Partial replacement of soybean meal with pumpkin seed cake in lamb diets: Effects on carcass traits, haemato-chemical parameters and fatty acids in meat

The composition of lamb diets has an effect on production traits and meat quality, especially fatty acid proportions. Recently, in organic farming, soybean meal has frequently been replaced with feedstuffs that are rich in protein. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of partial replacement of soybean meal with pumpkin seed cake on carcass traits, biochemical parameters and fatty acids of lamb meat produced in organic farming. The research was carried out on 70-day-old lambs of the Merinolandschaf breed. Thirty-six lambs were grouped by gender, and allotted to three treatment groups, which were given one of the three diets: control diet with no pumpkin seed cake; a diet in which 10% of soybean meal was replaced with 10% pumpkin seed cake; and a diet in which 15% of soybean meal was replaced with 15% pumpkin seed cake. The experimental feeding period was 30 days. Hay and water were provided ad libitum. Differential blood tests and haematological parameters were determined, and the concentrations of minerals and biochemical parameters, and enzyme activity were ascertained in blood serum. Carcass traits and lamb meat colour did not differ among dietary treatments. Significant differences were observed in the concentrations of some biochemical parameters, which indicated good energy and protein balance, and changes in fat metabolism that did not impair antioxidant status. Compared with the control, the concentration of linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6) was higher in diets containing 10% and 15% of pumpkin seed cake replacements. The results indicated that partial replacement of soybean meal with 10% or 15% of pumpkin seed cake could be implemented in lamb feeding in organic farming without major changes in carcass traits, haemato-chemical parameters and the fatty acid profile in meat.Keywords: Blood parameters, meat quality, Merinolandschaf lambs, organic farmin

REPRODUCTIVE PARAMETERS OF THOROUGHBRED MARES IN CROATIA

For the purpose of gaining better cognition on Thoroughbred breeding in Croatia, reproductive parameters of 87 Thoroughbred mares were analyzed. An average age of the first covering and foaling were 5.9 and 6.6 years, respectively. The average gestation length was 341.1 days and the most frequent foaling period (20.2% of foalings) was recorded between 336 to 340 days of gestation. Prolonged gestation period (p<0.05) was determined in colts. The gestation length was the longest in January (344.4 days) and the shortest in July (324.0 days). Between the gestation length and the age of the mare no significant correlation was found. There was a trend of foaling rate decreasing in mares older than 11 years. The highest number of successively registered foalings with 10 live born foals was observed on 2 individual samples. The greatest number of foalings occurred in April (30.9%), whilst there was no foaling in October. The genders were 50.6% male and 49.4% female foals. The incidence of abortions was 7.3%. Although indicators point to the breeding strategy heading towards the right direction, by educating the owners and with frequent veterinary supervision, especially for twin reduction, the reproductive performance could be enhanced

