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Agglomeration is a process used to improve reconstitution properties of cocoa powders in liquids. This process has been used for instantization of numerous food products, due to its ability to improve dispersion and solubility properties of the powders while reducing the fines in the final product. The process also enables production of more attractive powdered products (both in appearance and sensory properties) and decreases the apparent density and tendency to cake during storage. In this study physical properties and bioactive content of powdered cocoa drink mixtures prepared from cocoa powders with two different fat contents and different sweeteners (sucrose, aspartame/acesulfame K and stevia), were investigated before and after agglomeration. Particle size and density characteristics of the formulated mixtures and agglomerates, as well as dispersibility and wettability were evaluated. Content and composition of polyphenols was determined using UV-vis spectrophotometry. Antioxidant capacity of cocoa mixtures and agglomerates was evaluated by using ABTS and FRAP assays. Agglomeration significantly affected physical and bioactive properties of cocoa drink mixtures. Total phenol, flavonoid and flavan-3-ol content, as well as the antioxidant capacity decreased after agglomeration of all cocoa drink mixtures. Both cocoa powder mixtures and cocoa agglomerates prepared with the cocoa powder containing higher fat content (16-18%) generally provided lower bioactive content, compared to the mixtures prepared with low fat cocoa. As expected, agglomeration resulted in agglomerates with higher median diameter and Hausner ratio values. Agglomerated cocoa mixtures also showed better reconstitution properties in comparison to non-agglomerated cocoa powder mixtures. Best results were obtained for cocoa agglomerates containing low fat cocoa. Results indicate that agglomeration improves the physical properties of cocoa drink mixtures, regardless of their composition, but negatively affects the beneficial bioactive constituents and thus requires further studies in order to improve characteristics of the final product.

INTRODUCTION Litsea cubeba essential oil, and it`s main compound citral (a mixture of geranial and neral) has potential in inhibiting the growth of bacteria as well as fungi. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of L. cubeba oil at different concentrations (50, 100 and 250 ppm) on shelf-life of fresh-cut pears Packham’s Triumph variety. METHODOLOGY Microbial population of fresh-cut pears (total count of aerobic bacteria - AMB, aerobic psychrophilic bacteria - APB, yeasts and moulds), as well as colour and flesh firmness, polyphenol content (PC) and antioxidant activity (AA) of treated samples, were determined. Analysis of untreated (control) and treated fresh-cut pear samples were carried out immediately following oil treatments, and on 1, 7, 14 day storage at 2 °C. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Compared to control, L. cubeba oil at highest concentration (250 ppm) had most potent inhibitory activity to all analysed microorganisms. Counts of bacteria (AMB and APB) in all treated samples after 14th day of storage were below permitted levels (

METHODOLOGY: Ion chromatography (IC) and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP OES) are methods applied in this work for determination of metals content in analyzed white wines denominated as: 1, 2 and 3 from Križevci wine region. IC was used to analyze: sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium. ICP OES was used for determination of iron, copper, zinc, nickel, chromium and manganese. RESULTS AND DISSCUSION: In tested wines presence of chromium was not detected and concentrations of sodium, zinc and copper are almost similar. The concentration of nickel is significantly higher in wine denominated as 1, when compared to other two wines denominated as 2 and 3. Levels of potassium, magnesium and nikel are significantly higher in wine denominated as 3. The iron concentration is equal in all three tested wines, while manganese concentration is five times higher in sample 3 when compared to samples 1 and 2. CONCULSIONS: IC and ICP are quick and precise methods for determination of heavy metals in wines.

This study was performed to evaluate the operational parameters on aeration off/on time in an intermittent aeration bioreactor for wastewater treatment. Also, the removal efficiency of organics and nitrogen were determined. The bioreactor has 2 L of effective working volume.

