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Herbicides (HBs) are an integral part of modern agricultural practice globally as one of the most suitable methods for chemical weed control. Hence, they may inadvertently damage crops through similar mechanisms well-functioning at weeds. Tolerance to three categories of treatments (tribenuron-methyl, 2,4 D and their combination), and the impact of the mode of application (pre-treatment of seeds or spraying on plants) was assessed through morphometric analysis (total plant length, root length, stem length, lengths of the first three leaves, relative water content-RWC), and pigment content analysis for some wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars in use in Albania. Results speak of a cultivar specific tolerance to each HB category, discriminating “Dajti” as the most resistant cultivar, and suggesting that the stress imposed to plants by the combination of HBs can produce significant differences in pigment content. The mode of treatment, on the other side showed that glyphosate pre-treatment of seeds led to inhibition of germination, and plants germinated from seed pre-treatment with in 2,4-D displayed significant modification of plant morphology, and germination rate, and had limited impact on RWC. On contrary, few statistically significant changes in morphometric traits and pigments content were evidenced when plants were treated with 2,4-D or glyphosate after the germination. In conclusion, the combination of HBs produced significant changes in plant pigments content compared to the impact of each HB alone, and the pre-treatment of seeds lead either to inhibition or delayed germination. Based on the above we recommend avoiding these practices, and suggest further exploration of alternative HB combinations and modes of treatment before large scale applications.

Studies of newly isolated strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are a good basis for expanding the potential for their applications in functional foods, probiotic food supplements, and other probiotic products. They exhibit various functional properties, including such with antiviral activity. Probiotic strains can manifest their antiviral effects by various mechanisms, including direct interaction with viruses, production of antiviral compounds, or immune system modulation. Ten newly isolated LAB strains from traditional fermented food products have been tested for the determination of their antiviral activity. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of cell-free supernatants (CFSs) from the studied strains for the effect on viral replication of Human alphaherpesvirus—HHV-1 and HHV-2 as well as for direct virucidal activity. The CFSs of the LAB strains were used in non-toxic concentrations of 25%, 6.25%, and 1.6%. No direct virucidal activity was observed in tested CFSs, but five of the strains observed a well-defined effect of viral replication inhibition with the selective index (SI) from 4.40 to >54. For two of these five strains, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KZM 2-11-3 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KC 5-12 strong activity against HHV-2 with a selective index (SI) over 45 was detected, which is a good basis for further research.

The applicability of two lactic acid bacterial strains with probiotic potential and bioprotective properties as additions in the starter culture in yogurt fermentation was examined. The studied strains, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KZM 2-11-3 and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum KC 5-12, inhibited the growth of Kluyveromyces lactis, Kluyveromyces marxianus, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The strain L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KZM 2-11-3 directly inhibited Escherichia coli. The important characteristics for the quality of the yogurt product, such as physicochemical parameters during fermentation and storage, rheological characteristics, and sensory changes during the storage of samples were determined. The yogurt samples with the strains did not differ in most parameters from the control yogurt with the commercial starter. The added strains showed stable viability in the yogurt samples during storage. The yogurt sample with L. delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus KZM 2-11-3 and the sample with both strains based on the total evaluation were very similar to the control yogurt with the commercial starter. Using these strains as probiotic supplements to enrich the starter cultures in yogurt production will contribute to developing new products with benefits to human health.