Pranje domaće vune u Hrvatskoj i utjecaj na okoliš

Wool and wastewaters from scouring can be a mixed blessing - a useful technological raw material or an environmental problem. If wool is scoured with no control, as the case most often is in Croatia, the wastewater released could endanger the environmental stability of the existing water systems. Since the interest has been growing recently for processing domestic wool, which also presents a considerable hazard of polluting water because of unskilled scouring and uncontrolled wastewater release into the natural water flows, we have organized investigations aimed at determining potentially dangerous ecological loads on the Croatian water systems, caused by scouring domestic wool. The results obtained indicate that improper disposal of the wool and/or uncontrolled release of wastewater from scouring present a considerable environmental hazard. We have concluded that impacts on the environment of scouring domestic wool in Croatia are the same as impacts on the environment obtained by normal functioning of a town of 1700_2000 inhabitants.Vuna i otpadne vode od pranja vune mogu biti korisna tehnološka sirovina ili su pak ekološki problem. Ukoliko se vuna nekontrolirano pere, kao što je to najčešće slučaj u Hrvatskoj, ispuštene otpadne vode mogu ugroziti prirodnu ekološku stabilnost postojećih vodenih sustava. S obzirom da je u posljednje vrijeme povećano zanimanje za preradu domaće vune, a time i opasnost od onečišćenja voda zbog nestručnog pranja vune i nekontroliranog ispuštanja otpadne vode od pranja vune u prirodne vodotokove svrha ovog rada bila je odrediti potencijalno moguće ekološko opterećenje vodenih sustava Hrvatske uzrokovano pranjem domaće vune. Rezultati istraživanja pokazuju da nekontrolirano odlaganje vune i/ili otpadne vode od pranja domaće vune u Hrvatskoj predstavlja značajnu opasnost za okoliš, koja je ekvivalentna onečišćenju koje nastaje normalnim funkcioniranjem grada s 1700 do 2000 stanovnika

Essential fatty acids, nutritive value and oxidative stability of cold pressed hempseed ( Cannabis sativa L.) oil from different varieties

The fatty acid composition, nutritive value and oxidative stability of cold pressed oils, obtained from seven different hemp cultivars, were investigated. The results show that the content of gamma-linolenic acid in the oil depends on the cultivar, ranging from 0.80 to 2.46%. The ratio between essential omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in the oil was 3.5:1 to 4.2:1, satisfying the demands of modern healthy nutrition regarding lipids. Due to high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the oxidative stability of cold pressed hemp oil is poor. The induction period at 100 °C, determined by accelerated oxidative method — Rancimat test, was 6.4 to 7.6 h

Oxidative stability and tocopherol content of refined sunflower oil during long-term storage in different commercial packagings

The study was undertaken to monitor the changes in oxidative stability and α-tocopherol content of refined sunflower oil during 12 months of storage at room temperature in different commercial packagings: Tetra brick, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and polyethylene (PE) canisters. The results showed significant influence of packaging type on the oxidative stability of oil. The largest changes were determined in oil packed in PE canisters (volume 5 l), where the peroxide values (PV) after 12 months were 9.34 and 10.46 mmol kg−1, while the lowest increase in PV were 1.05 and 1.67 mmol kg−1 in Tetra brick packaging. The highest increase in specific absorbances was also noticed for oil packed in PE canister. It came to loss of tocopherol during storage in accordance with the degree of oil oxidation. In oil packed in Tetra brick 6.52 and 8.14% losses of tocopherol (compared to the initial value) were found, while the losses in canister were found to be 14.18 and 17.88%. The results of Schaal-oven test also indicated decrease of oxidative stability during storage in accordance with protective properties of packagings and packing conditions

Pharmacological countermeasures to spaceflight-induced alterations of the immune system

Human bioastronautic programs have grown during the last 50 years. Medical and physiological findings from these missions have demonstrated that spaceflight impacts almost all physiological systems, including bone demineralization and reduced immunological competence. These adaptive responses can affect crew health and performance. Indeed, about half of the astronauts encountered immune dysregulations during space travels. Developing efficient countermeasures to preserve the astronaut’s immune system is therefore a prerequisite before undertaking future long-duration space missions. In this chapter, we present promising pharmacological countermeasures to mitigate that risk