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Research on the effect of natural antioxidants on the digestive tube in intensively raised pigs
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Efficacy of aqueous and powdered leaf extracts of Chromolaena odorata (Asterales: Asteraceae) and Ficus mucuso (Rosales: Moraceae) botanicals on root-knot nematode infecting watermelon in Kwara State, Nigeria
Full text linkoai:repository.iuls.ro:20.500.12811/4055Watermelon production in
Kwara State, Nigeria, is affected by rootknot
nematode (RKN), as all varieties of the
crop are susceptible. The aim of this study
was to identify readily available and
environmentally safe nematicides for the
management of RKN. The field was located
at the Teaching and Research Farm of the
University of Ilorin and set out in a
randomised complete block design, with four
replications. Aqueous and powdered extracts
of Chromolaena odorata (L) King and
Robinson and Ficus mucuso Welw. ex
Ficalho were applied alone and in
combination. There were seven total
treatments: C. odorata aqueous, F. mucuso
aqueous, C. odorata powder, F. mucuso
powder, C. odorata and F. mucuso aqueous,
C. odorata and F. mucuso powder, and the
control. Data were collected on growth, yield
and nematode populations. All data collected
were subjected to analysis of variance, and
treatments were compared using Duncan’s
multiple range test at a 5% level of
significance. The essential oil of each
botanical was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The
vine length (185.61) and yield (2401.05) of
plants treated with botanicals were
significantly higher than those of the control
at P<0.005. The nematode population was
also significantly lower in plants treated with
botanicals than in the control (318.30 and
230.00, first and second year, respectively)
at P<0.005. Among the treatments, the
combination of C. odorata and F. mucuso
powders was the most effective, with higher
growth and yield performance. The
experiment showed that aqueous and
powdered extracts of C. odorata and F.
mucuso were effective in managing RKN in
the field
A new natural food dye: microencapsulated Cornelian cherry bioactive compounds
Full text linkCornus mas (CM) is one of the
four edible fruits of the Cornus genus, a rich
source of biologically active compounds
(BACs) such as vitamins (like vitamin C),
carotenoids, iridoids, and phenolics (phenolic
acids, anthocyanins, and other flavonoids).
This study aimed to analyse the improvement
of the stability of CM anthocyanins by
microencapsulation, in order to propose a
new natural food dye. Microencapsulation
using a mixture of whey protein isolate (WPI)
and chitosan (CH) as wall materials has been
applied to protect anthocyanins against
external factors (e.g., light, temperature,
storage, etc.). Two experimental variants of
microencapsulated powders, WPI:CH = 1:1
(CH1) and WPI:CH = 1:2 (CH2), were
realised by varying the wall materials ratio.
The cornelian cherry fruit concentrated
extract was evaluated for its phytochemical,
colourimetric, and antioxidant capacities.
