Virginiamycin Thermal Degradation Kinetics in a Model Matrix Simulating Distillation Conditions within a Commercial Fuel Ethanol Production Facility

Identification of organic contaminants in vinasse and in soil and groundwater from fertigated sugarcane crop areas using target and suspect screening strategies

This work evaluated for the first time the sustainability of vinasse reuse as a fertilizer in sugarcane crops by assessing the occurrence of organic contaminants and their potential for dissemination to soils and groundwater in fertigated areas. A comprehensive screening of organic contaminants was performed in vinasse, soil and groundwater using target analysis, to investigate the occurrence of multiple-class antibiotics, in combination with suspect screening using NORMAN Digital Sample Freezing Platform. Even though antibiotics are used in the ethanol production process and were expected to be ubiquitous contaminants, they were not detected in any of the samples. Nevertheless, the HRMS-based wide-scope suspect screening (including >7800 substances such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, preservatives and industrial chemicals) allowed the tentative identification of 56 compounds, mostly pesticides, food additives, industrial and naturally occurring substances. Results showed no overlap between the compounds detected in vinasse and environmental samples, suggesting that the pollutants found in soil and groundwater might come from alternative sources other than vinasse reuse.

Residues of antibiotics in yeasts from ethanol production: a possible contamination route for feedingstuffs

Sugarcane yeast and brewer's yeast from ethanol production are widely used as ingredients of animal feed formulations in Brazil. To avoid the contamination of the must in ethanol production refineries, the use of antibiotics is one of the main preventive treatments. Thus, there is a risk of antibiotic residues carry over from yeast to animal feed. This unintentional addition of antibiotics can produce non-compliant feed products, due to regulatory aspects and their toxicity for animals. The results of an exploratory program to assess the occurrence of over 60 antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals in 27 sugarcane yeast and brewer's yeast samples were described. Monensin was present in seven samples with concentrations ranging from 0.47 to 263.5 mg kg^-1. Other antibiotics quantitated were virginiamycin (2.25 mg kg^-1) and amprolium (0.25 mg kg^-1). Monensin in sugarcane yeast may represent a risk for further feeds production, especially for those products intended for sensible species such as equines and rabbits, for which monensin has toxic effects.