ABSTRACT. The accumulation of industrial by-products increases the use of sweet potato waste for ruminants, but ruminal pH characteristics are still not well known. The objective was to assess the fluctuation of ruminal pH in sheep supplemented with different levels of sweet potato flour inclusion in their diet. Four rumen-fistulated sheep were used; they were fed a diet based on ryegrass haylage (Lolium multiflorum) and sweet potato flour (Ipomoea batatas), provided according to the level of inclusion in the total diet (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%). Approximately 80 ml of ruminal fluid was collected for reading on a bench pH meter. Statistical data analysis was run on Statistical Analysis System (SAS Institute INC. Cary, NC, USA), and statistical difference was considered for p < 0.05. The animals that received 1.5% of sweet potato flour in their diet presented acid rumen pH; the 1.0% group presented rumen pH acidification in the first 6 hours after feeding, and the 0.5% level of inclusion did not change the rumen environment. It is concluded that the inclusion of 0.5% sweet potato flour in sheep diet proved to be an efficient energy supplementation strategy.

Há uma crescente preocupação com os chamados "poluentes emergentes" na produção de medicamentos. Eles chegam ao meio ambiente a partir do descarte doméstico ou a partir das sobras geradas na produção de fármacos. Em pequenas concentrações da ordem de microgramas por litro ou inferiores, ou seja, concentrações não efetivas a curto prazo em termos de resposta biológica em seres humanos, podem causar grandes impactos no meio ambiente pela exposição crônica. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o risco de contaminação de efluentes pelo lançamento dos dejetos brutos da produção de medicamentos em pequena escala, por farmácias de manipulação, com base na avaliação da ecotoxicicidade pelo biomonitoramento de algas Euglena gracilis, e investigar os impactos apresentados sobre o comportamento e as alterações no processo de fotossíntese. Amostras de quatro laboratórios de diferentes demandas foram analisadas. As alterações comportamentais (velocidade de subida à superfície, r-value e velocidade de movimento) das algas foram biomonitoradas pelo NG-TOX e os parâmetros de fotossíntese foram medidos com o fluorímetro de pulso e amplitude modulada (PAM). Os resultados demonstraram que o efluente do laboratório de hormônios, que teve uma baixa produção semestral, apresentou pouco impacto, já o efluente do laboratório de psicotrópicos, mesmo com demanda intermediária, apresentou impacto significante sobre o comportamento e a atividade fotossintética das algas. A diferença de comportamento observada entre os diferentes setores de fármacos demonstra que os impactos e os possíveis riscos ambientais são diferentes para cada setor. A demanda e as diferentes substâncias manipuladas podem ser determinantes na classificação de risco e na escolha dos métodos de descontaminação.

There is a growing concern over so-called "emerging pollutants" in the production of pharmaceuticals. These pollutants reach the environment from household waste or from leftovers generated during production. In small concentrations of the order of micrograms per liter or less, or in concentrations ineffective at producing a biological response in humans in the short-term, chronic exposure can still have a great impact on the environment. This study evaluated the possible risk of contamination posed by the release of raw materials from small-scale drug production by compounding pharmacies, based on an ecotoxicity assessment conducted by biomonitoring Euglena gracilis algae. The study also investigated the impacts on behavior and the changes in the photosynthesis process of this algae. Samples of four laboratories with different demands were comparatively analyzed. Behavioral changes of the algae (ascent rate to the surface, r-value and speed of movement) were assessed by biomonitoring NG-TOX and photosynthetic parameters were measured by pulse-amplitude modulation fluorometer (PAM). The results showed that the effluent from hormone laboratory that had a low semestral production had little impact. On another hand, the effluent from the psychotropics laboratory, even with intermediate demand, had a significant impact on the behavior and photosynthetic activity of algae. The behavior differences observed between the different sectors of drugs shows that the impacts and potential environmental risks are different for each sector. The demand and the different substances manipulated can be crucial in risk classification and in the choice of decontamination methods.