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Cheese was in the past, and still is today, one of the leading commodities. The production of "bryndza" has been preserved over the years, and today it is represented by the Protected Geographical Indication "Slovenská bryndza" (Slovenská bryndza). There are two types of "Slovenská bryndza", mixed or 100% sheep. However, the name 'traditional' belongs only to sheep's bryndza. The high demand for a particular foodstuff also brings risks associated with its quality and fairness. The same is true of the national heritage product, sheep's bryndza. Identifying the originality or authenticity of various animal food products has received considerable attention recently. Our work has focused on the control of adulteration of 100% sheep's bryndza. Purchased samples from different parts of Slovakia were analyzed with a focus on the addition of cow's milk to sheep's bryndza. The reference method for determining the presence of cow's milk in sheep's cheese is based on detecting cow's γ2- and γ3-caseins from cheese after electrophoretic separation on urea-polyacrylamide gels. This method has proven to be reliable and sensitive. We tested sheep's bryndza made from both raw milk and heat-treated milk. The method of checking for adulteration of the cheese proved successful and in one sample we found the presence of cow casein in smaller amounts, probably due to accidental contamination. Isoelectric focusing of γ-caseins after plasmolysis is suitable for qualitatively determining sheep and cow proteins in traditional Slovak bryndza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics released from food contact materials have raised concerns regarding their safety implications for human health. In this way, several studies have shown that microplastics can migrate from food contact materials into beverages and food, leading to human exposure through ingestion. The small size and persistent nature of microplastics make them capable of accumulating in various organs and tissues, potentially causing adverse health effects. Furthermore, the toxicological properties are amplified by their ability to adsorb and transport hazardous chemicals, including additives, endocrine disruptors, and toxic metals. Their health impacts include inflammation, oxidative stress, genotoxicity, and disruption of the endocrine system. Carcinogenic effects, reproductive disorders, and developmental abnormalities have also been reported. Moreover, microplastics can act as vectors for microbial pathogens, posing additional health risks. Further research and testing methods are required to understand the sources, distribution, and toxicity of microplastic particles, to improve customers safety issue. Additionally, concerted efforts from stakeholders, including manufacturers, regulators, and consumers are needed, including activities that support the development and adoption of alternative non-toxic, biodegradable, and sustainable packaging materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the antifungal activity and the potential synergistic activity of ten plant extracts (EXs) and ten essential oils (EOs) obtained from the same plant species, namely Agrimonia eupatoria L., Arctium lappa L., Arnica montana L., Bidens cernua L., Corylus avellana L., Echinacea purpurea L. (Moench), Menta piperita L., Trifolium pratense L., Syzygium aromaticum L., and Angelica sinensis (Oliv.) Diels were used. Three species of the genus Candida, namely C. albicans, C. glabrata, and C. tropicalis, isolated from polluted estuarine water, were used in this study. The chemical composition of all EOs was evaluated by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC–FID) analysis. Firstly, the susceptibility of Candida spp. strains to EXs and EOs was screened by the agar disc diffusion method. Then the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the tested EXs and EOs was determined in a concentration range from 256 to 0.125 µL/mL. Following that, the effective EXs and EOs were divided into two groups (strong effect and weak effect) and tested in combination (strong + weak) at various concentrations depending on the tested strain to determine their potential synergistic effect using the chessboard pattern. The most sensitive strain to treatments with EXs and EOs tested alone and in mixtures was C. albicans. The most potent combinations with other EXs/EOs were observed with Syzygium aromaticum L., for both plant extract and essential oil, respectively. In this study the EOs and EXs tested in combination were much more effective than when acting on the growth of Candida spp. separately. So, the synergistic effect of the combinations of the EXs and EOs can lead to a reduction in the doses of commercial antifungals and can provide an effective way to reduce the infections caused by yeasts of the genus Candida. