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This study characterizes oak (sessile and pedunculate oak) and alternative wood (black locust, Myrobalan plum, wild cherry, and mulberry) species as important sources of volatile compounds of aged spirits. Nowadays, their fragments are used to hasten the brandies' aging process. The ATR-FTIR spectra of analyzed wood samples are similar, only the mulberry FTIR spectrum contains unique peaks primarily due to its highest lignin content (40.93%). Using the untargeted GC-MS approach, a total of forty-one volatile compounds were identified in the wood extracts in a model spirit solution. The volatile profiles of alternative wood extracts in a model spirit solution were significantly different, both quantitatively and qualitatively, compared to those of oak. Coniferyl (23.14 µg/g--26.6 µg/g) and sinapyl (23.56 µg/g--25.82 µg/g) alcohols were the most abundant volatile compounds in investigated oak extracts. Resorcinol and coniferyl alcohol were the most abundant volatile compounds in black locust, sakuranin in wild cherry, while resorcinol and ß-resorcinaldehyde in mulberry wood. To the best of our knowledge, sakuranin has not been detected in wild cherry wood until now. Besides wood chemical characteristics, the technology used during the aging process strongly influences on volatile profiles of aged brandies, thus, these compounds are potential chemical markers for discrimination between wood species as well as aging technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study reports the successful transformation of mulberry wood waste into natural textile dye and adsorbent for Pb2+ ions from an aqueous solution. Fabrics of different chemical compositions were dyed using mulberry wood extract, whereas wool possessed the best appearance and color fastness to washing. Among differently dyed wool fabrics, those dyed with 15% extract for 5 h has the highest color strength (K/S = 11.24) and antioxidant activity (83.5%), and the best color and antioxidant activity fastness to washing, making it appropriate for protecting the skin from diverse damages by decelerating the effect of free radical. Moreover, it could be suggested that the binding mechanism proceeds via strong hydrogen bonds between wool surface carboxylate groups and characteristic phenolics found in the extract (dominantly taxifolin, oxyresveratrol, ellagic acid, and tannins). The mulberry wood solid parts separated after the extraction were further evaluated as adsorbents for Pb2+ ions. The highest lead removal was achieved at a solution pH of 5.5, while the equilibrium removal was reached after 4 h of contact time. At 20 mg/l initial lead concentration, the mulberry wood waste removal efficiency was 98.8%. The results of this study represent a step forward to a healthier, cleaner, and more sustainable society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Polyphenolic profile was shown to be an useful tool to identify the wood used in cooperage. • Specific flavonoids were suggested as indication of heartwood botanical origin. • Color of analyzed wood samples was affected by the botanical origin of wood samples. • Shape and maxima positions of fluorescence spectra varied more among wood samples than among corresponding wood extracts. • Principal component analysis of emission spectra discriminated black locust and cherry from the other wood samples. Abstract The aim of this research was to study phenolic compounds of diverse botanical species of wood commonly used in cooperage in Balkan countries. Several botanical species have been considered including mulberry (Morus alba L.), myrobalan plum (Prunus cerasifera Ehrh.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), wild cherry (Prunus avium (L.) L.), and oak (Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl. , Q. robur L., and Q. cerris L.). A total of 37 compounds were quantified, demonstrating the presence of phenolic acids, flavonols, flavones, flavanones, flavanonol taxifolin, stilbenoids, and coumarins. Taxifolin was the most abundant in wild cherry (8455.70 mg kg−1), while ellagic acid predominated in oak wood (8872.05–10099.32 mg kg−1 in sessile oaks, and up to 15,958.80 mg kg−1 in pedunculate oak from Slavonia). The highest content of protocatechuic acid (533.39 mg kg−1) was found in myrobalan plum. Also, isoflavones were characteristic of wild cherry, while mulberry was abundant in stilbenoids. Total phenolic content, as well as antioxidant, chromatic, and fluorescence properties were studied. The spectral shapes and maxima of fluorescence emission spectra of bare wood samples were compared with those of the corresponding wood extracts. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied in order to find patterns in emission spectra for differentiation among wood samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production of raspberries is an important and highly valuable part of the agroindustry, which provides direct use of fruits and their application in the food processing and confectionery industry. Acceptance of plant intellectual property protection additionally influences the introduction of new development programs in this field and expansion of new products. Two approaches in plant intellectual property protection have been developed on a global level: the American approach that allows patentability for plants and the European approach that includes an exemption in relation to the patentability of plant varieties. In both cases, the protection of new varieties is regulated by a special system of variety protection. This article presents a comparison of those two plant variety protection systems and the comparison between Serbian and US raspberry production and innovation in this field, since these countries are among the five major producers of raspberries and raspberry products in the world; therefore, intellectual property protection of raspberry varieties is an especially important issue to them. The area harvested with raspberries in the United States is over 3000 ha smaller than in Serbia, but the production of this fruit is significantly higher. The continuous development of new varieties, primarily adapted to the growing conditions in US regions, has strongly increased the yield of this fruit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Penicillium italicum and P. expansum are important pathogens causing decay in most fruits and vegetables. In this study, orange fruits were inoculated with these two species of fungus and stored 14 days with or without bagging, in a cold room for 11 days and 3 days at room temperature to determine the effect of bagging and infection capacities of both molds on oranges during storage. The results indicated that P. expansum can grow on orange peel with smaller colony diameter than P. italicum in bagged and unbagged fruits. Total soluble solids (TSS) and firmness were not affected by bag. Gas composition of the bags showed low oxygen and high carbon dioxide concentration after fourteen days of