The phenomenon of untypical aging off-flavor, associated with higher concentrations of 2-aminoacetophenone (2-AAP) in white wines, can stem from some technological treatments applied in grape and wine production. In order to find out if a wine is liable to untypical aging off-flavor, it is necessary to determine the concentrations of indole-3-acetic acid and L-tryptophan, which are the precursors of 2-aminoacetophenone. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the influence of soil type and different yeast strains on the levels of L-tryptophan, indole-3-acetic acid and 2-aminoacetophenone in the Malvasia from Istria must and wine. In the 2007 and 2009. grapes were harvested from two different soil type locations (terra Rosa, terra Bianca), in Istria wine growing region, Croatia, and separately vinified. Vinification was carried up with 4 different wine strains ((Fermol Cryoarome, Fermol Assosiee, Uvaferm CS2, Anchor VIN 13). Young wine samples were taken for analysis after completed alcoholic fermentation. Analyses of L-tryptophan and indole-3-acetic acid were performed using Agilent 1100 equipped with autosampler and fluorescence detector. Separation was achieved on Luna C18 (endcapped) column (5 μm packing, 250 x 4.6 mm i.d.), (Phenomenex, USA), protected with guard column from same material (Phenomenex, USA). 2-aminoacetophenone (2-AAP) analyses were performed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). 2-AAP was extracted from wine by direct immersion solid phase microextraction (DISPME). Divinylbenzene / carboxen / polydimethylsiloxane SPME fibres were used. Chemical analyses of compared musts and wines in both investigated years showed differences in L-tryptophan, ranging from 260, 2 up to 1065, 6 μg/L, and indole-3-acetic acid concentrations, ranging from 26, 1 up to 71, 3 μg/L, that depend more upon the soil type than yeast strain used. Different soil type and yeast strains also influenced 2-aminoacetophenone concentrations in Malvasia wines, ranging between 0, 3-1, 2 μg/L. Keywords: indole

INTRODUCTION The resistance to metal ions and metal ions binding capacity of different microorganisms is the basis of their usage in biotechnology processes. The lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are non-pathogenic, food safe microorganisms, which are commonly applied in food industry where they are often exposed to metal ions. The interactions between LAB and metal ions are very poorly investigated. Because of that, the influence of Zn, Cu and Mn on growth, acid production and binding capacity of wild and adapted strains of Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus brevis and Lactobacillus plantarum was investigated in this work. METHODOLOGY The wild LAB strains and LAB strains adapted to high concentrations of metal ions were exposed to various concentrations of metal ions in the MRS medium in static and dynamic conditions. The effect of metal ions supplementation on LAB growth, acid production and metal ions accumulation was monitored. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The Zn and Mn supplementation in the investigated concentrations did not have effect on the bacterial growth and acid production while copper ions were highly toxic, especially in static conditions. The adaptation had a positive effect on the growth and acid production of all bacterial species in the presence of copper. However, the adapted strains of bacteria incorporated less metal ions than the wild strains. The exception was adapted bacteria L. brevis that accumulated high concentration of copper ions in static conditions. The difference in copper binding mechanism between species and between wild and adapted cells was investigated by 2D SDS-PAGE. CONCLUSIONS The results have shown that the presence of metal ions in the growth medium can influence growth and acid production of tested LAB. The effect is dependent on variety of metal ions and LAB species. Among the chosen LAB strains Leuc. mesenteroides was the most efficient in Zn binding processes, while L. plantarum accumulated high tested concentration of Mn. L. brevis was the most copper resistant.

Mediterranean diet is probably one of the healthiest dietary models. It is rich in vitamins and minerals sourced from local fresh fruits and vegetables, cereals, olive oil, and fish. Nutrition affects health throughout life, and pre-school age is significant for adopting healthy eating habits. The aim of this study was to assess daily dietary energy value, macronutrient content, and presence of typical food groups according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet in food served at nurseries to pre-school children from Zadar, which is a typical Mediterranean town. The central nursery kitchen prepares meals for eight nurseries that are attended by about 1200 children from the city of Zadar and its suburb area. In collaboration with nursery staff, we collected duplicate portions of meals, four a day, which were served at the nurseries for 15 consecutive days over the winter, spring, and autumn in 2007/2008. Daily energy and macronutrients content was evaluated and compared with the recommended national daily values. Daily average dietary energy values for the total sample were 1053 kcal in the winter, 1222 kcal in the spring, and 1169 kcal in the autumn. The menus did not sufficiently include typical Mediterranean food such as fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain cereals, olive oil, and fish. The obtained results were lower than the recommended values for all three studied seasons. To conclude, the menus indicate that Zadar nurseries do not follow strict Mediterranean model of diet.

