Quantitative determination of ochratoxin A in wine after the clarification and filtration

Through the use of the analytical method known as HPLC-FD and previously used the method for extraction of ochratoxin A by immunoaffinity columns, we have analyzed the possible effect of the clarification and filtration process on 54 samples of 2013 newly fermented wine, which have finished alcoholic fermentation process and racking, without knowing in advance whether there and how is the amount of OTA in wine. The racking of the wine before clarification and filtration followed by adequate clarification and filtration process during winemaking seems to be crucial in the reduction or complete elimination of the analyzed mycotoxin (OTA).The results of all analyzed samples have been below the limit allowed by the EU for ochratoxin A i.e. 2 ng/ml, and as such does not represent a risk to human health

Microbiological analysis of the Aspergillus carbonarius and Penicilliumverrucosum in Kosovo vineyards

Through the use of the microbiological semi-selective media (MEA-B and DYSG) for the species Aspergillus carbonarius and Penicillium verrucosum we have analyzed different varieties of the table and wine grapes in the region of Suhareka, south part of Kosovo. The purpose of this scientific work it was to determine through the microbiological analysis the main species of the fungi that produce the micotoxin known as Ochratoxin A. Analysis of the samples was done in the Department of Microbiology, University of Food and Technology, Plovdiv – Bulgaria

QUANTITATIVE DETERMINATION OF OCHRATOXIN A IN BOTTLED WINE

In this study work we have determined the quantity of ochratoxin A (OTA) in 54 samples of bottled wine. The methodology which we used is the method known as High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Fluorescence Detection (HPLC). Before the HPLC analysis we have done the ochratoxin A extraction through the immunoaffinity clean-up procedure by high immunoaffinity columns. Samples that are analyzed have been taken in Kosovo and are wine samples produced and bottled in Republic of Kosovo and the wine samples produced, bottled and imported in Kosovo from other Balkan and Europian Union (EU) countries and beyond. The aim of this research has been the analysis of ochratoxin A in bottled wine for the first time in Kosovo and determination of the risk or not by consumption of the analyzed wines by consumers. The results of all analyzed samples have been below the limit allowed by the EU for ochratoxin A i.e. 2 ng/ml and as such in the future do not pose a risk to human health

Isolation and selection of sauerkraut lactic acid bacteria producing exopolysaccharides

Fermented plant-based foods, including sauerkraut, offer high nutritional and functional value. Their microflora is dominated by lactic acid bacteria which are a source of different substances with health- promoting benefits and diverse applications in the food industry. Production of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) by lactic acid bacteria attracts particular interest in the food industry due to their rheological properties. In the present study, we isolated 20 strains of lactic acid bacteria from traditional Bulgarian sauerkraut. The isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and were attributed to Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (75%) and Pediococcus pentosaceus (25%). All strains were screened for their ability to synthesize exopolysaccharides, and 6 of them proved positive. Since culture media composition and especially the carbon source is a critical factor influencing the yield of bacterial EPSs, the impact of various carbon sources on the EPSs synthesis by the selected producers was explored. The best results were obtained by using glucose and sucrose as sole carbon sources

Impact of GEM foil hole geometry on GEM detector gain

Detailed 3D imaging of Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) foil hole geometry was realized. Scanning White Light Interferometry was used to examine six topological parameters of GEM foil holes from both sides of the foil. To study the effect of the hole geometry on detector gain, the ANSYS and Garfield ++ software were employed to simulate the GEM detector gain on the basis of SWLI data. In particular, the effective gain in a GEM foil with equally shaped holes was studied. The real GEM foil holes exhibited a 4% lower effective gain and 6% more electrons produced near the exit electrode of the GEM foil than the design anticipated. Our results indicate that the GEM foil hole geometry affects the gain performance of GEM detectors.Peer reviewe

Berberine, a popular dietary supplement for human and animal health: Quantitative research literature analysis a review

