Distribution of Trichinella spiralis, Trichinella britovi, and Trichinella pseudospiralis in the Diaphragms and T. spiralis and T. britovi in the Tongues of Experimentally Infected Pigs

There is little or even no data in the global literature on the distribution of different species of Trichinella in the individual parts of the diaphragms and tongues in infected pigs. This is of particular importance from the food safety point of view and for the conduct of routine testing of pig carcasses for Trichinella as well as epidemiological surveys. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the distribution of Trichinella spiralis (T. spiralis), Trichinella britovi (T. britovi), and Trichinella pseudospiralis (T. pseudospiralis) ML in various parts of the diaphragm (the pillars, costal, and sternal part) and the distribution of encapsulated species of Trichinella (T. spiralis and T. britovi) in various parts of the tongues (the tip, body, and root) of experimentally infected pigs. The diaphragm pillars were the most heavily parasitized part of the diaphragm both in groups of pigs infected with particular species of Trichinella and in groups of pigs presenting different levels of infection; however, statistical differences were observed only in the group of pigs with moderate (21–35 larvae per gram-lpg) or moderately high (35–55 lpg) intensity of Trichinella spp. infection in the entire diaphragm. In all groups of pigs, regardless of the infecting Trichinella species or infection level, larvae showed a homogeneous distribution on both sides of the diaphragm and excluding those of T. pseudospiralis, also in all three parts of the tongue. Histological examination showed features of a differential inflammatory response around larvae of the different Trichinella species. This study confirmed that for mandatory examination of pig carcasses using a pooled-sample digestion assay in which each pig is intended to be represented by a 1 gram sample taken from the diaphragm pillars, if that tissue is not available, the mass of the sample taken from the remaining diaphragm parts (costal or sternal) should be at least double that from the pillars. Histological findings confirmed that the inflammatory pattern of pig muscles varies depending on the Trichinella species triggering the infection and is less intense in the case of infections with T. pseudospiralis than in infections with encapsulated species of Trichinella (T. spiralis and T. britovi)

Women on company boards : an example of positive action in Europe

In the last decade there has been a rising pressure in Europe to increase the number of women in the boards of large companies. Starting with Norway in 2003, several countries adopted legislation for this purpose. Building on this evolution, in November 2012 the European Commission presented a proposal for a Directive applicable to big companies listed on the stock exchange. After describing these developments, the paper examines the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union on positive action for women in employment. On that basis, it is suggested that the Court could accept the Commission’s proposal, once adopted, as compatible with the principle of equality. Finally, the paper puts the measures in favour of women in company boards, as an example of positive action, in the context of other national measures in favour of women and of other groups - such as persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities

LIMING OF PERMANENT GRASSLAND A METHOD OF DELAYING DEPLETION OF SOIL MICROELEMENT RESOURCES

Soil resources of microelements can be controlled by the regulation of the soil reaction. Liming reduces excessive uptake of elements and their loses, allowing plants to use soil resources longer. In practice meadow plants use applied microelements to a small degree so it is necessary to taken into consideration systematic application of microelements with the basic fertilization or protection of the microelement soil resources. The problem was analysed in the long-term fertilizing experiment (Czarny Potok Poland) started in 1968 on the perennial grassland in the mountains (720 m a.s.l.). During the whole period dynamics of yielding and changes of soil properties were investigated as well as soil liming which was carried out three times and modified soil properties to a great degree. A simplified balance of microelements allowed to assess the pace and loses of these elements in the soil, often regarded in practice as not relevant

Hygiene Quality and Consumer Safety of Traditional Short- and Long-Ripened Cheeses from Poland

The aim of this study was the assessment of the microbiological quality of three types of traditional cheeses which are produced from raw and pasteurized cow’s milk. Two types of cheeses were of the short-ripened type, and one cheese was long-ripened. A microbial examination was conducted for the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes microorganisms and the count of aerobic, psychrotrophic, lactic acid bacteria, and coliform bacteria, as well as Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., and yeasts. The examined cheeses did not fulfill the microbial criteria for food safety (presence of L. monocytogenes) and process hygiene (exceeded allowable levels of E. coli and coagulase-positive Staphylococcus). The levels of coliform bacteria, E. coli, and Enterobacteriaceae and the presence of Enterococcus faecalis determined in the three examined cheese types indicated that insufficient hygiene procedures were used during the production process. The results of the study indicate that the examined cheeses did not fulfill the microbial criteria for food safety and process hygiene according to the legislation. It is necessary to introduce correction procedures as indicated in the current report

Mass Transfer in Osmotic Dehydration of Kiwiberry: Experimental and Mathematical Modelling Studies

The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of osmotic solutions and temperature on the osmotic dehydration (OD) of two cultivars of kiwiberry. OD was carried out in sucrose, xylitol and maltitol solutions at 30 °C and 50 °C, respectively. The process of osmotic dehydration was described by the means of water loss (WL), solid gain (SG), weight reduction (WR), and water content changes. Moreover, dehydration was described by mathematical models often used in the literature. The highest WL, WR and SG values were observed for samples treated by xylitol and maltitol at 50 °C. The statistical analysis of the mathematical modelling of the process showed that in most cases, the Peleg’s equation exhibits better fitting for the experimental data

THE USE OF POULTRY SLAUGHTERHOUSE WASTE TO PRODUCE COMPOST

Poultry industry generates large amounts of waste, which in the biological treatment process creates a number of problems. One of them is a high amount of fat and creatine which is hard to decompose. Composting process was carried out with the waste from poultry farms and abattoirs mixed with maize straw, which was used to improve the structure and to increase the amount of carbon in the substrate. The chemical composition of composts from poultry waste involving maize straw meets the minimum requirements for organic fertilizers. It seems that recycling of organic waste from the poultry industry should be the primary method of nutrient recovery for plants and organic matter contained in them, however on condition that the health safety is preserved