Rotenone is a broad-spectrum pesticide and piscicide that inhibits the transport of electrons in NADH-Q-oxidoreductase (complex I), thereby inhibiting cellular respiration. For the past two decades, epidemiologists have suspected that exposure to rotenone increases the risk of developing Parkinsonism. Although restricted for food use in the United States, rotenone is still used in countries exporting produce. Research has determined rotenone’s presence in produce as well as processed food products, such as tea and olive oil, raising the concern that it does not degrade before and during food processing. Furthermore, there are documented issues with the organic certification of imported produce into the United States, including soybeans. Organic and non-organic national brands of soy milk were purchased from a supermarket in the Greater Cleveland Area, and two samples were analyzed in triplicate for rotenone using high-performance liquid chromatography equipped with an ultraviolet light detector (HPLC-UV). A positive determination would indicate that rotenone is not degraded during the process that turns soybeans into milk. The samples were analyzed and compared to samples intentionally spiked with rotenone before they were filtered and dissolved in acetonitrile in preparation for the detection by HPLC- UV. Rotenone was not detected in these samples. However, a reliable method was developed for filtering soy milk and analyzing it for rotenone residues. The method detection limit allows for the determination of rotenone residues in soybeans beyond the maximal residual limit fixed by the European Union.

Acinetobacter venetianus and Alcanivorax borkumensis are bacterial strains capable of degrading hydrocarbons from oils or natural gases. Plastics are often derived from fossil fuels like crude oil and natural gas, with similar chemical structures and formulas to oil. Both products are commonly disposed of improperly and collected in the natural environment with few means for effective removal. Since A. venetianus and A. borkumensis are known to consume hydrocarbons, the ability to consume microplastic Polyethylene (PE), a type of hydrocarbon, will be explored. The bacteria are expected to consume the microplastic fastest when concentrations are highest. The premise of this experiment was to see if bacteria could consume PE and while there was bacterial growth, PE consumption was not being measured directly. Both strains were given high, medium and low concentrations of PE as the sole nutrient source and growth was measured with optical density. In the second trial, A. borkumensis demonstrated a significant difference between samples with PE and control samples, whereas there was no difference in the other trial. In one trial, through the growth phase and after the stationary phase in all concentrations of PE, A. venetianus had a significantly higher OD600 compared to the control. It appears both strains may be capable of consuming microplastics, however continued research is needed to explore whether microplastics are truly consumed or simply broken down further.