied plant species to phytoextraction of these elements. The largest proportion of REEs was from the group of LREEs, whereas HREEs comprised only an inconsiderable portion of the REEs group. The dominant elements in the group of LREEs were Nd and Ce, while Er was dominant in the HREEs group. Differences in the amounts of these elements influenced the total concentration of LREEs, HREEs, and finally REEs and their quantities which decreased with distance from the road. According to the Friedman rank sum test, significant differences in REEs concentration, mainly between A. vulgaris L., and T. repens L. were observed for plants growing at all three distances from the road. The same relation between A. vulgaris L. and T. officinale was observed. The efficiency of LREEs and REEs phytoextraction in the whole biomass of plants growing at all distances from the road was A. vulgaris L. > T. officinale L. > T. repens L. For HREEs, the same relationship was recorded only for plants growing at the distance 1 m from the road. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) values for LREEs and HREEs were respectively higher and lower than 1 for all studied plant species regardless of the distance from the road. The studied herbaceous plant species were able to effectively phytoextract LREEs only (BCF > 1); therefore, these plants, which are commonly present near roads, could be a useful tool for removing this group of REEs from contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of cyanobacteria in freshwaters attracts much attention due to its associated health threats and ecological implications. Yet data on the composition of cyanobacteria taxa and toxigenicity in some regions is still scarce. Here, we explored the occurrence of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins in three locations in Ukraine (reservoir for Kasperivtsi Hydrothermal Power Plant and outflowing River Seret, and cooling pond of Khmelnytsky Atomic Power Plant) in summer 2017. Cyanobacteria were a dominant fraction at all stations. A number of potent-toxin producers were identified including Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii, Aphanizomenon gracile, Dolichospermum flos-aquae, and Planktothrix agardhii. Screening for the presence of dissolved and particulate content of microcystins (-LR, -YR, and -RR), cylindrospermopsin, and anatoxin-a yielded negative results. The studied waters displayed no toxicity in human platelets in vitro. Further toxicological and ecological studies are necessary to evaluate the potential presence of cyanotoxin producers in Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Soybean sprouts cultured in 20 m m FeSO4 were introduced into corn snacks (1.75–3.50%) to supplement iron. The effect of extrusion process on the ferritin iron stability and on product quality was studied. Iron stability in these fortified snacks depended mainly on feed moisture levels, with the best results seen when the feed moisture and temperature were 12% and 110 °C, respectively. Lower feed moisture was beneficial to hardness, expansion ratio and bulk density, while lower temperature increased snack hardness and density, while worsening the expansion ratio. The snacks’ water absorption was strongly and directly dependent on the temperature, while their solubility mainly depended inversely on feed moisture. All of the variables tested altered the colour of the snacks. The conditions that were best for producing the ferritin‐fortified snacks – 12% feed moisture, and temperature equal than or less to 140 °C – may yield a product with the desired quality features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article describes the studies of the iron speciation (the occurrence of Fe(II), Fe(III), and complexed iron) in acid leachable fraction of deposits. The speciation of iron was diverse for deposits of different origins and was the specific 'fingerprint'-marker of deposition processes. The higher occurrence of Fe(II) may be connected with decantation which has been observed for lake sediments, the majority of Fe(III) with upper flow regime erosion-deposition processes, observed for river sediment deposition during flood episodes. As verification for this hypothesis, the explanation for the iron speciation in the different river sediment samples has been used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated effect of substrate supplementation with Se alone or in combination with Cu or/and Zn Se on (1) the growth of Pleurotus ostreatus and Pleurotus eryngii; (2) elements accumulation in mushrooms; (3) the antioxidant activities of bio-enriched mushroom extracts in human platelets. The accumulation of elements generally increased over concentration gradient reaching its maximum at 1.2 mM for P. ostreatus and P. eryngii: (1) over 100 and 80 mg kg of Se, respectively (Se supplementation); (2) over 15 and 30 mg kg of Cu, respectively (Se+Cu); (3) over 30 and 85 mg kg of Zn, respectively. Se was predominantly accumulated as an organic fraction. Contrary to P. eryngii, the P. ostreatus biomass decreased with substrate elements concentration but was satisfactory up to 0.9 mM of Se, Se+Cu