1st International Meeting One Health in Zadar: Global Approach to Global Health Abstract book

1st International Meeting One Health in Zadar: Global Approach to Global Health Zadar, 3rd June 201

Projekt „KultBaMikroo“: Preliminarno istraživanje prisutnosti, raznolikosti i dinamike celulolitičkih gljivica u zraku u prostorijama zgrade Državnog arhiva u Zadru

The presented methodology and preliminary results are part of the research in the interdisciplinary modular pilot project “Protection of Zadar’s Cultural Heritage from the Negative Impact of Microorganisms” (KultBaMikroo), financed by the University of Zadar (IP.01.2021.12). The modular project is designed so that it can be carried out through several modules, whereby the types of cultural heritage artefacts on which the research is based can be changed with each module. The goal is to prevent book damage related to storage conditions and to provide guidelines for conservation and restoration. Moreover, as it is known that exposure to fungi is dangerous for human health, attention will be paid to the protection of employees and visitors on the premises where the research is carried out. The following modules are to addressed the issue of protecting paintings and immovable cultural heritage. In this first module, research was conducted at the premises of the State Archive in Zadar, which is a project partner, and at the Chapter Library of the Zadar Archdiocese. This overview includes only the preliminary results of the research conducted at the State Archive in Zadar, one of the most important archives in Croatia.Prikazana metodologija rada i preliminarni rezultati dio su istraživanja provedenih kroz interdisciplinarni istraživački modularni pilot projekt „Zaštita zadarske kulturne baštine od negativnog utjecaja mikroorganizama“ (KultBaMikroo) koji je financiran od strane Sveučilišta u Zadru (IP.01.2021.12.). Modularni projekt zamišljen je na način da se može provoditi kroz nekoliko modula, s tim da se kroz module mijenja vrsta građe kojom se projekt bavi. U ovom prvom istraživačkom modulu provode se istraživanja pisane građe u svrhu što bolje zaštite građe i ljudi koji borave u prostorima gdje se građa čuva. Planirano je da se u sljedećim modulima projekt baviti istraživanjima zaštite slikarske baštine, odnosno zaštitom nepokretne kulturne baštine. U ovom prvom modulu istraživanja su provođena u prostorima Državnog arhiva u Zadru, koji je partner na projektu, te u prostorima Kaptolske knjižnice Zadarske nadbiskupije u Zadru. Ovdje će biti prezentirani samo preliminarni rezultati istraživanja provedenih u Državnom arhivu u Zadru, jednom od najvažnijih arhiva u Hrvatskoj

Presence of ochratoxigenic fungi on grape leaves in four vineyards in Zadar County

In the last two decades, the production of quality and top quality wines in Zadar County is constantly increasing and they have become very recognizable and sought after on the market. One of the possible threats to this production is the contamination of red wines with ochratoxin A (OTA). This nephrotoxic mycotoxin is synthesized during the growth of some fungal species from Aspergillus and Penicillium genera and can be found as a polluter in red wines of the southern regions of Europe. Under climatic conditions and its geographic area, Zadar County should not fall into the area of OTA high-contamination risk, but global warming could change this situation and endanger the safety of red wines in Zadar County. As part of the project Evaluation of the risk of contamination of red wines of Zadar County with OTA, funded by the Agricultural Research Council (VIP), investigations were carried out on the presence of ochratoxigenic fungi in 4 vineyards in Zadar County. In August and September of 2018, samples of grape leaves were sampled, mycoflora was isolated and morphologically determined. Potential producers of OTA were inoculated on a liquid nutrient medium that supports the synthesis of OTA and screened for the production of this toxin. The results indicate that the possibility of the contamination of grapes and wine with OTA is low in the vineyards of Zadar County

Survey on the presence of ochratoxigenic fungus in soil samples of four vineyards in Zadar County

Ochratoxin A is a secondary metabolite of some species of fungi from the genera Aspergillus and Penicillium. During their growth, fungi produce ochratoxin A (OTA), and release it into the substrate in which the toxin remains even after the fungus is no longer present. OTA presents a health hazard for animals and humans by causing a decrease in immunity, neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, reproductive disorder, and it is considered potentially cancerogenic. Ochratoxigenic fungi can colonize a wide range of staff of plant and animal origin like cereal seeds, coffee, meat products, and, to a lesser extent, beer and wine. The production of quality wines is more and more significant in Zadar County. In the framework of the project „The evaluation of the risk of the contamination of red wines in Zadar County with ochratoxin A“, a research of presence of ochratoxigenic fungi in 4 vineyards in the county was conducted. The soil from 4 vineyards was sampled. For each of the 50 samples mycoflora was inoculated on nutrient substrates and isolated for the purpose of determination. After a three days of incubation, the fungal colonies were isolated and morphologically determined. Potential producers of OTA were inoculated on liquid substrates that support the production of OTA. After the 14 days of incubation, the extraction of OTA was performed. Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) performed analyses on the presence of OTA

The first report of truffles (Tuber aestivum Vittad.) in Zadar County

Tartufi (rod Tuber) su jedne od najcjenjenijih gljiva u gastronomiji. Zbog njihova posebnog okusa i ograničene dostupnosti, cijene tih podzemnih gljiva su iznimno visoke. U Istri se nalaze najvažnije zone pronalaska gljiva iz roda Tuber na prostoru Hrvatske. Već sedam – osam desetljeća šire se usmene predaje o postojanju tartufa na prostoru Zadarske županije, no dosad nije dokumentiran njihov pronalazak. U okviru ovoga istraživanja tartufi su traženi na različitim lokacijama u Zadarskoj županiji, a nakon što su pronađeni identificiranje je provedeno molekularnom analizom. Rezultati su nedvojbeno pokazali da je ljetni tartuf, Tuber aestivum Vittad., prisutan na području Zadarske županije.True truffles (Tuber spp.) are among the most appreciated mushroom in gastronomy. Due to their particular taste and limited natural availability the price of these underground mushrooms is high. In Croatia, the most important presence of Tuber spp. was reported in Istria. Since seven to eight decades ago there have been stories of Zadar’s truffles which are transmitted orally from generation to generation but, till now, no written document that could confirm it has been found. In this study, truffles were searched for on different locations in Zadar County, the presumed truffles were harvested and molecular analyses were performed to identify them. The results undoubtedly show that the summer truffle, Tuber aestivum Vittad. is present in Zadar County

Research on the effect of garlic (Alium sativum L.) extract against aphid (Hyalopterus pruni Geoffr.)