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since semen quality is important for the successful artificial insemination (AI) or cryopreservation, we focused on the evaluation of Slovak national rabbit breeds, New Zealand rabbit and Liptov Bold-Spotted rabbit semen as a possible source of gene reserve. Besides standard sperm traits such as motility, viability, acrosome integrity, and oxidative damage (ROS), bacterial profiles were also assessed in semen samples of New Zealand rabbit (control; n=2; N1 and N2) and Liptov Bold-Spotted rabbit (experimental; n=2; L2 and L4). After initial analysis, samples were divided into good (>70%) and poor (<70%) quality samples according to motility and viability. The results showed significantly higher (P<0.05) totally motile spermatozoa in N1, N2 (76.53±1.22%; 77.30±1.22%) compared to L2 (35.86±5.39%) as well as higher progressively motile spermatozoa in N1 (60.53±1.35%) and N2 (68.13±4.14%) compared to L2 (24.16±1.95%). However, no significant differences in L4 (45.11±4.05%) compared to other groups were recorded. The proportion of dead/live, apoptotic, acrosome damaged, mitochondrial active and ROS produced rabbit sperm was assessed via flow cytometry using fluorescent dyes: DRAQ7, SYBR-14, Yo-Pro-1, PNA, MitoTracker and CellROX, respectively. Significant (p<0.05) decrease of live sperm was observed in L4 (42.73±6.89%) compared to N1 (75.22±5.75%) sample. In adittion, significant (p<0.05) increased presence of dead sperm was in L4 (41.20±10.16%) group compared to N2 (11.16±3.01%). The activity of rabbit sperm mitochondria assessed via mitochondrial membrane potential was significantly (p<0.05) higher in N1 (93.37±1.46%) and N2 (94.35±0.74%) compared to L4 (57.34±1.92). The results from the bacteriological analysis showed that the sperm in good quality (N1 and N2) contained mainly microbial genus such as Brevundimonas, Brevibacterium, Bacillus or Achromobacter. Other samples with poor quality (L2, L4) contained different kind of bacterial genus such as Pseudomonas, Delftia, Acidovorax, Acinetobacter or Staphylococcus. Although the microorganism profile appeared different, obligate pathogenic species were not present. Therefore, further analyses are needed to find out the reason of poor semen quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, it is very important to find out the protection of plant products as an alternative to synthetic fungicides. The promising alternative is the use of the essential oils (EOs). The aim of our research was to evaluate the antifungal effect of angelica (Angelica archangelica L.), anise (Pimpinella anisum L.), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Miller.), camphore (Cinnamonum camphorum Nees & Eberm), litsea (Litsea deccanensis L.), cumin (Carum carvi L.), dill (Anethum graveolens L.), thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.), mint (citrate) (Mentha citrata L.), mint (piperita) (Mentha piperita L.), laurel (Laurus nobilis L.), cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum L.) EOs against three isolates of the genus Rhizopus obtained from moldy plants source the chemical composition of selected EOs was determined by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC – MS) and by gas chromatography with flame ionization detector (GC – FID). The antifungal activity of EOs against the growth of Rhizopus spp. was investigated by gas diffusion method (625 μL/L of air). The mycelium growth inhibition was measured on the 2nd, 4th, and 7th days of cultivation. Six EOs: litsea, mint (citrata), mint (piperita), cumin, thyme and cinnamon completely inhibited the growth of all tested fungi. For these EOs the minimum inhibitory doses were determined. According to probit analyses, the most effective tested EO was thyme and the least effective was cumin. Our results indicated that EOs are effective in the vapor phase and had a potential antifungal activity against Rhizopus stolonifer strains. So, they could be utilized in novel biological fungicide development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fermentation is traditionally divided into two types of fermentation bottom and top fermentation. There is a third type of fermentation, which is traditionally used for spontaneously fermented beer. Spontaneous fermentation runs slowly because starts without inoculation. All of the 100 