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Investigations regarding the presence of microorganisms in the milk food products commercialized in Republic of Moldova
Get PDFThe scientific research reflected in this study constituted the determination of microorganisms in some categories of
milk used in human consumption: raw cow milk and raw goat milk, pasteurized milk sold in the store according to the
indicators of the total number of germs, microscopy and bacteriology. The recorded results of the number of
bacterioscopic microorganisms, microbial colonies after the classification results and milk categories were evaluated,
which recorded various microbiological values of a normal bacterial microflora in the milk food product. The
bacterioscopic and bacteriological values obtained allow consumers to be safe and use this food product in their
consumption
Optimizarea cultivării salatei în sistemul NFT: metode integrative pentru randamente sustenabile
Get PDFLettuce grown in the Nutrient Film Technology (NFT) system represents a significant evolution in modern agriculture, involving the continuous supply of nutrients and water to the plant roots through a thin film of nutrient solution in a controlled environment. Growing lettuce in the NFT system with additional water oxygenation is a significant advantage in high-quality food production. These systems combine hydroponic growth methods with additional water oxygenation to optimize plant development. To make the NFT system more sustainable, some producers have adopted renewable energy sources, such as solar panels, to power lighting and nutrient solution pumping, leading to a reduced carbon footprint of lettuce cultivation and minimized energy costs. To optimize the light cycle, LED lighting systems are used, which can be programmed to provide the plant with the exact amount and spectrum of light required at different growth stages. This allows cultivators to adjust the light spectrum to match the specific needs of lettuce plants, using red and blue LED spectra to stimulate vegetative growth and leaf development. By integrating LED lighting into the NFT system, lettuce producers can achieve consistent and high yields throughout the year. This approach ensures a constant supply of fresh lettuce and demonstrates how technology can play a crucial role in adapting agriculture to climate change and the consumption needs of society
Chitosan Membranes Containing Plant Extracts: Preparation, Characterization and Antimicrobial Properties
No full textThe main strategy of this study was to combine the traditional perspective of using medicinal extracts with polymeric scaffolds manufactured by an engineering approach to fabricate a potential dressing product with antimicrobial properties. Thus, chitosan-based membranes containing S. officinalis and H. perforatum extracts were developed and their suitability as novel dressing materials was investigated. The morphology of the chitosan-based films was assessed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the chemical structure characterization was performed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The addition of the plant extracts increased the sorption capacity of the studied fluids, mainly at the membrane with S. officinalis extract. The membranes with 4% chitosan embedded with both plant extracts maintained their integrity after being immersed for 14 days in incubation media, especially in PBS. The antibacterial activities were determined by the modified Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method for Gram-positive (S. aureus ATCC 25923, MRSA ATCC 43300) and Gram-negative (E. coli ATCC 25922, P. aeruginosa ATCC 27853) microorganisms. The antibacterial property was enhanced by incorporating the plant extracts into chitosan films. The outcome of the study reveals that the obtained chitosan-based membranes are promising candidates to be used as a wound dressing due to their good physico-chemical and antimicrobial properties
Prevalence of West Nile Virus antibodies in indoor dogs from an urban area in Iași, Romania: indicators of viral presence and urban transmission potential
No full textWest Nile Virus (WNV), a
zoonotic mosquito-borne virus (mobovirus)
originally isolated from the blood of a febrile
Ugandan woman in 1937, caused substantial
human disease in Europe starting in the
1990s and emerged in 1999 in The United
States of America (USA) for the first time. It
has become an important concern for public
health due to its reemergence and frequent
human outbreaks. The enzootic transmission
cycle of arboviruses involves primary wild
animals; however, spillover transmission is
reported frequently in domestic animals.
Dogs are dead-end hosts in WNV
transmission epidemiology. However,
detecting WNV antibodies in the dog
population can indicate the virus’s presence
and spread in different areas. The virus is
known to be endemic in parts of Romania,
including Iași County. The study aimed at
assessing the prevalence of anti-WNV
antibodies in indoor dogs from an urban area
in Iași, where all the conditions for virus
transmission are met (wetland, density of
wildlife hosts including birds, abundance of
vectors, domestic mammal hosts and
synanthropic birds). Using a commercial
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
(INGEZIM West Nile COMPAC, Ingenasa,
Madrid, Spain), serum samples collected
from indoor dogs between 2020–2022 were
screened for WNV antibodies. The results
showed an overall seroprevalence of 12.2%.
Detection of specific antibodies in dogs suggests a possible establishment of an
urban cycle for WNV or other antigenically
related flaviviruses
Sources, composition and management strategies of waste electrical and electronic equipment: a review
No full textNowadays, in all sectors we are dealing with an intense development of technology, necessary on the one hand for our everyday lifestyle, but however with a major impact on the environment due to the lack of a proper infrastructure. In the case of electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE) management, due to their volume and composition, further expertise is needed for the collection and processing of electronic waste in an ecological way. Although different laws are adopted at national and international level, many illegal practices are registered among producers, consumers and stakeholders for the end-of-life of WEEE management. The purpose of this study is to raise the awareness of stakeholders regarding the assurance of sustainable development, by reducing the impact on the environment and natural resources conservation, following the best practices recommended for an eco-friendly management. Through this paper, useful strategies applied in several developed countries for the management of WEE have been studied and analyzed, and future perspectives regarding the management of electronic waste (e-waste) are suggested. In addition, human population should be more conscious regarding the significance of handling and recycling of WEEE
A comprehensive review on bioactive compounds, health benefits, and potential food applications of onion (Allium cepa L.) skin waste
No full textBackground
By-products of agricultural waste are now utilized in the food industry rather than being thrown away. Onion is a spicy vegetable that is an everyday ingredient in most residential kitchens for its unique flavor and is used extensively over the world for therapeutic purposes. Onions produce a lot of waste due to their widespread production and use around the world, which has inspired new studies with potential approaches for reusing these by-products.
