Characterization of Green Lipped Mussel Meat. Part II: Changes in Physical Characteristics as a Result of Brining and Liquid Smoke Application

The effects of dry or wet brining, different liquid smoke (LS) dipping schedules, and different LS on the weight, water activity, view area, and texture attributes of mussels were compared. Dry brining resulted in significant weight loss (about 30%), whereas liquid brining (4% salt) increased the original weights. With LS dippings, wet brined mussels lost weight, while dry brined samples gained weight. For the same brining and dipping schedule, there was no significant difference between dipping in hickory or in maple LS (p > 0.05). The R² of linear, power, and quadratic polynomial fits to weight versus view area (calculated by image analysis) was 0.8, too low for practical applications. The change in individual mussel weight versus view area was different depending on the brining method. The weight versus view area of wet brined mussels increased and decreased during treatment steps, while dry brined mussels showed a regular decrease in weight versus view area. Texture, measured by texture profile analysis, and water activity also changed significantly upon dry brining (p < 0.05).     

Spread of the spotted wing drosophila – Drosophila suzukii (Diptera,Drosophlidae) and new distribution records in Dalmatia region of Croatia

A specific survey for the detection of Drosophila suzukii Matsmura 1931 (Diptera, Drosophilidae) in Dalmatia region of the Republic of Croatia during 2013, confirmed that the pest is present and widespread. Adults were detected in traps suspended in Prunus cerasus L. (sour cherry), Prunus persica L. (peach), Ficus carica L. (fig) and Morus alba L. (mulberry) orchards and individual trees, during the fruit maturation period, in 16 (of the 51 locations) where traps were placed in Dubrova?ko–neretvanska, Splitsko–dalmatinska, ?ibensko–kninska and Zadarska counties. This confirmed the rapid spread of D. suzukii in Croatia and this pest is a great concern for areas that are not yet infested that have favourable conditions for the pests’ development. The results of the survey highlight the importance of the development and implementation of long‐term sustainable control.     

A survey on Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae infections in Slovene fresh waters

Slovenia has no history of health problems related to proliferative kidney disease (PKD) either in farmed or in wild fish. However, due to the past molecular evidence for the presence of Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae DNA in tissues of some fish from open waters, a survey was conducted on wild salmonids that were primarily sampled for other purposes. In winter 2010–2011, specimens from a total of 244 rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), and brown trout, Salmo trutta L., from 30 bodies of fresh water were examined for T. bryosalmonae using a PCR method. The sampled fish showed no clinical signs or gross pathological lesions characteristic of PKD. Nineteen (7.8%) fish from seven (23.3%) fresh waters were positive for T. bryosalmonae. The identity of PCR amplicons was confirmed by sequencing. With one exception, all the positive fish were found in waters from the regions where the average yearly temperatures and the environmental pollution are higher. This preliminary countrywide survey provided the first insight into the situation regarding T. bryosalmonae infection of wild salmonids in Slovenia.     

Several new and one invasive aphid species (Aphididae,Hemiptera) caught by yellow water traps in Serbia

Eight aphid species were determined as new records for Serbia as a result of the evaluation of the specimens caught by yellow water traps used for monitoring vector activities in seed potato crops during the 4 years 2007–2010. The invasive aphid species Macrosiphum albifrons Essig 1911; and the new species Acyrthosiphon cyparissiae (Koch 1855), Ctenocallis setosus (Kaltenbach 1846), Myzodium modestum (Hottes 1926), Myzocallis castanicola Baker 1917, Myzocallis occidentalis Remaudiè et Nieto Nafria 1974, Tinocallis platani (Kaltenbach 1843) and Wahlgreniella ossiannilssoni Hille Ris Lambers 1949. M. modestum is very difficult to detect, as it lives hidden in moss. All species are presented with characteristic morphological information of alatae and line drawings.     

Characterization and phylogenetic diversity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Agrobacterium vitis</Emphasis> from Serbia based on sequence analysis of 16S-23S rRNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region

Serious outbreaks of grapevine crown gall disease were observed in major Serbian viticultural regions during the last five years. Tumorigenic Agrobacterium vitis was identified as a causal agent by using conventional bacteriological and molecular tests. The 36 studied strains of A. vitis showed homogeneous biochemical and physiological characteristics, but were heterogeneous in their pathogenic properties, especially on tomato and sunflower. Furthermore, genetic differences related to chromosomal and plasmid DNA were observed. The Ti plasmid of 35 strains was classified as the octopine/cucumopine (O/C) type, whereas one was classified as the vitopine (V) type. The O/C strains were further divided into O/C-1 and O/C-2 groups based on PCR analysis. Moreover, the sequence analysis of the 16S-23S rRNA ITS region provided robust and precise delineation of studied strains. Although a high level of genetic diversity in A. vitis strains from Serbia was revealed by using this approach, their genotypic relatedness with the strains from other countries suggested their common origin. Also, association between the chromosomal and plasmid DNA was determined for some phylogenetic groups and clusters.     

