Notes on phytosociology of Juniperus excelsa in Macedonia (southern Balkan Peninsula)

Juniperus excelsa is an East Mediterranean species found also in marginal, sub-mediterranean regions of the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula. It prefers shallow soils in the warmest habitats of the zone of thermophilous deciduous forests. In the past the rank of alliance and the name of Juniperion excelsae-foetidissimae have been suggested for the vegetation dominated by Juniperus excelsa in the Balkan Peninsula. In this paper we present the valid description of the alliance in accordance with the International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature. The validation of the Juniperion excelsae-foetidissimae required description of a new association - the Querco trojanae-Juniperetum excelsae. The Juniperion excelsae-foetidissimae is classified within the order of Quercetalia pubescentis Klika 1933 (the Quercetea pubescentis Doing-Kraft ex Scamoni et Passarge 1959)

Functional characterisation and antimicrobial efficiency assessment of smart nanohydrogels containing natamycin incorporated into polysaccharide-based films

The potential application of polysaccharide-based films containing smart nanohydrogels for the controlled release of food preservatives is demonstrated here. Smart active packaging is the most promising alternative to traditional packaging as it provides a controlled antimicrobial effect, which allows reducing the amount of preservatives in the food bulk, releasing them only on demand. This work evaluates the usefulness of smart thermosensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPA) nanohydrogels with or without acrylic acid (AA) incorporated into polysaccharide-based films (GA) to transport natamycin and release it as a response to environmental triggers. Release kinetics in liquid medium from GA films containing PNIPA/AA nanohydrogels (GA-PNIPA(5) and GA-PNIPA-20AA(5)) presented a characteristic feature regarding the films without nanohydrogels that was the appearance of a lag time in natamycin release, able to reach values of around 35 h. Another important feature of natamycin release kinetics was the fact that the release from GA-PNIPA/AA films only occurred when temperature was increased, so that the natamycin release was restricted to when there is a risk of growth of microorganisms that cause food spoilage or the development of pathogenic microorganisms. Additionally, it could be observed that the relative fraction of natamycin released from GA-PNIPA/AA films was significantly (p<0.05) higher than that released from GA films loaded with the same amount of free natamycin. It can be hypothesised that the encapsulation of natamycin into nanohydrogels helped it to be released from GA films, creating reservoirs of natamycin into the films and, therefore, facilitating its diffusion through the film matrix when the nanohydrogel collapses. In a solid medium, the low water availability limited natamycin release from GA-PNIPA/AA films restricting the on/off release mechanism of PNIPA/AA nanohydrogels and favouring the hydrophobic interactions between natamycin and polymer chains at high temperatures. Despite the low natamycin release in solid media, antimicrobial efficiency of GA-PNIPA(5) films containing natamycin in acidified agar plates was higher than that obtained with GA films without natamycin and GA films with free natamycin, probably due to the protecting effect against degradation when natamycin was included in the nanohydrogels, allowing its release only when the temperature increased.Clara Fucinos and Miguel A. Cerqueira are recipients of a fellowship (SFRH/BPD/87910/2012 and SFRH/BPD/72753/2010, respectively) from the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (FCT, POPH-QREN, and FSE Portugal). The authors thank the FCT Strategic Project PEst-OE/EQB/LA0023/2013 and the project "BioInd - Biotechnology and Bioengineering for improved Industrial and Agro-Food processes", Ref. NORTE-07-0124-FEDER-000028 co-funded by the Programa Operacional Regional do Norte (ON.2 - O Novo Norte), QREN, FEDER and the project from the "Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia" (Spain) "Nanohidrogeles inteligentes sensibles a cambios de pH y Temperatura: Diseno, sintesis y aplicacion en terapia del cancer y el envasado activo de alimentos", Ref. MAT2010-21509-C03-01

First isolation of Mycobacterium marinum from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and gilthead sea bream (Spams auratus) cultured in Turkey

Mycobacterium marinum is the most important fish tuberculosis agent. Turkey is an important Mediterranean country in terms of sea bass, sea bream and trout production. In this work, a total of 1050 fish samples (300 sea bass, 300 sea bream, 450 trout, respectively) taken randomly from 20 sea bass and sea bream (No:1-20), and 15 trout (No: 21-35) farms, were analysed using a combination of culture-based and molecular (Reverse Hybridisation) methods for Mycobacterium spp. The majority of samples were negative for mycobacteriosis. However, isolates that were positive by Reverse Hybridisation for M. marinum were isolated and identified from 60 fish (30 sea bass and 30 sea bream samples) from two cages of one farm in the Milas/Mugla province (Southeastern part of the Aegean Sea). This is the first M. marinum isolation from cultured sea bass and sea bream in Turkey

First isolation of Mycobacterium marinum from sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and gilthead sea bream (Sparus auratus) cultured in Turkey

WOS: 000385990400003Mycobacterium marinum is the most important fish tuberculosis agent. Turkey is an important Mediterrenean country in terms of sea bass, sea bream and trout production. In this work, a total of 1050 fish samples (300 sea bass, 300 sea bream, 450 trout, respectively) taken randomly from 20 sea bass and sea bream (No:1-20), and 15 trout (No: 21-35) farms, were analysed using a combination of culture-based and molecular (Reverse Hybridisation) methods for Mycobacterium spp. The majority of samples were negative for mycobacteriosis. However, isolates that were positive by Reverse Hybridisation for M. marinum were isolated and identified from 60 fish (30 sea bass and 30 sea bream samples) from two cages of one farm in the Milas/Mugla province (Southeastern part of the Aegean Sea). This is the first M. marinum isolation from cultured sea bass and sea bream in Turkey