Scope and approach
This review aims to draw attention to the significant advances made in the identification of onion by-products as valuable sources of bioactive compounds, the techniques used to extract these bioactives, the potential health benefits of onion by-products, and the exploration of their potential diverse applications in a circular bioeconomy perspective.
Key findings and conclusions
This paper contains information regarding the phytochemical composition, extraction methods, therapeutic properties, food and industrial applications of onion by-products. The current study has shown that onion waste is a rich source of nutrients and phytochemicals with bioactive properties that are beneficial to human health. The skins of onions are a valuable source of bioactives like flavonoids, phenolic acids, fructooligosaccharides, organosulfur compounds, and phenolic glycosides. Numerous health advantages of these compounds, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer capabilities, have been demonstrated. This review can be used as a starting point to investigate potential applications for bioactives onion skins in the functional food industry. It also suggests that further study may help to maximize the use of this resource
Increasing the Salt Stress Tolerance of Some Tomato Cultivars under the Influence of Growth Regulators
No full textAreas with saline soils are in continuous expansion, and in this context, it is very important to find solutions that help plants adapt more easily to these stress conditions, and to identify the main physiological and biochemical mechanisms involved in determining a good adaptability of plants. Biostimulants could be a plausible solution. This study was conducted in 2021 at the IULS (Iasi University of Life Sciences) in Romania, under greenhouse conditions and the biological material consisted of four tomato varieties: Buzau, Elisabeta, Bacovia, and Lillagro. For the treatments, we used natrium chloride (NaCl) 120 mM and an Atonik biostimulant. Three treatments were applied at intervals of 14 days. The Atonik biostimulant was applied by foliar spray, and the saline solution was applied to the root system. We have gathered some observations on the growth and fruiting character of the tomato plants studied: the height of the stems, the number of flowers in the inflorescence, the number of fruits, and the weight of fruits. Chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments as well as proline amino acid from leaves were also measured. Observations were made 14 days after the application of each treatment. Quantitative determinations were made 14 days after the application of the third treatment. The findings of this study made it clear that the Atonik biostimulant presented a positive effect on the physiological processes observed in tomato plants grown under salt stress conditions
Detection of West Nile Virus Lineage 2 in Eastern Romania and First Identification of Sindbis Virus RNA in Mosquitoes Analyzed using High-Throughput Microfluidic Real-Time PCR
No full textThe impact of mosquito-borne diseases on human and veterinary health is being exacerbated by rapid environmental changes caused mainly by changing climatic patterns and globalization. To gain insight into mosquito-borne virus circulation from two counties in eastern and southeastern Romania, we have used a combination of sampling methods in natural, urban and peri-urban sites. The presence of 37 mosquito-borne viruses in 16,827 pooled mosquitoes was analyzed using a high-throughput microfluidic real-time PCR assay. West Nile virus (WNV) was detected in 10/365 pools of Culex pipiens (n = 8), Culex modestus (n = 1) and Aedes vexans (n = 1) from both studied counties. We also report the first molecular detection of Sindbis virus (SINV) RNA in the country in one pool of Culex modestus. WNV infection was confirmed by real-time RT-PCR (10/10) and virus isolation on Vero or C6/36 cells (four samples). For the SINV-positive pool, no cytopathic effectwas observed after infection of Vero or C6/36 cells, but no amplification was obtained in conventional SINV RT-PCR. Phylogenetic analysis of WNV partial NS5 sequences revealed that WNV lineage 2 of theCentral-Southeast European clade, has a wider circulation in Romania than previously known
Polymorphism of the Prolactin (PRL) Gene and Its Effect on Milk Production Traits in Romanian Cattle Breeds
No full textIn the present study, we investigated one polymorphism of the PRL gene (rs211032652 SNP) and assessed its influence on milk production and chemical composition in two Romanian cattle breeds. A total of 119 cattle from two breeds reared in Western Romania (64 Romanian Spotted and 55 Romanian Brown) were included in the research herd. A PCR-RFLP genotyping assay was used for the identification of the rs211032652 SNP variants. Shapiro’s test and Levene’s test were used to verify ANOVA assumptions and ANOVA and Tukey’s test were employed to test the associations between PRL genotypes and five milk traits. Among the studied breeds, our results showed that PRL genotypes were significantly associated (p < 0.05) with fat and protein percentage in the milk of Romanian Brown cattle. The AA genotype was associated with a higher fat percentage in milk (4.76 ± 0.28) compared to the GG genotype (4.04 ± 0.22, p = 0.048), as well as a higher protein percentage (3.96 ± 0.32% vs. 3.43 ± 0.15%, p = 0.027) in Romanian Brown cattle. Moreover, the PRL locus favored a significantly higher fat (p = 0.021) and protein (p = 0.028) percentage in the milk of Romanian Brown cattle compared to the Romanian Spotted breed, with a difference of 0.263% and 0.170%, respectively
Observations on german and french idiomatic expressions from the animal kingdom and their didactic treatment
No full textOur paper aims to analyze several German and French idiomatic expressions and their equivalent in Romanian by
highlighting the similarities and differences between these languages. The examples with which we want to illustrate
this analysis are part of the animal kingdom, a generous reservoir of images that illustrates certain symmetry between
the phraseologisms of Romanian, French, and German, although this fact is not a mandatory aspect. The semantic
equivalents in Romanian of German and French idiomatic expressions containing words from the animal kingdom
highlight the material and spiritual richness of the two civilizations because the animal world has always held a special
attraction in the collective imagination of humans