species of yeasts and more than 50 species of bacteria that were obtained from this beer come from the environment. A wide spectrum of microorganisms is discriminated on base of substrate usability, pH and alcohol tolerance, temperature, and speed of growth. So, fermentation is divided into different phases as normal one-organism fermentation. Phases are: the phase of Enterobacteriaceae, the phase of main fermentation, the phase of acidification, and the phase of maturation. Every phase is specific for the mostly obtained microorganism, specific metabolites, or technological processes. During 3 years of fermentation in every case, a unique product with terroir will arise. Understanding this process is necessary to apply its interesting parts to new beverages productions and other fermentation technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the antagonistic effect of three strains of the genus Bacillus on toxigenic fungi contaminating food commodities, with emphasis on two ochratoxigenic isolates (A. ochraceus, A. westerdijkiae) and two aflatoxigenic isolates (A. flavus and A. parasiticus). In vitro studies were carried out using two different methods for cultivation tested bacilli with fungal isolates - coincubation and dual culture method. The most sensitive isolate was A. ochraceus by both used methods. B. mycoides (5.72 ± 6.4 mm) and B. subtilis (5.08 ± 2.84 mm) were able to inhibit its growth and sporulation during ten days of cultivation (both inhibited the sporulation of A. ochraceus 100%) in coincubation. The most effective in the dual culture method were B. subtilis and B. thuringiensis against A. ochraceus (growth inhibition rate 84.40%; 90.55%) and A. flavus (growth inhibition rate 91.54%; 92.43%). The most effective sporulation inhibitors were B. subtilis and B. thuringiensis, which completely inhibited the sporulation of A. ochraceus and A. parasiticus after ten days of coincubation. Likewise, all tested bacterial strains showed complete inhibition of ochratoxin A synthesis in A. ochraceus and A. westerdijkiae exposure to bacterial volatiles. So, the current study illustrated that strains of the genus Bacillus could significantly inhibit the growth, sporulation, and mycotoxin production of toxigenic aspergilli and showing the great potential as a biocontrol agent of preand post-harvest food diseases caused by microscopic filamentous fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coffee presents a valuable food product for several reasons, covering areas like a source of health benefits substances for the human body, brain energizing/stimulating product and its social aspect raising from coffee consumption. This study aims to summarise the most common practices used in coffee adulteration and the methods focused to confirm the authenticity of the coffee, the quality, and price determinants according to a place of origin and/or selection between Robusta versus Arabica coffee beans. Nowadays, several scientific approaches are used for this purpose, based on chemical or molecular analysis. Literature and the data presented in this article were collected from studies published in scientific journals. On the other hand, the article introduces how to protect customer\s rights in the global coffee trade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work analyzes the quality of sausage with mutton. The proportion of individual commodities was as follows 40% sheep thigh, 40% pork shoulder, and belly 20%. The protein content in pork shoulder was 20.11 g.100g-1 in sheep thigh 23.65 g.100g-1 and sausage 19.89 g.100g-1. Of the monitored amino acids, the highest content was in lysine, in the sausage was 1.9 g.100g-1 and of the raw materials in the belly 2.1 g.100g-1. We also found a higher proportion of leucine 1.7 g.100g-1 in both sausage and sheep thighs. The arginine content in the sausage was also high 1.39 g.100g-1. We found a high content of palmitic acid in the pork shoulder of 24.38 g.100g-1 FAME. The content of palmitic acid in sheep meat was 24.32 g.100g-1 FAME and in sausage 24.16 g.100g-1 FAME. The content of stearic acid in the pork shoulder was 10.89g.100g-1 FAME, in the sheep thigh 10.64g.100g-1 FAME, in the belly 11.07 g.100g-1 FAME, and the sausage 10.92 g.100g-1 FAME. The MDA content in sheep meat was 0.185 mg.kg-1, in pork shoulder 0.141 mg.kg-1, in pork belly 0.22 mg.kg-1 and in sausage on the day of production 0.45 mg.kg-1. On the 30th day, the MDA content was in the sausage 0.78 mg.kg-1. The high MDA content of the sausage was probably most influenced by the technological process, as all raw materials, because