By-Products of Opuntia ficus-indica as a Source of Antioxidant Dietary Fiber

Dietary fiber and bioactive compounds are widely used as functional ingredients in processed foods. The market in this field is competitive and the development of new types of quality ingredients for the food industry is on the rise. Opuntia ficus-indica (cactus pear) produces edible tender stems (cladodes) and fruits with a high nutritional value in terms of minerals, protein, dietary fiber and phytochemicals; however, around 20% of fresh weight of cladodes and 45% of fresh weight of fruits are by-products. The objective of this study was therefore to determine the nutritional value of by-products obtained from cladodes and fruits from two varieties of Opuntia ficus-indica, examining their dietary fiber and natural antioxidant compound contents in order to obtain quality ingredients for functional foods and increase the added value of these by-products.     

The allylamine grafting on the plasma pre-treated polyester nonwoven fabric: Preparation, characterization and utilization

This article describes the novel possibility of the polyester (polyethylene terephthalate) surface modification by plasma treatment. Moreover, this modified polyester could be component for the composite material (with hyaluronic acid) used in the wound healing. In this study, the experimental methods: FT-IR spectroscopy, the contact angle measurement, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used for the surface modified polyester characterisation.     

Nature and lability of northern Adriatic macroaggregates

The key organic constituents of marine macroaggregates (macrogels) of prevalently phytoplankton origin, periodically occurring in the northern Adriatic Sea, are proteins, lipids and especially polysaccharides. In this article, the reactivity of various macroaggregate fractions in relation to their composition in order to decode the potentially »bioavailable« fractions is summarized and discussed. The enzymatic hydrolysis of the macroaggregate matrix, using α-amylase, β-glucosidase, protease, proteinase and lipase, revealed the simultaneous degradation of polysaccharides and proteins, while lipids seem largely preserved. In the fresh surface macroaggregate samples, a pronounced degradation of the α-glycosidic bond compared to β-linkages. Degradation of the colloidal fraction proceeded faster in the higher molecular weight (MW) fractions. N-containing polysaccharides can be important constituents of the higher MW fraction while the lower MW constituents can mostly be composed of poly- and oligosaccharides. Since the polysaccharide component in the higher MW fraction is more degradable compared to N-containing polysaccharides, the higher MW fraction represents a possible path of organic nitrogen preservation. Enzymatic hydrolysis, using α-amylase and β-glucosidase, revealed the presence of α- and β-glycosidic linkages in all fractions with similar decomposition kinetics. Our results indicate that different fractions of macroaggregates are subjected to compositional selective reactivity with important implications for macroaggregate persistence in the seawater column and deposition.     

Effect of different fertilisation and irrigation practices on yield,nitrogen uptake and fertiliser use efficiency of white cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.)

The effect of different fertilisation (i.e. broadcast application and fertigation) and irrigation practices (tank sprinkler and drip irrigation) on yield, yield quality (nitrate content), nitrogen uptake of white cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata L.) and the potential for N losses was assessed on sandy-loam agricultural soil. ¹⁵N-labelled fertiliser was used as a tracer. It was found that different practices significantly affected yield, nitrate content in plants, N uptake, as well as fertiliser use efficiency. The highest yield (93 t ha⁻¹), plant N uptake (246 kg ha⁻¹), and fertiliser use efficiency (42%) were obtained under treatment with broadcast fertilisation with farmer's practice of irrigation (tank sprinkler). The N surplus after harvest was −41 kg N ha⁻¹, indicating the lowest potential for N losses. Treatment by fertigation and drip irrigation covering 100% of the crop's water requirements did not result in the highest yield as expected (72 t ha⁻¹), the N surplus after harvest was about +38 kg ha⁻¹. The lowest yield (58 t ha⁻¹), fertiliser use efficiency (30%) and hence the highest potential for N losses (N surplus after harvest +68 kg ha⁻¹) were found in treatment with broadcast fertilisation and drip irrigation covering 50% of the crop's water requirements.     

The almond Sf haplotype shows a double expression despite its comprehensive genetic identity

Since self-compatibility has become the primary objective of most almond breeding programmes, search for new self-compatibility sources has acquired a great importance in almond research. The local Spanish cultivar ‘Vivot’, identified as showing the genotype S₂₃S_f, thus presumably self-compatible, was found to be unexpectedly self-incompatible in spite of the presence of the S_f allele, as also observed in other almond cultivars. However, not only the coding sequences of both the S_f-RNase and the SFB_f of ‘Vivot’ and ‘Blanquerna’, a confirmed self-compatible cultivar, were identical, but also the 5′ regulatory sequence of the S_f-RNase of both. Thus, the reason for the different expression of the S_f is independent of the complete genetic identity found in the whole chromosome region bordering the S-locus in the almond cultivars sharing the S_f allele.