Production of elderberry fruit wine in Croatia is very limited and primarily conducted in small family farms, so the aim of this research was to determine the quality parameters of elderberry fruit and elderberry fruit wine as the final product. Elderberry fruit was harvested in September 2009 and stored at -20°C before analysis and wine production. Six types of elderberry fruit wines (A, B, C, D, E and F) were produced with addition of different amounts of sugar (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 1.5 and 0.5 kg per 4 kg of elderberry fruit) and water (wines C, D, E). Quality of wines was evaluated using physico- chemical analysis (pH, dry matter, soluble solid, total sugar content and total acidity), determination of phenolic compounds (total phenols, total flavonoids, hydrolised tannins and anthocyanins), antioxidant activity (FRAP method) and sensory evaluation (scoring scale from 1 to 5 for taste and aroma). According to the amount of total sugar after the fermentation, wines A, B, C and F can be considered as dry wines while wines D and E can be categorized as semi-dry wines. Total acidity in all wines was higher when compared to fresh elderberry fruit. Fresh elderberry fruit as well as wines had high concentration of phenolic compound with anthocyanins in the highest extent, although the winemaking process decreased the amount of phenolics. High antioxidant activity was determined in both elderberry fruit and wine. Wine with high sugar and low acid amount (wine E) had best sensory characteristics. Elderberry fruit and wine are a rich source of phenolic compounds, especially anthocyanins. The winemaking process affects the quality and phenolic composition of the final products. Consumers found the wine with high sugar amount and low acidity to be the most acceptable.

INTRODUCTION The utilization of chemometric methods in the quantitative and qualitative analysis of feeds, foods, medicine and so on has been accompanied with the great evolution in the progress and in the near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) (Alishahi et al., 2010.). NIR is a non destructive and one of the fastest analytical technique which provides information on both chemical and physical properties of food stuffs.The aim of this research was to investigate the posibillity of NIR spectroscopy for monitoring different manufacturers and particle size distributions of NaCl. METHODOLOGY In this study experiments were conducted on salt samples from different commercial manufacturers. The samples were packed in three different packaging materials (PAP 21, PP 5, PET 1) and for each sample particle size was determined by laser diffraction using Malvern 2000 Mastersizer equipped with Scirocco 2000 dry dispersion unit (Malvern, UK). For each manufacturer different particle sizes were monitored and NIR spectra were collected over the range of 904-1699 nm using a Control Development, Inc., NIR-128-1.7-USB/6.25/50µm with installed Control Development software Spec32. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION NIR spectra of salt samples were imported to STATISTICA v. 9.0 software and PCA analysis was performed. Results obtained for different salt samples showed good separation based on sample origin (manufacturer) and a good classification for different particle size distributions. In order to implement NIR spectroscopy for on-line monitoring of particle sizes of salt detailed calibration must be performed. CONCLUSIONS Combining NIR spectroscopy with chemometric methods such as principal component analysis provides a powerfull tool for for quality and particle size monitoring of salt and other powders.

U suvremenoj peradarskoj proizvodnji dobrobit životinja je aktualno pitanje, posebice u Europskoj uniji. Znanstvene spoznaje kao i aktivnosti javnosti utjecale su na promjene zakonodavnih odredbi Europske unije, što je rezultiralo i promjenama postojećih uzgojnih sustava. Hrvatska kao zemlja kandidat za članstvo u Europskoj uniji u procesu je prilagodbe svojih propisa EU zakonodavstvu i njihovoj primjeni. U radu su prikazana iskustva pojedinih zemalja članica Europske unije u pogledu osiguranja odgovarajućih smještajnih uvjeta u kontekstu dobrobiti peradi, kao i učinjeni koraci na tom području u našoj zemlji.