Berberine is an alkaloid with a wide range of reported beneficial health effects. The current work provides an extensive literature analysis on berberine. Bibliometric data were identified by means of the search string TOPIC=(berberin* OR umbellatine*), which yielded 5,547 publications indexed in the Web of Science Core Collection electronic database. The VOSviewer software generated bubble maps to visualize semantic terms with citation results. The ratio of original articles to reviews was 13.6:1. The literature has been growing more quickly since the 2010s. Major contributing countries were China, the United States, India, Japan, and South Korea. Most of the publications appeared in journals specialized in pharmacology pharmacy, biochemistry molecular biology, chemistry, and plant science. Some of the frequently mentioned chemicals/chemical classes were alkaloid, palmatine, jatrorrhizine, coptisine, isoquinoline, and sanguinarine. The prevalent medical conditions under investigation included Alzheimers disease, cancer, diabetes, and obesity.Acknowledge the support by the Polish KNOW (LeadingNational Research Centre) Scientific Consortium “Healthy Animal-Safe Food,” decision of Ministry of Science and Higher Education No. 05-1/KNOW2/2015 and the European Union under the European Regional Development Fund (Homing/2017-4/41). Antoni Sureda has been supported by the Institute of Health Carlos III (Project CIBEROBN CB12/03/30038). Joanna Feder-Kubis was financed by the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education for the Faculty of Chemistry of Wrocław University of Science and Technology.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Applanation Arterial Tonometry Assesment Of Arterial Stiffness

Applanation arterial tonometry is a modern non-invasive method that allows indirect measure-ment of the intraaortic pressure in different phases of the cardiac cycle and the calculation of different arte-rial stiffness indicators using the data of the reflect-ed pulse wave. Systolic, diastolic, and pulse intraaortic pressure (used for optimal control in the treatment of hypertension), augmentation pressure (assessing arte-rial stiffnes), and subendocardial viability (an indica-tor of the blood supply to the heart muscle) can be mea-sured by brachial artery aplanning. Pulse wave veloc-ity is measured by brachial and femoral artery aplan-ning. Because changes in arterial stiffness precede the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, the method is relevant for determining cardiovascular risk and for monitoring patients with hypertension and persons with risk factors for atherosclerosis

On the molecular selection of exopolysaccharide-producing lactic acid bacteria from indigenous fermented plant-based foods and further fine chemical characterization

Exopolysaccharides (EPSs) produced by lactic acid bacteria present a particular interest for the food industry since they can be incorporated in foods via in situ production by selected starter cultures or applied as natural additives to improve the quality of various food products. In the present study, 43 strains were isolated from different plant-based fermented foods and identified by molecular methods. The species found were distinctively specific according to the food source. Only six Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains, all isolated from sauerkraut, showed the ability to produce exopolysaccharide (EPS). The utilization of glucose, fructose and sucrose was explored with regard to EPS and biomass accumulation by the tested strains. Sucrose was clearly the best carbon source for EPS production by most of the strains, yielding up to 211.53 mg/L by strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZE2, while biomass accumulation reached the highest levels in the glucose-based culture medium. Most strains produced similar levels of EPS with glucose and fructose, while fructose was utilized more poorly for biomass production, yielding about 50% of biomass compared to glucose for most strains. Composition analysis of the EPSs produced by strain Lactiplantibacillus plantarum ZE2 from glucose (EPS-1) and fructose (EPS-2) revealed that glucose (80–83 mol%) and protein (41% w/w) predominated in both analyzed EPSs. However, the yield of EPS-1 was twice higher than that of EPS-2, and differences in the levels of all detected sugars were found, which shows that even for the same strain, EPS yield and composition vary depending on the carbon source. These results may be the basis for the development of tailored EPS-producing starter cultures for food fermentations, as well as technologies for the production of EPS for various applications.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Isolation and selection of sauerkraut lactic acid bacteria producing exopolysaccharides

Fermented plant-based foods, including sauerkraut, offer high nutritional and functional value. Their microflora is dominated by lactic acid bacteria which are a source of different substances with health- promoting benefits and diverse applications in the food industry. Production of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) by lactic acid bacteria attracts particular interest in the food industry due to their rheological properties. In the present study, we isolated 20 strains of lactic acid bacteria from traditional Bulgarian sauerkraut. The isolates were identified by 16S rDNA sequencing and were attributed to Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (75%) and Pediococcus pentosaceus (25%). All strains were screened for their ability to synthesize exopolysaccharides, and 6 of them proved positive. Since culture media composition and especially the carbon source is a critical factor influencing the yield of bacterial EPSs, the impact of various carbon sources on the EPSs synthesis by the selected producers was explored. The best results were obtained by using glucose and sucrose as sole carbon sources