there was a lower MDA content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work was to analyze the carcass structure and the quality of the meat and fat oxidation of French Lop and Californian rabbit breeds. Carcass yield of the Californian rabbit breed was 50% and the French Lop rabbit was 49.9%. In the thing muscle of the French Lop rabbit, the protein content was 23.85 g.100 g-1 and in the musculus longissimus dorsi (MLD) - 23.31 g.100 g-1. The Californian rabbit breed had a protein content of 23.30 g.100 g-1 in the thigh muscle and 23.67 g.100 g-1 in the MLD. The intramuscular fat content of the French Lop rabbit thigh muscle was 0.92 g.100 g-1 and the back muscle was 0.99 g.100 g-1. The thigh muscle of the Californian rabbit had an intramuscular fat content of 1.10 g.100 g-1 and a back muscle of 1.07 g.100 g-1. The higher content of oleic acid was found in both breeds: in the MLD of French Lop rabbit breed had 38.32 g.100 g-1 FAME (fatty acid methyl ester) and in the MLD of Californian rabbit - 39.76 g.100 g-1 FAME. In the thigh muscle, the oleic acid content in a French Lop rabbit was of 30.76 g.100 g-1 FAME and in a Californian rabbit breed - 39.02 g.100 g-1 FAME. The docosahexaeonic acid content in the thigh muscle of the French Lop rabbit was the same as that of the Californian rabbit (0.03 g.100 g-1 FAME). Malondialdehyde content, an indicator of fat oxidation, determined after 5 days of maturation in the MLD of both breeds was the same (0.17 mg.kg-1). The content of MDA in the thigh muscle of the French Lop rabbit was 0.17 mg.kg-1 and in the Californian rabbit - 0.16 mg.kg-1. To achieve optimal carcass maturity, it is appropriate to fatten the French Lop rabbits to an older age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the occurrence of pathogens in selected group of ewes and the relationship between somatic cell count (SCC) and the presence of pathogens. The experiment was carried out on a dairy farm, where predominantly breed was a Tsigai. Sampling was carried out in monthly intervals as part of the milk recording test day from February to July 2019. A total of 303 ewes were included in the survey, during the milk recording test day. The ewes with SCC =1000 × 103 cells.mL-1 were selected for further sampling at half udder level. Based on SCC the ewes were divided into five groups: <200 ×103; =200 <400 × 103; =400 <600 × 103; =600 <1000 × 103; =1000 × 103 cells.mL-1. The first group of SCC contained 33.9% of milk samples, the second 14.1% of samples, the third 5.7% of samples, the fourth 6.2% and the fifth 40.1% of samples. The most common pathogens were coagulase negative staphylococci (CNS). The most frequent CNS was Staphylococcus (S.) simulans (24.4%). S. aureus was identified in 5.3% of bacteriological positive samples. Almost 70% of ewes with bacteriological positive samples were repeated identified the presence of pathogens during tested period. SCC =500 × 103 cells.mL-1 were detected in 92.5% bacteriological positive milk samples. The presence of pathogens increased SCC in milk (p <0.001) as compared to samples free of pathogens. In conclusion, the SCC =500 × 103 cells.mL-1 could be important for detection of subclinical mastitis at half udder level in dairy ewes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Milk somatic cell count (SCC) is a main indicator of udder health in dairy animals. Thus, increased SCC levels are usually associated with the clinical and/or subclinical intramammary infections. SCC are mainly composed of immune cells (leukocytes) and epithelial cells. Recently, several flow cytometric approaches were used to assess the distribution of these cells in the milk of ewes. Hereby, a new combined antibody panel was designed for this purpose. Briefly, milk cells were stained with specific antibodies: CD18 (leukocytes), CD21 (B cells), CD4 (Th cells), CD8 (Tc cells), CD14 (monocytes) and CD11b (polymorphonuclear cells - PMNs). CD18 negative cells were considered as epithelial cells. Moreover, a qualitative examination of bacteria species presented in the milk was carried out using MALDI-TOF MS. Analysed milk samples were divided into 5 classes according to the SCC number as follows: < 300,000 cells.ml-1 (SCC1), 300,000-500,000 cells.ml-1 (SCC2), 501,000-1,000,000 cells.ml-1 (SCC3), 1,001,000-2,000,000 cells.ml-1 (SCC4) and > 2,000,000 cells.ml-1 (SCC5). SCC1-2 samples were considered as normal milk samples, whereas SCC3-5 as abnormal samples. Bacteriological assessment revealed that all samples in SCC3-5 class were infected mainly by S. epidermidis and S. caprae. On the other hand, SCC2 did not exhibit