Influenca ptica i dalje predstavlja prijetnju u svijetu, kako uzgojima peradi tako i čovjeku. Godine 2008. je prema OIE-u u ptica zabilježeno izbijanje ove bolesti u 27 zemalja svijeta, uzrokovano podtipovima H5N1, H7N7 i H7N3. Iz podataka se može razlučiti da se u Europi radi o slučajevima koji se javljaju do proljeća 2008. godine, moguće vezanim uz sezonu migracija ptica tijekom 2007/2008, izuzev pojave u Njemačkoj u listopadu 2008., dok je na Dalekom istoku bolest prisutna čitave godine te predstavlja rezervoar virusa kako u domaće peradi tako i u divljih ptica. Na taj način podtip H5N1, zbog svojih zoonotskih značajki i dalje predstavlja opasnost mogućim pandemijskim širenjem u ljudskoj populaciji. Tako je u 2008. godini prema WHO do početka rujna zabilježeno 36 slučajeva influence u ljudi uzrokovane s H5N1, od kojih je 28 završilo smrću (77, 78%). Bolest ljudi se većinom pojavljuje u zemljama Dalekog istoka, ponajprije zbog specifičnog načina života na tom području, bliskim kontaktom s peradi, ali je zabilježena i u sjevernoj Africi (Egipat). Hrvatska je zemlja bogata vodenim staništima koja se nalaze na migratornim putovima ptica vodarica koje su glavni nosioci virusa influence tipa A, pa tako i podtipa H5N1, što predstavlja osnovu mogućeg širenja ovog virusa. U Hrvatskoj je virus visokopatogene influnce podtipa H5N1 dokazan jedino u divljih ptica tijekom 2005. i 2006. godine dok u istom razdoblju u peradi ovaj virus nije nađen, ali su tijekom 2007. i 2008. godine nađena protutijela za H5 i H7 podtipove u nekoliko jedinki ekstenzivnih uzgoja peradi. Naknadnom virološkom pretragom sve peradi u serološki pozitivnim dvorištima nije potvrđen virus influence što upućuje da se radilo o tzv. staroj infekciji. Temelj suzbijanja ove bolesti je nadzor, monitoring kako divljih ptica, naročito vodarica, tako i domaće peradi, osobito na mjestima mogućeg bliskog dodira. Osnova spomenutih dijagnostičkih postupaka je analiza obrisaka ždrijela i kloake na postojanje prije svega podtipa H5, ali i ostalih podtipova koji mogu biti uzrokom visoko patogene influence ptica, kao što je podtip H7, ali i serološki čime se dokazuje mogući dodir sa spomenutim virusima. Na taj se način, u slučaju dokaza virusa ili dodira s virusom, može pravodobno spriječiti daljnje širenje na populaciju domaće peradi njenim hitnim neškodljivim uklanjanjem, ako za to postoji opravdana potreba. No, ono što se nudi kao mogućnost u suzbijanju ove bolesti u svijetu, je primjena cjepiva. Kako se aktivna cjepiva od virusa influence A ne smiju koristiti zbog mogućnosti povrata patogenosti, ali i rekombinacije s drugim podtipovima, na područjima koja su dugi niz godina na udaru ovih virusa uobičajena je primjena inaktiviranih cjepiva. Problem predstavlja individualna, višekratna primjena ovih cjepiva te razlikovanje cijepljenih od zaraženih (DIVA), ali usprkos tome inaktivirana cjepiva ne sprječavaju izlučivanje virusa u okoliš. Nadu pružaju rekombinantna i genska cjepiva. Problem predstavlja jedino nedovoljno razrađen postupak masovne primjene. Hrvatska nudi model suzbijanja ove bolesti upravo masovnom primjenom rekombinantnih cjepiva. Cilj je cijepiti jednodnevnu perad (kokoš, patka, guska, puran) još u ležionici masovnom primjenom rekombinantnih cjepiva postupkom nebulizacije temeljenih na vektorskim virusima, kao što su virus boginja peradi, adenovirusi, herpesvirus purana ili virus newcastleske bolesti. Na taj se način, zaštitom 80% populacije domaće peradi, osigurava kontrola nad divljim virusom te se sprječava mogućnost epizootskog širenja na druge populacije peradi, a također i čovjeka.

