Impurities and adulterants in raw materials pose potential health threats when present in the manufacturing of pharmaceutical APIs and drug products. These same impurities and adulterants may also result in lower production yields and greater needs for product purification. Thus, their identification and quantification within incoming raw material play an important role in the pharma industry, ensuring product safety & quality, and an overall smooth and cost-efficient manufacturing process.

Bruker offers a complete portfolio of analytical systems for quick and accurate identification of raw materials.

X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a reliable, precise, and accurate technique with the potential to analyze inorganic impurities at ppm or even sub-ppm level in many types of raw materials used in the pharma industry. XRF is also ideal for quick identification of certain substances, such as the differentiation of KCl and NaCl. Modern high-end laboratory energy-dispersive XRF spectrometers allow for high throughput, are easy to operate, and comply with applicable data management regulations (e.g. 21 CFR Part 11). Portable XRF units can be used for a quick assessment of a new delivery upon arrival.Nature has always been, and still is, a source of foods and ingredients that are beneficial to human health. Nowadays, plant extracts are increasingly becoming important additives in the food industry due to their content in bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and carotenoids, which have antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, especially against low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) oxidative changes. The aforementioned compounds also delay the development of off-flavors and improve the shelf life and color stability of food products. Due to their natural origin, they are excellent candidates to replace synthetic compounds, which are generally considered to have toxicological and carcinogenic effects. The efficient extraction of these compounds from their natural sources and the determination of their activity in commercialized products have been great challenges for researchers and food chain contributors to develop products with positive effects on human health. The objective of this Special Issue is to highlight the existing evidence regarding the various potential benefits of the consumption of plant extracts and plant extract-based products, along with essential oils that are derived from plants also and emphasize in vivo works and epidemiological studies, application of plant extracts to improve shelf-life, the nutritional and health-related properties of foods, and the extraction techniques that can be used to obtain bioactive compounds from plant extracts.

In this context, Concha-Meyer et al. studied the bioactive compounds of tomato pomace obtained by ultrasound assisted extraction. In this review, it was presented that the functional extract obtained by ultrasounds had antithrombotic properties, such as platelet anti-aggregant activity compared with commercial cardioprotective products. Turrini et al. introduced bud-derivatives from eight different plant species as a new category of botanicals containing polyphenols and studied how different extraction processes can affect their composition. Woody vine plants from Kadsura spp. belonging to the Schisandraceae family produce edible red fruits that are rich in nutrients and antioxidant compounds such as flavonoids. Extracts from these plants had antioxidant properties and had shown also key enzyme inhibitions. Hence, fruit parts other than the edible mesocarp could be utilized for future food applications using Kadsura spp. rather than these being wasted. Saji et al. studied the possible use of rice bran, a by-product generated during the rice milling process, normally used in animal feed or discarded due to its rancidity, for its phenolic content. It was proved that rice bran phenolic extracts via their metal chelating properties and free radical scavenging activity, target pathways of oxidative stress and inflammation resulting in the alleviation of vascular inflammatory mediators. Villedieu-Percheron et al. evaluated three natural diterpenes compounds extracted and isolated from Andrographis paniculata medicinal herb as possible inhibitors of NFκB (nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells) transcriptional activity of pure analogues. Yeon et al. evaluated the antioxidant activity, the angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition effect, and the α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition activities of hot pepper water extracts both before and after their fermentation. These water extracts were proved to have potentially inhibitory effects against both hyperglycemia and hypertension. The hydrolyzed extracts of Ziziphus jujube fruit, commonly called jujube, were examined for their protective effect against lung inflammation in mice.

Fine chemicals: Membrane technology in the fine chemicals industry

Fine chemicals are chemicals produced in small-to-medium quantities but their definition is imprecise and wide ranging, including pharmaceuticals. Here we concentrate on agrichemicals, specialist chemicals and high purity chemicals typically synthesised in small batches for producing products such as dyes, pigments, coatings, flavors, fragrances, lubricants and microelectronic grade chemicals.Introduction

With the advent of food processing, food additives play an important role in providing a safe food supply as well as meeting the consumers' need.

Food additive means any substance, either natural or synthetic, intentionally added to food for a technological purpose in the processing, packaging, transport or storage of such food. The technological functions of food additive include but not limited to the following

enhancing the safety and quality by the inhibition of microbial growth;

extending the shelf-life by protection against any oxidative deterioration;Single-use or disposable type gloves are beneficial when it comes to protecting the skin against chemicals, contamination, fluids or infection, in the healthcare profession as well as food handling, law enforcement and dentistry. Disposable gloves keep everyone safer because they minimize the spread of germs and bacteria.

Disposable gloves are worn practically everywhere nowadays. Latex-free styles such as nitrile and synthetic vinyl are the most popular styles. You see them in doctor's offices, restaurants, tattoo salons, hair salons, and anywhere else that workers need inexpensive hand protection at the ready. Single-use gloves might get dirty quickly, but they're very easy and cheap to replace. There's always a new pair waiting, and they don't need special laundering. For workers who need a tactile protective hand barrier but don't require a specialized protection such as cut resistance, disposable gloves are the best option.

Here Are Four Things That Make Disposable Hand Protection Indispensable: