Machine learning chemometric model for Raman spectroscopy based honey quality assessment

INTRODUCTION: According to Codex Alimentarius (2001), “Honey is the natural sweet substance, produced by honeybees from the nectar of plants or from secretions of living parts of plants, or excretions of plant-sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which the bees collect, transform by combining with specific substances of their own, deposit, dehydrate, store and leave in honeycombs to ripen and mature”. Honey is mostly made up of sugars, as well as enzymes, amino acids, organic acids, vitamins, aromatic compounds, minerals and carotenoids. It contains a lot of flavonoids and phenolic acids, which have a lot of biological effects and functions such as natural antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. Its composition is particularly variable, depending on its botanical and geographical origins Because of its exclusive flavor and high dietary value, natural honey is more expensive than other sweeteners. This is the reason why honey is a target of adulteration. The problem is that counterfeiting honey is relatively easy, but detection is difficult. Further, the authenticity of honey is a global important problem for commercial producers and consumers. Accordingly, a fast and non-destructive method of detecting counterfeits is needed. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to verify the possibility of Raman spectroscopy and Support Vector Machine (SVM) for classification of two different honeys and their fake duplicates. For this purpose, meadow and acacia honeys were selected. METHOD / DESIGN: Spectra of homemade and counterfeits honey were recorded using XploRA Raman spectrometer (Horiba Jobin Yvon). Raman scattering was excited by laser at a wavelength of 785 nm equipped with a 600 lines/mm grating; spectra were recorded by applying exposure time 10 s and accumulated from 10 times scans, using 100% filter. Spectral resolution was 3 cm−1 and autocalibration was done each time before recording of spectra by 520.47 cm−1 line of silicon. In order to assess a possible sample inhomogeneity, thirty Raman spectra in the region from 200-3400 cm-1 were recorded for each sample. All spectra were baseline-corrected, normalized and smoothed. After that PCA (Principal component analysis) was conducted and obtained PCs (first two PCs) served as a features for support vector machine (SVM) classification method. Data were divided into training model (70 %) and training data (30 %). Pre-processing was done by Unscrambler X 10.4 software (CAMO software, Norway). In order to determine the best shape of the hyperplane and decision boundary, several kernel function were used: linear, radial basis and polynomial function. The SVM was conducted by Python and Scikit-learn package. RESULTS: Support vector machine showed high accuracy in classification of different honey samples. Accordingly, the best discrimination power showed SVM with polynomial function (100%), followed by radial basis (96.67%) and linear (81.82%)

Quality Parameters and Antioxidant Activity of Three Clover Species in Relation to the Livestock Diet

Products of metabolism that are directly involved in growth, development and reproduction and also secondary products of metabolism were studied in 16 natural populations of three species of the genus Trifolium (T. repens - four populations, T. alpestre - three populations, T. pannonicum - nine populations), collected from the central Balkans region, i.e. territory of Serbia. Statistical analysis showed the presence of variability in all species of the test material. The best quality of dry matter, estimated by the ratio of crude protein and crude fiber, was achieved in the populations of white clover. In this species, average protein content was 216.4 g kg(-1) while the average content of crude fiber was 222.4 g kg(-1). The highest average content of total phenols (77.9 mg GA g(-1)), flavonoids (159.7 mg Ru g(-1)) and antioxidant activity (70.2 mu g ml(-1)) was measured in populations of T. pannonicum by phytochemical analysis of aerial parts of plants. The content of secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity in other species were extremely low. Populations of T. pannonicum were notable for fodder quality and antioxidant activity: CS091 with 186.2 g kg(-1) of crude protein and antioxidant activity of 55 mu g ml(-1); RA123 with 175.6 g kg(-1) of crude protein and a high level of antioxidant activity of 44.8 mu g ml(-1). It can be concluded that the selection of these populations may lead to creation of different varieties of fodder crops that could give safe animal feed and would be suitable for growing under adverse conditions of mountainous climate

Quality Parameters and Antioxidant Activity of Three Clover Species in Relation to the Livestock Diet

Products of metabolism that are directly involved in growth, development and reproduction and also secondary products of metabolism were studied in 16 natural populations of three species of the genus Trifolium (T. repens – four populations, T. alpestre – three populations, T. pannonicum – nine populations), collected from the central Balkans region, i.e. territory of Serbia. Statistical analysis showed the presence of variability in all species of the test material. The best quality of dry matter, estimated by the ratio of crude protein and crude fiber, was achieved in the populations of white clover. In this species, average protein content was 216.4 g kg-1 while the average content of crude fiber was 222.4 g kg-1. The highest average content of total phenols (77.9 mg GA g-1), flavonoids (159.7 mg Ru g-1) and antioxidant activity (70.2 μg ml-1) was measured in populations of T. pannonicum by phytochemical analysis of aerial parts of plants. The content of secondary metabolites and antioxidant activity in other species were extremely low. Populations of T. pannonicum were notable for fodder quality and antioxidant activity: CS091 with 186.2 g kg-1 of crude protein and antioxidant activity of 55 μg ml-1; RA123 with 175.6 g kg-1 of crude protein and a high level of antioxidant activity of 44.8 μg ml-1. It can be concluded that the selection of these populations may lead to creation of different varieties of fodder crops that could give safe animal feed and would be suitable for growing under adverse conditions of mountainous climate

GrassPlot - a database of multi-scale plant diversity in Palaearctic grasslands

GrassPlot is a collaborative vegetation-plot database organised by the Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) and listed in the Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD ID EU-00-003). GrassPlot collects plot records (releves) from grasslands and other open habitats of the Palaearctic biogeographic realm. It focuses on precisely delimited plots of eight standard grain sizes (0.0001; 0.001;... 1,000 m(2)) and on nested-plot series with at least four different grain sizes. The usage of GrassPlot is regulated through Bylaws that intend to balance the interests of data contributors and data users. The current version (v. 1.00) contains data for approximately 170,000 plots of different sizes and 2,800 nested-plot series. The key components are richness data and metadata. However, most included datasets also encompass compositional data. About 14,000 plots have near-complete records of terricolous bryophytes and lichens in addition to vascular plants. At present, GrassPlot contains data from 36 countries throughout the Palaearctic, spread across elevational gradients and major grassland types. GrassPlot with its multi-scale and multi-taxon focus complements the larger international vegetationplot databases, such as the European Vegetation Archive (EVA) and the global database " sPlot". Its main aim is to facilitate studies on the scale-and taxon-dependency of biodiversity patterns and drivers along macroecological gradients. GrassPlot is a dynamic database and will expand through new data collection coordinated by the elected Governing Board. We invite researchers with suitable data to join GrassPlot. Researchers with project ideas addressable with GrassPlot data are welcome to submit proposals to the Governing Board

Adventive and invasive weed species in Serbia

Invasive alien species are taxa that are deliberately or incidentally dispersed from their natural habitats and introduced into new ecosystems, where they show ability to out compete native species and occupy new habitats. The ecology of invasion by animals and plants has been analyzed in numerous articles. As more powerful competitors, introduced taxa may threaten the existence of native (in some cases rare or endemic) species. Moreover, introduction of new species may cause an introduction of organisms that are pathogenic to natives, but not to the introduced species. In such cases, the pathogenic disease may cause significant reduction in the biodiversity of native habitats. The problem of introduced species has been emphasized in recent times because of the globalization of markets, increased trade, travel and tourism. Considering such unfavorable trends, invasive alien species are recognized as one of the major threats to biodiversity (Convention on Biological Diversity). We analyzed effects of invasive alien species on agricultural communities, and surveyed such species in agricultural, ruderal and aquatic ecosystems in Serbia. We analyzed strategies that can be employed to prevent invasive spread of alien species.nul

Population variability in Thymus glabrescens Willd. from Serbia: morphology, anatomy and essential oil composition

Abstract — In five indigenous populations of Thymus glabrescens Willd. collected in the region of Banat (Serbia), the variability on leaf morphological traits, leaf and stem anatomy, and composition of the essential oil was studied. The major component in the studied populations was either thymol or γ-terpinene. Distinct differentiation of populations with respect to chemical composition of essential oils might be related to spatial distribution of the studied populations. No correlations between morphology, anatomy, and essential oil yield and composition were determined. Both capitate and peltate glandular trichomes were found on calyces, whereas the latter were noticed on the abaxial and adaxial leaf surface

Štetne biljke u livadskim zajednicama Srbije

In this paper results of the analysis of 48 meadow and pasture associations of Serbia deriving from 6 vegetation classes in order to establish the presence of harmful species. In this way possibility for more efficient method of their removal or reduction could be defined. Analysis included plants poisonous to domestic animals or could cause mechanical injuries to livestock, plant species that have harmful affect to the quality of livestock products (meat and milk), also plants not consumed by livestock at all and plants inducing the productivity of useful forage plant species (parasites and semi-parasites). It was established that their participation in meadow associations varies between 5 and 35%. The highest total presence of harmful plants (35%) and highest single presence of poisonous (15%) and slightly poisonous (20%) plants was registered in ass. Festucetum ovinae.U radu su prikazani rezultati analize 48 livadskih i pašnih zajednica Srbije, iz 6 vegetacijskih klasa, sa ciljem da se u njima utvrdi zastupljenost štetnih vrsta. Time bi se stvorila mogućnost iznalaženja načina za njihovo odstranjivanje ili smanjenje. Analizom su obuhvaćene biljke otrovne po zdravlje domaćih životinja ili nanose mehaničke povrede stoci, vrste koje deluju štetno na kvalitet stočnih proizvoda (pre svega mesa i mleka), zatim biljke koje stoka uopšte ne jede i vrste koje snižavaju produktivnost korisnih krmnih biljaka (paraziti i poluparaziti). Utvrđeno je da u analiziranim zajednicama one participiraju sa 5-35%. Sa najvećim ukupnim učešćem štetnih biljaka (35%) i najvećim pojedinačnim učešćem otrovnih (15%) i slabo otrovnih vrsta (20%) izdvaja se ass. Festucetum ovinae