Due to the excellent anthocyanin
encapsulation effectiveness (74.29 –
88.71%), the wall materials utilised for both
powders can be considered effective choices
to safeguard the anthocyanins. All tests
performed on the microencapsulated powders
demonstrated that both suggested
experimental forms can serve as a healthy
substitute for artificial food additives. The
incorporation of cornelian cherry fruit extract
and microencapsulated powders into a food
matrix (jelly candies) allowed examination of
their effectiveness. The colour analysis
rigorously characterised all the colour
parameters related to red nuances (due to
anthocyanins content, such as cyanidin-3-
glucoside) and yellow nuances (associated
with carotenoids content)
Optimization of the Parameters Influencing the Antioxidant Activity and Concentration of Carotenoids Extracted from Pumpkin Peel Using a Central Composite Design
Full text linkIt has been discovered that the peel of a pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima), regarded as a waste product of pumpkin processing, has significant amounts of carotenoids and other antioxidants. This study aims to identify the most effective extraction parameters for an ultrasonic-assisted extraction method to extract the total carotenoids (TCs) and assess the antioxidant activity (AA) of pumpkin peel. To determine the effects of the extraction time, temperature, and material-to-solvent ratio on the recovery of TCs and AA, a response surface methodology utilizing the central composite design (CCD) was used. The extraction temperature (6.25–98.75 °C), extraction duration (13.98–128.98 min), and solvent ratio (0.23–50.23 mL) were the variables studied in the coded form of the experimental plan. The carotenoid concentration varied from 0.53 to 1.06 mg/g DW, while the AA varied from 0.34 to 7.28 µM TE/g DW. The findings indicated that the optimal extraction parameters were an 80 °C temperature, a 10 mL solvent ratio, and a 100 min extraction time. The study confirmed that the optimum extraction conditions resulted in an experimental TC yield of 0.97 mg/g DW and an AA of 7.25 µM TE/g DW. Overall, it should be emphasized that the extraction process can be enhanced by setting the operating factors to maximize the model responses
Prevalence and characterisation of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and plasmid-mediated quinolones resistance in Enterobacteriaceae isolated from companion animals
No full textAntimicrobial resistance is a
major public health concern worldwide. This
study aims to determine the prevalence of
Enterobacterales producing beta-lactamase
(TEM, SHV, OXA) or extended-spectrum
beta-lactamases (ESBL), as well as plasmidmediated
resistance to quinolones (PMQR)
(qnrA, qnrB, qnrS) in companion animals
from the northeast region of Romania. A
total of 124 faecal samples were collected
aseptically from healthy dogs attending the
veterinary practice for vaccination and
cultivated on Brilliance ESBL medium
(Oxoid, UK). The ESBL production testing
was performed using the combination disc
test. The identification of Enterobacterales
strains was achieved using molecular
identification and based on biochemical
tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing
was performed using the disk diffusion
method. Identification of genes encoding for
beta-lactamase enzymes and genes encoding
plasmid-mediated resistance to quinolones
was performed by PCR according to the
protocols previously described. After ESBL
screening, 31 (31/124; 25%) extendedspectrum
cephalosporin (ESC)-resistant
Enterobacterales were obtained, and 67.74% (21/31) of them were confirmed as ESBLproducers.
Regarding the Enterobacterales
species, 27 (27/31; 87.1%) were Escherichia
coli and 4 (4/31; 12.9%) strains were
Klebsiella pneumoniae. Among the ESBLproducing
isolates, the blaCTX-M-1 gene group
was predominant (58.82%), followed by the
blaCTX-M-9 group (41.18%). The blaTEM,
blaSHV and blaOXA gene groups were
identified in 54.83%, 29.03% and 3.22% of
the analysed strains, respectively. The
prevalence of PMQR genes was 22.58% and
consisted only of qnrS (19.35%) and qnrA
(3.22%) genes. The prevalence of ESBL
strains related to the total number of
analysed samples was 16.93% (21/124). The
findings show a significant prevalence of
ESBLs and PMQR genes in
Enterobacterales strains isolated from the
faeces of healthy dogs, implying that pets
may pose a risk of transmitting ESBL strains
to other animals or owners
Research on the distribution, structure, abundance and dynamics of invertebrate species found in medicinal plant cultures
No full textResponse of sweet corn varieties to plant density and tiller removal: preliminary studies
Full text linkThe sweet corn breeding
strategy aims to enhance and sustain a
consistent yield over time. The interaction
between density and tiller removal is
