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In a circular economy we have to rethink, redesign, reduce, reuse, recycle, and recover the waste through a circular economy which is generating a valuable chain between raw material producer and consumer. Economic circular models could be shaped into short cycles, long cycles, cascades, pure cycles, dematerialized cycles and production on demands. Using these models and adapt them for agriculture we save a lot of resources, being able to decouple substantially production by resource extraction. An agri-food system is combining environment, human resources, other inputs, technological and biological processes, industrial processing, distribution, preparation and consumption, resulting a wide range of outputs. The models are designed to extract the maximum value and use from raw materials, products and waste, generating energy savings and reducing GHGs emissions. This paperwork is proposing agri-food models that are covering the full lifecycle: production, distribution, consumption, waste management and the market for secondary raw materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We need to think that an ecosystem is working for us all time, proving a constant flow of resources as economical input, sustain life and all necessary condition for the agricultural activity, creating a mechanism that is wider than our comprehension. An agricultural ecosystem is producing food, fuels, non-food products. This activity is depending on the ecosystem service, by water, climate, soil fertility, carbon sequestration, biodiversity as genetic reservoir. Usually the connection between agriculture and ecosystem service is limited at landscape or negative impact of agricultural practices. But it is observed that ecosystem services in the current global context are generating productivity losses and put us in the situation to adapt our economic system, by adopting new technologies and policy changes. Lack of resources, in quantity and quality, water scarcity, extreme weather conditions, flooding, lack of soil nutrients, pests' control, biodiversity depreciation, emphasize our close dependence by the ecosystem. Ecosystem service evaluation is an important instrument for territorial planning, sustainable resource exploitation, nature protection, conservation and restoration, new bio-based business models design, climate protection. This paper work is analyzing the connection between agriculture and ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food habits are specific to each nationality. One common point is represented by the dairy products due to their specific properties. Starting from the raw material used (milk) which could ensure all the nutrients needed for supporting life, the dairy conserves most of the milk components but with a high preservation degree and digestibility. The present study focuses on establishing the nutritional and toxicological characteristics of some local traditionally made cheese. The motivation of the samples taken is determined by the actual trend of eating foods low processed, and high preservation degree of the native nutrients. Traditionally made products are considered to be healthier by fulfilling the two presented aspects. Not all traditional producers are certified by the authorities regarding the application of the HACCP and products traceability. This situation could determine quality alterations, therefore it is necessary the projection of simple methods and devices suitable for different sanitary and authenticity determinations. One direction of the present study is to establish the possibility of using an immunosensor to determine the quantity of aflatoxin M1 from different traditional Romanian cheeses. The aflatoxin M1, the hepatotoxic compound, could be found in cheese as a result of using mouldy animal feed. The thermal stability of the aflatoxins is well known, and it should be taken into account for relevant scientific results. The results based on immunological determinations are completed by other studies, such as: protein content, humidity, fat, NaCl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The efficiency of bioscouring treatment applied on 50% of flax + 50% of cotton material by determination of the residual Ca2+ was studied. The treated samples were analyzed using a spectrophotometric method based on the measuring of the colour strength [K/S] of the bioscoured material after dyeing with Ruthenium red and Alizarin. The reflectance (R %) at 540 nm was measured and [K/S] values were calculated [1, 2]. The purpose of bioscouring was the removal of morphological impurities present in the cotton and flax fibers such as: pectins, hemicelluloses, waxes, minerals, organic acids, etc. Pectin is a heteropolysaccharide having as a basic structural unit D-galacturonic acid. These units are linked together by Ca2+ bridges. During the bioscouring process in the presence of the pectinolytic product the pectin is hydrolyzed, releasing the Ca2+ions. The treatment was done in the presence of ultrasound (45 KHz) with a commercial product named Beisol PRO (a mixture of pectinases) in phosphate buffer solution of 0.1 molar at pH 8 with the addition of 2 g/L EDTA (complexing agent) and 0.5% Denimcol Wash RGN (washing agent). All the experiments were done after a central, correlation, rotatable, second order compound program with two independent variables: enzyme concentration (1-3% o.w.f.) and treatment time (15-55 minutes). The liquor to fabric ratio was 20:1 and the temperature of 55 °C. The colour strenght [K/S] of the dyed samples fabrics was calculated from the reflectance value measured with a spectrophotometer Datacolor 500 at the maximum absorption wavelength of 540 nm. Ruthenium red and Alizarin dyes are able to form salts in the presence of Ca2+ which can be identified by a color reaction. As a direct result of these reactions, for the enzymatic treated samples, lower values of the intensity dyeing [K/S] were obtained compared to the control sample because of the elimination of Ca2+ ions from the system. The amount of calcium from the treated samples at different enzyme concentrations and different treatment time was calculated in comparison with the control which was the untreated material considered to have the greatest amount of calcium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of ultrasound energy on bioscouring treatment applied on a 50% of hemp + 50% of cotton woven fabric was studied. The aim of the bioscouring treatment was the removal of the natural cellulose attendants for better fabric properties. The treatment conditions were: variable concentration between 1-3% (o.w.f.) of the commercial enzyme product Beisol PRO, which is a mixture of pectinases from Bezema Company, Switzerland, 2 g/L of the complexing agent EDTA, 0.5% of wetting agent Denimcol Wash RGN, phosphate buffer solution of 0.1 Molar and pH 8, 20:1 liquor to fabric ratio, temperature of 55 0C and variable time between 15-55 minutes. The experiments were conducted using a central, correlation, rotatable, second order compound program with two independent variables: enzyme concentration and treatment time. The effect of enzymes mixture was intensified by ultrasound in an Elmasonic X-tra basic 2500 ultrasound bath from Elma Company, Germany. The sound field had 45 KHz frequency. The efficiency of bioscouring process in the presence of ultrasound was established by analyzing some specific fabric properties like: weight loss, hydrophilycity, whiteness index, crystallinity, tensile strength and elongation at break. Also, investigation of the surface morphologyies of the hemp/cotton treated fabric was made by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and colorimetric analysis after dyeing with alizarin were performed. The results showed the effectiveness of this bioscouring process in ultrasound without significant degradation of the 50% of cotton + 50% of hemp fabric. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]