GERMINATION OF SOYBEAN AND FORAGE PEA SEED UNDER DIFFERENT pH OF WATER SOLUTIONS

U laboratorijskim uvjetima ispitivan je utjecaj različitih pH vrijednosti vodene otopine na energiju klijanja, klijavost, dužinu korjenova i izdanaka klijanaca dvije jednogodišnje krmne leguminoze s ciljem procjene tolerantnosti vrsta i kultivara na stresne uvjete nižeg ili višeg pH u najranijim fazama rasta. Po dva kultivara soje (Anica i Ika) i dva kultivara krmnog graška (Zekon i Timo) različite krupnoće sjemena testirana su na četiri razine pH vodene otopine (5, 6, 7 i 8). Sjeme svih ispitivanih kultivara proizvedeno je 2003. godine. Energija klijanja i klijavost nisu se značajno mijenjali zavisno od pH vodene otopine. Dužina korjenova i izdanaka klijanaca obje vrste bila je pod značajnim utjecajem pH vrijednosti vodene otopine (p=0,01). Najveće vrijednosti za dužinu korijena (8,01 cm) dobivene su pri pH=6. Izdanci su bili najduži pri pH=6 i 7 gdje je njihova dužina iznosila 7,53 cm, odnosno 7,07 cm. Najniža prosječna vrijednost za korijen (5,72 cm) utvrđena je pri pH=7, a za izdanak pri pH=5 i 8 (6,02 cm i 6,07 cm). U prosjeku za pH vrijednosti razlike između kultivara su bile značajne (p=0,01) za sva ispitivana svojstva. Kultivar soje Ika imao je najveću energiju klijanja (70,1%), a Anica najveću klijavost (80,8%). Najveće prosječne vrijednosti za dužinu korijena (8,17 cm) i izdanka (10,18 cm) imao je kultivar krmnog graška Timo.Influence of different pH values of water solution on germination energy, germination, seedlings root length and stem height of two annual forage legumes was tested in laboratory conditions in order to evaluate tolerance of species and cultivars to stress conditions caused by lower or higher pH in the earliest phases of growth. Two soybean cultivars (Anica and Ika) and two forage pea cultivars (Zekon and Timo), which differentiated in seed size were tested at four pH levels of water solution (5, 6, 7and 8). Seed of all investigated cultivars was produced in 2003. Germination energy and germination were not significantly affected by the pH of water solution. Root length and stem height of seedlings of both species were significantly affected (p=0.01) by the pH of water solution. The highest values for root length were found at pH=6 (8.01 cm). Stem was highest in both species at pH=6 and 7 (7.53 and 7.07 cm).The lowest average root length value (5.72) was found at pH=7. The lowest average stem height (6.02 and 6.07 cm) was at pH=5 and 8. Differences among all investigated traits of cultivars for pH values in average were significant (p=0.01). Soybean cultivar Ika had the highest germination energy (70.1%), and soybean cultivar Anica had the highest germination (80.8%). Forage pea cultivar Timo had the highest average value of root length and stem height (8.17 and 10.18 cm, respectively)

Antibacterial potential of electrochemically exfoliated graphene sheets

Electrochemically exfoliated graphene is functionalized graphene with potential application in biomedicine. Two most relevant biological features of this material are its electrical conductivity and excellent water dispersibility. In this study we have tried to establish the correlation between graphene structure and its antibacterial properties. The exfoliation process was performed in a two electrode-highly oriented pyrolytic graphite electrochemical cell. Solution of ammonium persulfate was used as an electrolyte. Exfoliated graphene sheets were dispersed in aqueous media and characterized by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, electron paramagnetic resonance, zeta potential, contact angle measurements and surface energy. Antibacterial assays have shown lack of the significant antibacterial activity. Major effect on bacteria was slight change of bacteria morphology. Membrane remained intact despite significant change of chemical content of membrane components.This is the peer reviewed version of the paper: Marković, Z. M., Matijašević, D. M., Pavlović, V. B., Jovanović, S. P., Holclajtner-Antunović, I. D., Špitalský, Z., Mičušik, M., Dramićanin, M. D., Milivojević, D. D., Nikšić, M. P., & Todorović Marković, B. M. (2017). Antibacterial potential of electrochemically exfoliated graphene sheets. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 500, 30–43. [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2017.03.110][https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0021979717303776?via%3Dihub

Synthesis and Characterization of MnCo2O4 Porous Spinel Oxide

This work presents an investigation on spinel structured material that consist of Mn(II) and Co(II) combined in the formula MnCo2O4, where Mn(II) occupies tetrahedral and Co(II) octahedral sites of crystal structure. Such spinel structured material, MnCo2O4 was synthesized by citrate-gel combustion (CGC) technique, carefully chosen as the method of synthesis is very important for producing a material with desirable physico-chemical characteristics

Surface chemistry, thermal stability and structural properties of graphene oxide/12-tungstophosphoric acid nanocomposite

In recent years the nanocomposites of graphene oxide (GO) and different inorganic and organic compounds have shown great potential for charge storage applications. In present work we have investigated the influence of 12-tungstophosphoric acid (WPA) on surface chemistry of graphene oxide and thermal stability of nanocomposite. For this purpose nanocomposites with different mass ratios of GO and WPA were prepared. The thermal stability of nanocomposites was investigated by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA) while changes in surface chemistry of GO and structural properties of WPA were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) method. The TGA-DTA measurements of composites have shown that the major mass loss, due to carbon combustion, is shifted to higher temperatures (~500 °C vs. 380 °C of pure GO). Furthermore, when the amount of WPA is higher than 25 mass percent the nanocomposites start to act like individual components, which was also confirmed by FTIR analysis. The amount of surface oxygen groups, monitored by both TPD and FTIR methods, showed ˝V˝ shaped dependence from the quantity of WPA with minimum at about 12 mass percent of WPA. At the same time, the FTIR spectra revealed the structural changes of WPA, displayed as shifting and splitting of characteristic bands of Keggin anion structure