a pathogen infection and in SCC1 only 22 % of samples were infected. Concerning the somatic cell composition, SCC1-2 classes comprised approximately 50:50 of leukocytes and epithelial cells. The main leukocyte subsets were PMNs. However, the number of leukocytes alongside with PMNs count significantly (P < 0.05) increased in SCC3, whereas the number of epithelial cells significantly (P < 0.05) decreased compared to SCC1-2. Similar trend, although not significant, was observed in SCC4-5 samples. The proportion of nonviable PMNs also increased (P < 0.05) in SCC3, however it was not markedly different in comparison to live PMNs among all SCC classes. In conclusion, described methodological approach could be effective in the more detail further research dealing with distribution of different cells of different origin (epithelial, leukocytes) in cases of subclinical mastitis caused by different mastitis pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi are a severe problem for agriculture, and some organic fertilizers have shown a suppressive capacity due to the antagonistic action of microbial communities inhabiting those substrates. The purpose of this work was to isolate and identify actinomycetes from soil, compost and vermicompost able to antagonize phytopathogens. In total, out of 352 actinomycetes successfully recovered on Pochon medium and of which were selected representative 22 mycelium forming isolates, which were subjected to morphological and genotypic characterization. Genetic characterization based on 16S rDNA fragment sequencing revealed that, all the actinomycete isolates belong to the genus Streptomyces. The antifungal activity of isolates was tested against eight phytopathogenic fungi, and they were most activated against Rhizoctonia solani, Alternaria tenuissima, Aspergillus niger and Penicillium expansum. Isolates 51VK13 (Streptomyces sampsonii) and 12VK13 (Streptomyces flavovariabilis) isolated from soil amended with vermicompost showed the greatest antagonistic activity. Their bioactive potential was also confirmed by presence of genes for nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase types I and II (PKS-I and PKS-II). It can, therefore, be concluded that soil amended with organic fertilizers such as compost, and in particular vermicompost, provides a lower incidence of phytopathogens, especially fungi. Isolated actinomycetes have also shown high potential for the production of bioactive compounds useful in the control of plant diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditional medicine usage at the preventive medicine level is comprehensive and plant-based remedies are being prescribed for the treatment of a large scale of diseases by indigenous medical practitioners around the world. The phytochemicals being observed in the fruits and vegetables as well as herbal plants are getting investigated intensively as their important role in the avoidance of diverse human diseases is undoubtful. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of selected medicinal herbs were evaluated in this study. Aerial parts of plants from Hypericaceae, Lamiaceae, Fabaceae, Plantaginaceae, Rubiaceae growing wild in Slovakia (locality Zobor) were investigated to characterize their polyphenol content, flavonoid content, as well as antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. Inspection of the metabolic profile combined with HPLC data showed that the ethanol extract contained mainly eight polyphenols with apigenin, daidzein, kaempferol, rutin, quercetin, vitexin, and cynaroside as the main chemicals. Among them, neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, trans-p-caffeic acid, trans-p-coumaric acid, trans-p-sinapic acid, trans-p-ferulic acid, rosmarinic acid were identified. The antioxidant capacity of ethanol extracts was evaluated by employing DPPH radical scavenging and phosphomolybdenum assays. All samples were also tested against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus thuringiensis, Micrococcus luteus, Staphyloccocus epidermidis) and Gram-negative (Citrobacter koseri, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas proteolytica, Hafnia alvei, Salmonella enterica, Yersinia enterocolitica) bacterial species using the disk diffusion and minimum inhibitory concentration assays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pleurotus spp. is in the top three of the most widely grown mushroom in the world's production. In connection with its intensive production in a conventional way, the risk of contamination with the most pathogens is avoided. The work deals with identification