T4-P-14 Mistletoe (Viscum Album L.) as a source of valuable antioxidants

Viscum album L. (Loranthaceae Juss.) is semi-parasitic evergreen shrub distributed in Europe, northwestern part of Africa and Anatolia. The species is hosted by different woody gymnosperm and angiosperm species and it is known that host preference usually reflects in differences in morphological traits and possibly in phytochemical composition. Therefore, there are different subspecies, out of three subspecies (V. album subsp. abietis (Wiesb.) Janchen, subsp. creticum N. Böhling & al. and subsp. austriacum (Wiesb.) Vollm.) occur most frequently on conifers while subsp. album is confined to deciduous host trees and shrubs. In addition to religious and mystical uses, the mistletoe is used in the folk medicine for circulatory and respiratory disorders and as an anticancer remedy

Anatomical traits of endemic and relict Amphoricarpos neumayerianus (Asteraceae) from Montenegro

Trabajo presentado en el Symposium “Plant anatomy: traditions and perspectives”, celebrado del 16 al 21 de septiembre de 2016 en Moscú (Rusia)The genus Amphoricarpos comprises heterocarpic perennial mountain chasmophytic plants from the eastern Mediterranean (the Balkans, Anatolia and the Caucasus) of complex taxonomy (Susanna, Garcia-Jacas, 2009). There are three taxa distributed on the Balkan Peninsula: A. neumayerianus (Vis.) Greuter, A. autariatus Blečić et Mayer ssp. autariatus Blečić et Mayer and A. autariatus Blečić et Mayer ssp. bertisceus Blečić et Mayer (Blečić, Mayer, 1967; Greuter, 2003). Some authors have suggested that all Balkan Amphoricarpos should be treated as a single species, A. neumayerianus (Caković et al., 2015). In this work, anatomical investigations of vegetative organs of A. neumayerianus s. str., a Tertiary relict from Mt. Orjen (Montenegro), endemic for the Dinaric Alps, were conducted. The aim of this study was to investigate anatomy and to find possible new valid taxonomic characters. Microscopic slides were prepared following the standard histological procedures (Ruzin, 1999). In young root cross section, tetrarch radial vascular bundle is observed, while typical secondary tissues occur in the older root cross-section with well developed exodermis on its surface. In the rhizome cross section, the secondary tissues are noticed, with well developed periderm on its surface and parenchyma cortex below. In the central cylinder, a well developed xylem is noticed, which is interrupted by wide parenchyma rays. The pith, composed of very large parenchyma cells, is found in the central region. The upper stem cross section is characterized by more or less polygonal outline with one-layered epidermis, and by a well developed cortex of one cell thick layers of collenchyma and parenchyma, below. Medullary collateral vascular bundles are arranged in a circle, while a few cortical vascular bundles are also noticed. The leaf blade is amphis- 89 tomatous, dorsiventral. One vascular bundle, or one large and two small vascular bundles are in the heart-shaped main vein, with a surrounding parenchyma sheath which extended to both epidermises. Densely distributed, curly, non-glandular trichomes as well as biseriate glandular trichomes are present on the upper stem, as well as on both leaf sides, but much more so on the abaxial one. Observations examined here could be useful in resolving relationships of A. neumayerianus and close related taxa within the Amphoricarpos – a small but very complex genus from taxonomic and phylogenetic points of vie

Genetic Diversity and Demographic History of Wild and Cultivated/Naturalised Plant Populations: Evidence from Dalmatian Sage (Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae)

Dalmatian sage (Salvia officinalis L., Lamiaceae) is a well-known aromatic and medicinal Mediterranean plant that is native in coastal regions of the western Balkan and southern Apennine Peninsulas and is commonly cultivated worldwide. It is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Knowledge of its genetic diversity and spatiotemporal patterns is important for plant breeding programmes and conservation. We used eight microsatellite markers to investigate evolutionary history of indigenous populations as well as genetic diversity and structure within and among indigenous and cultivated/naturalised populations distributed across the Balkan Peninsula. The results showed a clear separation between the indigenous and cultivated/naturalised groups, with the cultivated material originating from one restricted geographical area. Most of the genetic diversity in both groups was attributable to differences among individuals within populations, although spatial genetic analysis of indigenous populations indicated the existence of isolation by distance. Geographical structuring of indigenous populations was found using clustering analysis, with three sub-clusters of indigenous populations. The highest level of gene diversity and the greatest number of private alleles were found in the central part of the eastern Adriatic coast, while decreases in gene diversity and number of private alleles were evident towards the northwestern Adriatic coast and southern and eastern regions of the Balkan Peninsula. The results of Ecological Niche Modelling during Last Glacial Maximum and Approximate Bayesian Computation suggested two plausible evolutionary trajectories: 1) the species survived in the glacial refugium in southern Adriatic coastal region with subsequent colonization events towards northern, eastern and southern Balkan Peninsula; 2) species survived in several refugia exhibiting concurrent divergence into three genetic groups. The insight into genetic diversity and structure also provide the baseline data for conservation of S. officinalis genetic resources valuable for future breeding programmes