Ususret novoj eri peradarstva, treči je simpozij Udruge za znanost o peradi (WPSA-Croatian Branch)kojim nastojimo kolegama u znanosti i struci iz ovog područja približiti nove znanstvene spoznaje. Teme simpozija su: Upravljanje kakvoćom i sigurnosti mesa peradi, Istraživanja pojavnosti kampilobakterioze u Hrvatskoj, Meso peradi i jaja kao funkcionalna hrana, Suzbijanje salmonela u peradarskoj proizvodnji, Dobrobit peradi, te Influenca ptica

Biochemical synthesis of virgin olive oil volatile substances during olive processing depends on activity of endogenous enzymes involved in the LOX pathway. Phenols present in olive paste could be one of the inhibitory factors, since it is known that phenolic compounds are able to bind and inhibit various enzymes. Olive paste of Buža cultivar, known to have low phenols content and a relatively high C6 volatiles mass ratio in oil, was fortified with phenolic extract from olive fruits during processing, in order to study the effect on volatile compounds in oil. Oil samples were obtained by a laboratory plant from olive pastes containing two levels of phenols content (real and increased by 20%). Phenols in oils were determined by RP HPLC with UV-DAD detection using tyrosol, apigenin and luteolin (calibration standards) and syringic acid (internal standard). Volatiles were analysed by SPME-GC-MS with 4-methyl-2-pentanol as an internal standard. The increase of total phenols mass ratio in olive paste by 20% has led to a much higher rise of phenols in oil samples (hydroxytyrosol 185% ; oleuropein and ligstroside derivatives by 175% and 750%, respectively). Oils from fortified pastes had up to 10 times reduced values of Z-3-hexenal and 2 times of E-2-hexenal, E-2-hexen-1-ol and hexyl acetate. Other substances (hexanal, E-3-hexen-1-ol, Z-3-hexenyl acetate and C5 compounds) showed minor changes in relation to the increased phenols mass ratio in olive paste. A relatively low odour threshold value of Z-3-hexenal, E-2-hexenal and E-2-hexen-1-ol suggests that a radical decrease of their mass fraction in oil should have an evident negative impact on the perception of green odour notes. Results confirm the hypothesis of inhibitory effect of phenols compounds in olive paste on the biosynthesis of the most important volatile compounds of pleasant virgin olive oil aroma.

Among broad spectrum of known phenolics, there is a class of non-steroidal estrogenic compounds called phytoestrogens, including lignans as one of the subgroup compounds. Besides the (anti)estrogen effect, lignans are thought to possess antioxidant activity. The richest known source of food lignans is flaxseed. Thus, in this work we determined the lignan content, total phenols and antioxidant activity of selected cereal grains (wheat, barley, rye, and oat) and compared them with flaxseed as the potential enriching ingredient in bakery products. Lignans were quantified by gas chromatography-electron capture detection (GC-ECD), total phenols determined by Folin-Ciocalteu method and antioxidant capacity evaluated using DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) assay. The results show that cereal grains contain more than two hundred times lower amount of lignans than flaxseed, but contain lignan syringaresinol that was not detected in flaxseed. Total phenolic content in cereal grain was found to be in range 256 ± 2.4 to 408 ± 3.6 mg ferulic acid equivalent/100 g, while in flaxseed was 1286 ± 146.8 mg ferulic acid equivalent/100 g. Additionally, flaxseed showed stronger DPPH radical scavenging capacity compared to cereals. The addition of flaxseed could contribute to the overall functional aspect of the bakery products by increasing the level of health promoting components. Future work will show the limits of use, considering the flaxseed laxative properties, content of cyanogenic glucosides and influence on product textural and sensory properties.