storage. Bagged fruits decreased decay caused by P. italicum and weight loss, and delayed changes in firmness, TSS and acidity compared with control fruits. The study suggests that bagging may be a promising option for controlling decay, maintaining fruit quality and extending shelf-life of oranges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the valuable economic benefits of tourism, it must be highlighted that the tourism industry is an important source of stress for the environment with the main influence on tourist destinations. The aim of this study is to investigate the elements of environmental sustainability in tourism as key factors in the competitiveness of tourism using entropy methods. According to the authors' knowledge, it is the first time that the entropy model applied to Environmental sustainability indicators, regarding entropy as a measure of non-uniformity among sustainability indicators of EU countries. The data of the EU were used and Environmental sustainability pillar of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index. The results show that the total entropy of the competitiveness of tourism within the environmental sustainability sub-index of the EU countries speaks in favor of the uniformity of the indicators. The study also reveals significant differences among the EU27 in the domain of the Global Climate Risk index, Baseline water stress and Forest cover loss. Furthermore, convergence has been achieved so far in the indicators Red List Index and Environmental treaty ratification. Finally, the methodological approach of this study has the potential to be extrapolated worldwide, especially in the future era of global environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ethnobotanical studies provide a generalized survey of ethnobotanical knowledge, traditional practices, and plant species utilization using by humans a range of provisioning ecosystem services, referring dominantly to rural and less to urban settlements. This study aims to answer the question of whether traditional ethnobotanical knowledge is applied in urban areas in the context of the selection and utilization of medicinal, aromatic, and wild edible plant species. The research was conducted in the urban area of the city of Kragujevac (central Serbia) in the period from May to October 2021. Data collection was performed "in situ" using semi-structured ethnobotanical face-to-face interviews with 43 respondents. The total number of finally selected plant species reported by respondents was 24. They were classified according to their purpose of use as medicinal, food, and ornamental. Herein, the analyzed urban population mostly utilized plant species for edible purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to produce yogurt with Ganoderma lucidum residues and selected probiotic bacteria. To select the most potent GABA-producing strain (GABA - ?-aminobutyric acid), nine probiotic bacteria were subjected to the glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) activity assay. Limosilactobacillus reuteri DSM 17938 was selected and used in preparing fresh yogurts, with and without supplementation of Ganoderma residues obtained after water extraction [GW (Ganoderma waste) 2% (w/v)]. A decrease in pH during fermentation and the occurrence of syneresis were investigated. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) viability and anti-Escherichia activity were estimated. Further, the cytotoxic effect of yogurt extracts on the human colon cancer cell line (HCT116) was surveyed. Besides functionality, the sensory attributes were evaluated. The pH values did not significantly change with the GW addition while increasing the LAB counts [up to 9.76 ± 0.11 log colony-forming units (CFU) mL-1] and the cytotoxic effect on HCT116 cells. Yogurt produced with selected bacteria and GW had the most valuable anti-coli effect against E. coli 0157: H7 and E. coli ATCC 35218 (American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, Maryland) (4.81 ± 0.62 and 5.64 ± 0.29 CFU mL-1, respectively). Although the added GW increased the yogurt functionality, it had a slightly negative effect on the taste and texture of the partially modified recipe. Yogurts fortified with GABA-producing strain and GW could potentially reduce relapse rates of depressive disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ethanolic wood extracts showed no risk for human health. • There is a potential for reuse of the wood waste in human diet. • Bioavailability of elements was discussed based on their relations with phenolics. This work investigates the release of toxic elements from wood into the experimental spirit models and the safety risks for consumers. The spirit models were prepared as ethanolic extracts using the procedure which reproduces maturation of spirits. Investigation included staves of wood species commonly used in Balkan cooperage: mulberry, Myrobalan plum, black locust, wild cherry, and various oaks. Potassium was the most abundant element, except in the wild cherry extract where calcium was dominant, and the Myrobalan plum extract where phosphorus was the most abundant. The parameters for the health risk assessment, such as hazard index (HI) and hazard quotient (HQ) were calculated for potentially toxic elements and indicated that all wood extracts would be safe for human consumption. Owing to the proven abundance of phenolics in the investigated wood extracts, relations among elements and phenolics were also studied and conclusions were made based on the statistically significant correlations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fast and reliable method for the discrimination of the wood species was proposed. • A long-term study confirms practical applicability of the proposed method. • Aging time of spirits is not correlated with the content of antioxidant compounds. • In general, apple brandy was the extraction agent with the lowest extraction power. • Black locust, myrobalan plum and mulberry showed the highest antioxidant capacity. Type of the wood used for the aging highly influences the quality of alcoholic beverages. In this research we explored the potential of cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) to establish fingerprints characteristic for each wood and to enable determining the type of the wood used in the aging process. Eleven different wood samples were used to prepare three different types of spirits during 15 months. The highest extraction rate was obtained during the first month, while further aging was followed with almost constant amount of extracted polyphenols. Black locust, myrobalan plum, and mulberry extracts were discriminated from the spirits aged in oak and wild cherry wood when statistical analysis was applied. Although clear classification of all samples was not achieved, this long term study demonstrated a potential of both CV and DPV for differentiating wood species used in the aging, hence in the quality control of spirits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]