Surface chemistry, thermal stability and structural properties of graphene oxide/12-tungstophosphoric acid nanocomposite

In recent years the nanocomposites of graphene oxide (GO) and different inorganic and organic compounds have shown great potential for charge storage applications. In present work we have investigated the influence of 12-tungstophosphoric acid (WPA) on surface chemistry of graphene oxide and thermal stability of nanocomposite. For this purpose nanocomposites with different mass ratios of GO and WPA were prepared. The thermal stability of nanocomposites was investigated by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA) while changes in surface chemistry of GO and structural properties of WPA were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) method. The TGA-DTA measurements of composites have shown that the major mass loss, due to carbon combustion, is shifted to higher temperatures (~500 °C vs. 380 °C of pure GO). Furthermore, when the amount of WPA is higher than 25 mass percent the nanocomposites start to act like individual components, which was also confirmed by FTIR analysis. The amount of surface oxygen groups, monitored by both TPD and FTIR methods, showed ˝V˝ shaped dependence from the quantity of WPA with minimum at about 12 mass percent of WPA. At the same time, the FTIR spectra revealed the structural changes of WPA, displayed as shifting and splitting of characteristic bands of Keggin anion structure

Surface chemistry, thermal stability and structural properties of graphene oxide/12-tungstophosphoric acid nanocomposite

In recent years the nanocomposites of graphene oxide (GO) and different inorganic and organic compounds have shown great potential for charge storage applications. In present work we have investigated the influence of 12-tungstophosphoric acid (WPA) on surface chemistry of graphene oxide and thermal stability of nanocomposite. For this purpose nanocomposites with different mass ratios of GO and WPA were prepared. The thermal stability of nanocomposites was investigated by thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA) while changes in surface chemistry of GO and structural properties of WPA were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) method. The TGA-DTA measurements of composites have shown that the major mass loss, due to carbon combustion, is shifted to higher temperatures (~500 °C vs. 380 °C of pure GO). Furthermore, when the amount of WPA is higher than 25 mass percent the nanocomposites start to act like individual components, which was also confirmed by FTIR analysis. The amount of surface oxygen groups, monitored by both TPD and FTIR methods, showed ˝V˝ shaped dependence from the quantity of WPA with minimum at about 12 mass percent of WPA. At the same time, the FTIR spectra revealed the structural changes of WPA, displayed as shifting and splitting of characteristic bands of Keggin anion structure

Facile synthesis of water-soluble curcumin nanocrystals

In this paper, a facile synthesis of water-soluble curcumin nanocrystals is reported. Solvent exchange method was applied to synthesize curcumin nanocrystals. Different techniques were used to characterize the structural and photophysical properties of the curcumin nanocrystals. It was found that the nanocurcumin prepared by this method had good chemical and physical stability, could be stored in the powder form at room temperature, and was freely dispersible in water. It was established that the size of curcumin nanocrystals varied in the range of 20-500 nm. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and UV-Vis analyses showed the presence of tetrahydrofuran inside the curcumin nanocrystals. Furthermore, it was found that the nanocurcumin emitted photoluminescence with a yellow green color

Development of a Flow Injection System for Differential Pulse Amperometry and Its Application for Diazepam Determination

The is work presents the development of a flow injection system for differential pulse amperometry (DPA) for diazepam determination in the presence of oxygen. The thin flow cell consisted of the bare glassy carbon electrode, reference silver/silver chloride, and stainless steel as the auxiliary electrode. Electrochemical reduction of diazepam (DZP) was characterised by cyclic voltammetry. Azomethine reduction peak was used for DZP quantification. The detector response was linear in the range 20-250 mu mol/dm(3) of diazepam, with a calculated detection limit of 3.83 mu g/cm(3). Intraday and interday precision were 1.53 and 10.8%, respectively. The method was applied on three beverage samples, energetic drink, and two different beer samples, and obtained recoveries were from 93.65 up to 104.96%. The throughoutput of the method was up to 90 analyses per hour