of the pathogen on the production crop of oyster mushroom, and with determining the optimal dilution of the commercially available disinfectant with 47 g/kg (4.7%) sodium hypochlorite to eliminate it. We found that the lethal dose of sodium hypochlorite for pathogen Pseudomonas tolaasii and for Pleurotus ostreatus is different, so we recommend using the disinfectant in specified dilutions even during the cultivation of oyster mushroom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the antimicrobial activity of sage oil, some of its pure components (1,8-cineole, borneol and α-ß thujone) and sage extract were investigated against selected strains of Gram-positive bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus) and Gramnegative bacteria (Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli). The antimicrobial activities of the used antimicrobials agents were determined by using the micro broth dilution method according to Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. The percentage of bacterial growth was determined by measured absorbance on a Microplate Reader Opsys MRTM, Dynex (Chantilly, USA). The best minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was found against Gram-positive bacteria S. aureus CCM 4223 by sage essential oil with MIC50 96.05 μg/mL. The results from the percentage growth of tested bacteria showed that antimicrobial agents inhibit more Grampositive, than Gram-negative bacterial strains. The chemical composition of sage essential oil (EO) was analysed using the gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Sage EO contains primarily α -thujone (14.00 %), borneol (12.90%), camphor (12.90%), (-)-Isopulegol (10.10%), ß-thujone (8.40%) and 1,8- cineole (8.00%). The antioxidant properties of sage oil (71.55%) and sage propylene glycol extract (60.93%) were measured by testing their scavenging effect on DPPH radical activities. Due to antibacterial activity of the tested antimicrobials from sage, the problem of microbial resistance to conventional antibiotics could be treated by pharmaceutical industries to manufacture antibacterial drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bread is considered an intermediate - moisture food product that is prone to mould spoilage. Growth of spoilage fungi is currently controlled with the addition of chemical preservatives. Consumers demand more natural products and there is a need to reduce the amount of chemical preservatives added to foods. Essential oils (EOs) and their constituents emerged as promising and effective compounds to protect foods from lipid peroxidation and provide microbiological food safety. So the aim of our study was to determinate microscopic fungi involved in contamination of bread target the genus Eurotium and to evaluate the antifungal activity of 5 EOs by vapor contact against the fungal species of this genus. In all samples after three days of cultivation fungi created colonies on the surface of the crust and the pieces of the bread samples stored on DRBC were after three days of cultivation covered with fungi colonies. Altogether 195 isolates were recovered from 8 bread samples and assigned to 10 fungal genera. The most frequently genus of fungi was Penicillium, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Epicoccum and Eurotium. Based on phylogenetic and morphological studies, five different Eurotium species were identified: E. amstelodami, E. chevalieri, E. herbariorum, E. rubrum and E. repens. In this study, we explored the potential of five essential oils retrieved from some Lamiaceae species, concretely: basil (Ocinum basilicum L.), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.), oregano (Origanum vulgare L.), mint (Metha piperita L.) and sage (Salvia officinalis L.). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis allowed for the identification of 28 compounds as main constituents. Inhibitory activity of EOs was assessed against 5 species of genus Eurotium (2 isolates for each specie). In all studied strains, the essential oils caused significant differences (P<0.05) on the mycelium growth. Our result showed that the best antifungal effect was shown by lavender and oregano (100%) to all species of tested fungi followed by mint (with the best MGI 79.89% to E. rubrum) >basil (with the best Mycelial growth Inhibition (MGI) 93.65% to E. herbariorum) and the low effect had sage essential oil (with the best MGI 68.62% to E. repens). The present study demonstrated the potential food preservative ability of essential oils from some Lamiaceae species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]