Enzymatically Hydrolysed Common Buckwheat (<i>Fagopyrum esculentum</i> M.) as a Fermentable Source of Oligosaccharides and Sugars

Common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) is highly rich in starches and polysaccharides. Nowadays, the use of common buckwheat in brewing processes and functional product development is gaining popularity as it is gluten-free and therefore suitable for those suffering from coeliac disease. Moreover, enzyme-assisted extraction for common buckwheat releases these oligosaccharides as well as bioactive substances, which can be further used for developing new products. This research aims to compare different enzymatic hydrolysis methods and their effect on roasted common buckwheat flour. The degradation of buckwheat flour using these hydrolytic enzymes was captured using SEM. Oligosaccharide and sugar molecular mass distributions were identified using HPLC-SEC. The extract with the highest fermentable monomeric sugar content was further fermented with ancient lactic acid bacteria starters: Tibetan kefir grains and birch sap. Ferment extracts were analyzed for antimicrobial activity against ten different pathogenic bacteria. The results indicated that the incorporation of enzymes into the extraction process lead to the release of a wide variety of DP3-DP4. Furthermore, the successful fermentation of these extracts with ancient starters revealed promising antimicrobial activity against nine different pathogenic bacteria, including E. coli and L. monocytogenes. In general, common buckwheat is a suitable ingredient for developing beverages and products with high value and has high potential in pharmaceutical applications

Prevalence and spatiotemporal distribution of African swine fever in Lithuania, 2014–2017

Abstract Background The emergence in 2014 and persistence of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Lithuania has been linked to infected wild boar movement and close contact with the carcasses of other infected wild boars. Over time the number of reported cases of ASF in wild boars gradually increased, but no detailed epidemiological data has been available. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine ASF virus prevalence in wild boars and domestic pigs during the 2014–2017 period and further explore the current geographical distribution of the virus. Results Our study results show that ASF virus prevalence in hunted wild boars using PCR analysis increased from 0.83% (95% CI 0.69–0.98) to 2.27% (95% CI 2.05–2.48) from 2014 to 2016 respectively. However, there was a dramatic jump in the number of ASF positive wild boars cases in 2017 resulting in prevalence of 12.39% (95% CI 11.91–12.86) (p < 0.05). The average prevalence of ASF-specific antibodies in wild boar population during years 2014–2017 was 0.45% (95% CI 0.39–0.51) based on ELISA test results. Prevalence of ASF virus in domestic pigs ranged from 0.24% (95% CI 0.17% - 0.32) in 2015 to 2.74% (95% CI 2.33% - 3.15) in 2017. The average seasonal prevalence of ASF virus in pigs was statistically significant (p < 0.05) and ranged from 0% in spring to 3.68% (95% CI 3.32–4.05) in summer. Correlation between the pig density and number of recorded pig ASF cases in affected regions was only found in 2017 (R = 0.78, p < 0.05). No correlation was detected between the wild boar density and number of recorded pig or wild boar ASF - positive cases. Conclusions This study provides the first results of ASF virus prevalence changes in Lithuania during the 2014–2017. The overall results confirm the relatively high prevalence of ASF virus in wild boar that was gradually increasing from 2014 to 2017. In the last year of study, the number of ASF positive cases in both domestic pigs and wild boars had unexpectedly increased several times. A better understanding of current status of the disease will enable better control and prevent further spread of ASF virus in Western Europe