Lisne uši (Insecta: Aphidoidea) pripadaju jednoj od najvažnijih skupina poljoprivrednih štetnika širom svijeta. Često uzrokuju ozbiljne, ekonomske probleme na različitim poljoprivrednim kulturama. Ponekad, zbog pojave rezistentnosti ovih kukaca na konvencionalna sredstva za zaštitu bilja zaštita je jako složena. Za razliku od kemijskih sredstava biljni ekstrakti pokazuju pozitivni učinak na okoliš, biološku raznolikost i ljudsko zdravlje. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je odrediti učinkovitost različitih koncentracija vodenog i alkoholnog ekstrakta autohtonog (lokalni sortiment) i uvoznog češnjaka (Alium sativum L.) na šljivinu zelenu uš (Hyalopterus pruni Geoffr.). Pokus je obavljen u laboratorijskim uvjetima korištenjem Petrijevih posuda prethodno obloženih filter papirom na koji su postavljene lisne uši. U svaku Petrijevu posudu postavljeno je 15 jedinki. Vodeni i alkoholni ekstrakti su razrijeđeni u tri koncentracije (100%, 50% i 25%). Smrtnost kukaca je kontrolirana nakon 24 h i 48 h. Za izračun i korekciju mortaliteta korištena je Abott-ova formula. Statistički značajna razlika je uočena između tretmana i kontrole. Najveći učinak unutar 24 h je pokazao je 100 %-tni vodeni ekstrakt, kao i sve koncentracije alkoholnog ekstrakta. Najlošiji rezultat (9.99%) nakon 24 h je uočen kod 25%-tne vodene otopine. Nakon 48 h smrtnost je kod svih koncentracija bila veća od 75%.Aphids (Insecta: Aphidoidea) are one of the most important group of agricultural pests worldwide. They have often caused serious, economic damages on variety of crops. Control is sometimes very difficult mainly due to resistance to conventional pesticides. Unlike chemical pesticides, plant extracts showed many benefits to environment, biodiversity and human health. This research was conducted to determine the efficacy of different water and alcohol concentrations of indigenous (local variety) and imported garlic (Alium sativum L.) extracts on aphid (Hyalopterus pruni Geoffr.). Experiment was performed in laboratory conditions, using Petri dishes previously sheathed with filter paper, in which aphids were transferred. In each Petri dish 15 individuals were placed. Water and ethanol garlic extracts were dissolved in three concentrations (100%, 50% and 25%). Insects mortality was checked after 24h and 48h. The percentage mortality was calculated and corrected using Abott’s formula. Significant differences among treatments and control were found. Within 24h the highest effect (>80%) on aphids showed 100% water concentration, aswell as all ethanol solutions. After 24 h 25% water concentration showed very low efficacy (9.99%). After 48 h mortality was higher, more than 75% at all concentrations

More environmental friendly strategies to control the presence of mycotoxins in food and feed

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites toxic for humans and animals produced by some fungal species during their growth and, generally, released into the growing media. Mycotoxigenic fungi can colonize a wide spectrum of food and feedstuff and commodities like cereal seeds, fruits, meat and meat products. The toxic effects depend on a type of mycotoxin and vary from proven carcinogenic effects to cytotoxicity. Due to their high toxicity, only a dozen of mycotoxins are highly considered by legislators and scientist all over the world and their presence in food and feed is limited by legislations of almost all countries. In traditional agriculture chemicals, such as antifungals and antioxidants, are widely used to control mycotoxin contamination of food and feed. This strategy could present severe environmental problems as well as a selection of resistant strains. The research of strategies and methods in mycotoxin control with lower environmental impact has been ongoing for many years. Some more environmental friendly methods to control the presence of mycotoxins in food and feed, like the use of antagonistic strains or the use of plant and mushroom extracts, are reviewed in this work

Occurence of Ochratoxin A (OTA) on grapes in the province of Ancona, Italy

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin that is naturally produced by some species of filamentous fungi belonging to genera Aspergillus and Penicillium. OTA is among the most harmful of mycotoxins. It has been proven by various studies that OTA has strong toxic properties such as nephrotoxic and neurotoxic effects, and it is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as potentially carcinogen for humans and carcinogen for animals. The major problem is the fact that OTA is produced by fungi that are commonly present in a wide variety of agricultural products, including grapes and their derivatives. Due to its toxicity and health hazard provoked by the presence of OTA in food and feed, the European Community has established a limit for toxin concentration of 2 μg/kg in grape and grape derivates. The concentration should be reduced as much as possible, not only below the legal limit, in order to diminish the daily intake of this toxin. A research on the presence of ochratoxigenic fungi on grapes was performed in order to evaluate the risk of contamination of grapes and grape derivates from various vineyards in the province of Ancona, Italy with OTA, and to, eventually, propose a strategy for their control. The mycoflora from grapes harvested in September 2018 was isolated and fungi were determined morphologically. Potential OTA producers were inoculated on OTA conducing media and screened for toxin production. All potential producers and confirmed ochratoxigenic strains will be determined by molecular techniques