and Se+Zn. The Se+Cu+Zn model yielded low biomass and elements accumulation. Extracts from mushrooms bio-enriched with Se and Se+Zn (0.6-1.2 mM) revealed significant antioxidant activities in human platelets by ameliorating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and preventing lipid peroxidation. The study demonstrated the potential application of Pleurotus mushrooms as functional food products bio-enriched with essential elements. ROS inhibition by extracts of these mushrooms may be useful in control of platelets activation cascade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are used in a growing number of applications, and their release to environment has increased over the decades. Knowledge of REEs in human milk and factors that could possibly influence their concentration is scarce. This study evaluated the concentrations of 16 REEs (Ce, Eu, Er, Gd, La, Nd, Pr, Sc, Sm, Dy, Ho, Lu, Tb, Tm, Y, and Yb) in human colostrum milk collected from Polish women ( n = 100) with the ICP-OES technique. The concentrations (mean ± SD) of Pr (41.9 ± 13.2 μg L), Nd (11.0 ± 4.0 μg L), La (7.1 ± 5.2 μg L), and Er (2.2 ± 0.8 μg L) were found above detection limits. The total mean ± SD concentration of detected REEs was 60.9 ± 17.8 μg L. Current smokers displayed significantly increased Nd concentrations compared to women who had never smoked. No other associations between REEs in colostrum milk and age, diet in pregnancy (food supplement use and frequency of fish, meat, and vegetable consumption) or place of living (urban/rural) were found. This study adds to general understanding of the occurrence and turnover of REEs in women and human fluids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cultivated mushroom species are becoming an increasingly consumed commodity owing to their nutritional value and potential biological activities. There is a strict necessity to conduct a thorough screening of their chemical composition to ensure the quality and safety of final food products. The present study analyzed the content of 67 macro- and microelements and detected 36 of them (macroelements: Ca, K, Mg, Na, P; micronutrients: Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Zn; toxic metals: Ag, Al, Cd, Ni and Pb; metalloids: As, B, Ge, Te; platinum group elements (PGEs): Os, Pt, Rh; rare earth elements (REES): Gd, Ho, La, Nd, Pr; other elements: Ba, Bi, Ga, In, Sr, Ti, U, V, Zr) in 12 mushroom species ( Agrocybe cylindracea, Auricularia polytricha, Clitocybe maxima, Coprinus comatus, Flammulina velutipes, Grifola frondosa, Hericium erinaceus, Laetiporus sulphureus, Pholiota nameko, Stropharia rugosoannulata, Trametes versicolor, Tremella fuciformis) obtained between 2008 and 2016 from the Polish market but originating from both Poland (small scale local production) and China (available in selected oriental or internet shops only). Elemental composition was highly species-specific and did not follow a taxonomical pattern on the family level. As revealed, G. frondosa contained high concentrations of minerals (Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, P and Zn). Most of the studied mushrooms were characterized by a relatively high level of PGEs. Serious food contaminants such as Al, As, Cd and Pb were within safety limits set by the FAO/WHO. Additionally, the study presented Andrews curves as a convenient tool to analyze trends on multidimensional data on chemical composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to compare the phytoextraction abilities of six tree species ( Acer platanoides L., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Betula pendula Roth, Quercus robur L., Tilia cordata Miller, Ulmus laevis Pall.), cultivated on mining sludge contaminated with arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), thallium (Tl), and zinc (Zn). All six tree species were able to survive on such an unpromising substrate. However, A. platanoides and T. cordata seedlings grown on the polluted substrate showed significantly lower biomass than control plants (55.5 and 45.6%, respectively). As, Cd, Cu, Pb, and Tl predominantly accumulated in the roots of all the analyzed tree species with the following highest contents: 1616, 268, 2432, 547, and 856 mg kg, respectively. Zn was predominantly localized in shoots with the highest content of 5801 and 5732 mg kg for U. laevis and A. platanoides, respectively. A. platanoides was the most effective in Zn phytoextaction, with a bioconcentration factor (BCF) of 8.99 and a translocation factor (TF) of 1.5. Furthermore, with the exception of A. pseudoplatanus, the analyzed tree species showed a BCF > 1 for Tl, with the highest value for A. platanoides (1.41). However, the TF for this metal was lower than 1 in all the analyzed tree species. A. platanoides showed the highest BCF and a low TF and could, therefore, be a promising species for Tl phytostabilization. In the case of the other analyzed tree species, their potential for effective phytoextraction was markedly lower. Further studies on the use of A. platanoides in phytoremediation would be worth conducting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]