currently being discussed among sweet corn
farmers, as well as scientists working in
sweet corn. Considering the studies carried
out to date and the research directions
suggested by them, the present study aimed
to determine the impact of plant density,
variety, tiller removal and their interactions
on the yield and ear prolificacy/weight of
sweet corn under the climatic conditions of
northeast Romania. The experiments were
focused on 3 sweet corn varieties (Deliciosul
de Bacău, Deliciul verii and Royalty F1),
sown at 3 densities (50k, 60k and 70k
plants/ha) and considering 2 variants for
tiller removal (tiller removal / without tiller
removal). The highest yield of sweet corn
was recorded in the Royalty F1 hybrid in the
plots in which the tillers were removed
(24.27 t/ha). The Royalty F1 hybrid also had
the heaviest ears (313.33 g) in plots with
tiller removal and 60k plants/ha. Overall, the
most favourable plant density in terms of
yield was 60k plants/ha. The experimental
results showed that in the climatic conditions
of northeast Romania, tiller removal led to
increased yield, especially in the Deliciosul
de Bacău hybrid. Tiller removal in this
hybrid resulted in a significant increase in
yield (from 18.41 to 23.08 t/ha)
Effect of Dietary Incorporation of Hemp Seeds Alone or with Dried Fruit Pomace on Laying Hens’ Performance and on Lipid Composition and Oxidation Status of Egg Yolks
Full text linkThe present study was conducted to investigate the effects of introducing hemp seeds, as a source of PUFAs, into a standard diet with or without dried fruit pomace (dried blackcurrant (DB) or dried rosehip (DR)), as a source of natural antioxidants, on the laying performance of hens and the FA profile, cholesterol level, antioxidant content, and lipid oxidative status in the yolks of fresh eggs or eggs stored at 4 °C for 28 days. The experiment used 128 Tetra SL hens at 35 weeks of age, which were divided into four groups and randomly assigned to four dietary treatments: a standard corn–wheat–soybean meal diet (C), standard diet containing 8% ground hemp seed (H), hemp seed diet containing 3% dried blackcurrant pomace (HB), and hemp seed diet containing 3% dried rosehip pomace (HR). The laying rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg weight, and yolk weight were improved by the use of hemp seeds. The yolks of the H, HB, and HR eggs had a lower cholesterol (p ˂ 0.01) and SFA content, while the concentration of total and individual PUFAs (n-6 and n-3 FAs) was significantly higher (p ˂ 0.01) compared to C. In addition, the introduction of hemp seeds into the diets alone or with dried fruit pomace (DB or DR) led to increased (p ˂ 0.001) content of α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3n-3), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) and hypo-/hypercholesterolemic FA ratio and decreased arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) content, n-6/n-3 ratio, and thrombogenicity index (TI) compared to the control eggs. The introduction of dried fruit pomace (DB or DR) into the diets had no effect on the laying performance of the hens or the cholesterol content and FA profile of the egg yolks, compared to the diet supplemented only with hemp seeds. The dried fruit pomace improved the color, accumulation of antioxidants, and oxidative stability of fats in the yolks of the fresh eggs and eggs stored at 4 °C for 28 days. The DR was found to have the most desirable effects, producing the most intense color of egg yolks, the highest content of natural antioxidants, and the best oxidative stability of yolk lipids
Non-Invasive Paraclinical Diagnosis of Hepatocutaneous Syndrome in a Dog
Full text linkA 14-year-old, female spayed Bichon Maltese with no other known previous pathologies was presented for dermatological examination after being referred from a private clinic with the suspicion of generalized, treatment-resistant demodicosis. Upon presentation and clinical examination, multiple deep skin scrapings were performed, returning negative parasitological results. Complete blood count and serum biochemistry revealed mild hepatic damage. Abdominal ultrasound revealed an abnormal echostructure of the liver displaying a honeycomb or Swiss cheese-like pattern, reported as pathognomonic for hepatocutaneous syndrome. The owner declined any further paraclinical examination, including skin biopsy and histopathological examination, requesting a treatment protocol that could be pursued at home, considering the age of the dog and its reactive behavior during the examination. The present case report highlights a non-invasive method of diagnosing the hepatocutaneous syndrome in a dog by clinical examination, routine blood testing, and ultrasound assessment of the abdomen, in the absence of the possibility of doing a histopathological diagnosis