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Sustainable management of agri-food product safety presents a major challenge requiring extensive action to ensure food safety and consumer health. The pursuit of environmentally friendly solutions that will constitute an alternative to the chemical compounds commonly used in agriculture and the food industries is one of the most important problems. One solution is plant extracts containing various biologically active compounds and exhibiting antimicrobial activity. This study aims to determine the biological activity of extracts obtained from Origanum vulgare L. (leaves) by supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) extraction using different reaction conditions and compositions. In vitro studies revealed antimicrobial activity against selected bacteria (including Salmonella Enteritidis, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus) and fungi (Fusarium spp.), depending mainly on the microorganism species; however, extraction conditions also influenced these properties. The microscopic observations established by optical and fluorescence microscopy showed the changes in the fungal cell's viability and morphology. There was no observed significant release of intracellular material as stated based on ICP-MS analysis of sodium and potassium concentration. Antibiofilm properties of extract obtained by extraction at 40 °C were also demonstrated against S. aureus, P. aeruginosa, and L. monocytogenes, with stronger properties observed against Gram-positive bacteria. Phytochemical characterization of the extracts was determined using a liquid chromatography system with an orbitrap mass spectrometer (LC/MS), identifying, i.e., phenolic acids: protocatechuic, hydroxybenzoic, caffeic, and rosmarinic; flavonoids: luteolin, naringenin, and kaempferol; and terpenoids: oleanolic and ursolic acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plant diseases caused by pathogenic fungi generate large losses in crops and pose a threat to human and animal health. Since the European Green Deal put a strong emphasis on the need to reduce the use of chemical plant protection, interest in biological control has been growing. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from silages in the control of pathogenic fungi through in vitro, mini-plot, and field experiments. The tested LAB showed antifungal activity in vitro towards strains from the Fusarium, Alternaria, Rhizoctonia, Colletotrichum, and Sclerotinia genera; however, only five strains reached an activity ≥ 400 AU/mL towards all pathogenic fungi. The selected strains demonstrated high efficacy in reducing disease symptoms in plants in the mini-plot and field experiments. In the mini-plot experiment, stem smut of rye and wheat common bunt were reduced in the range 34.5–94.7% and 24.8–99.6%, respectively. In the field experiments, the efficacy of LAB in the control of rye and wheat disease differed and reached over 90% in some trials. The effectiveness of LAB in the control of seedling blight did not exceed 70%. A significant increase in yield (from 42.86 to 195.65%) was observed mainly in wheat cultivation. The increase in rye yield was observed only in chosen trials. No phytotoxicity was observed. The results indicate the potential possibilities of using LAB as a biocontrol agent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Progress in Plant Protection is the property of Institute of Plant Protection and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Progress in Plant Protection is the property of Institute of Plant Protection and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Progress in Plant Protection is the property of Institute of Plant Protection and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Progress in Plant Protection is the property of Institute of Plant Protection and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Progress in Plant Protection is the property of Institute of Plant Protection and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Antimicrobial properties of socks containing silver nanoparticles were investigated. Two types of socks were used for testing. The first were linen (100%) socks impregnated with a specimen containing silver nanoparticles. The second type were commercially available cotton (55%) socks containing nanosilver. An antimicrobial effect was assayed against selected Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria as well as yeasts. It was found that the specimen used for impregnating linen socks has a wide range of antimicrobial activity against some Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and yeasts - Candida albicans. Antimicrobial effectiveness depended on the type of microorganism, cell number and concentration of silver nanoparticles. Commercially available cotton socks presented antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus epidermidis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to their rich chemical composition, essential oils (EOs) have many interesting properties, including antimicrobial activities. The presence of Fusarium and their secondary metabolites, mycotoxins, in cereal crops is a serious problem in agriculture, which consequently affects food quality. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of selected EOs on the growth of Fusarium graminearum and F. culmorum and the biosynthesis of mycotoxins in maize seeds. Chromatographic analysis of ergosterol as a fungal growth indicator showed a significant inhibition of Fusarium growth (83.24–99.99%) compared to the control samples, which as a consequence resulted in a reduction in mycotoxin concentrations. The addition of cinnamon, palmarosa, orange, and spearmint EOs was shown to be the most effective in reducing zearalenone concentration (99.10–99.92%). Deoxynivalenol analysis confirmed a very high reduction of this compound at the application all tested EOs (90.69–100%). The obtained results indicated that EOs have a great potential to inhibit growth of Fusarium fungi as well as reduce the concentration of mycotoxins in maize seed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents a synthesis method for new surfactants based on lactose. The compounds obtained belong to the homologous series of O-β-D-Galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-N-alkyl-(3-sulfopropyl)-D-glucosamine hydrochloride, containing 12 and 14 carbon atoms in the alkyl chain, and they may serve as an example of cationic surfactants. The newly synthesized compounds exhibit good surface properties, low value of CMC (Critical Micelle Concentration) and good wetting properties. These surfactants' ability to produce foam is considerably higher than in the commercial surfactants. Moreover, antibacterial and fungistatic activity was carried out by well diffusion assay against the selected bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), yeasts (Candida albicans) and filamentous fungi (Fusarium graminearum, F. avenaceum, F. oxysporum, F. culmorum, F. equiseti, Alternaria alternata and Botrytis cinerea). It was shown that the resulting quaternary salts significantly inhibit the growth of tested microorganisms. Antibacterial and fungistatic activity of the surfactant compounds varied depending on the species of bacteria or fungi. The results of antimicrobial activity of new lactose derivatives indicate that the compounds exhibit larger or similar antagonistic activity against tested bacteria and fungi than typical cationic surfactant cetylpyridinium chloride. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to study the antifungal properties of propionibacteria. Three fractions from cultures of Propionibacterium freudenreichii ssp. shermanii 41 and ssp. freudenreichii 111 (i.e. culture containing viable bacteria, cell-free supernatant and bacteriocin preparation) were tested for their ability to inhibit the growth and mycotoxin production of Alternaria alternata, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium graminearum and Fusarium verticillioides. The growth of the fungi was monitored during cultivation using a plating method. The concentration of toxins produced was measured by HPLC on the 14th day of culture. Altenuene and tenuazonic acid were determined in cultures of A. alternata whilst concentration of nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, fumonisin B1 and zearalenone was measured in Fusarium cultures. The strongest inhibition of growth and toxin production was observed in the presence of cultures containing viable cells and supernatants obtained from propionibacteria cultures. The bacteriocin extracts generally had a weak fungistatic effect on the growth of A. alternata, F. culmorum and F. graminearum. Despite the fact that growth was slower in the presence of bacteriocin extracts than in control trials, none of the preparations prepared from the propionibacteria significantly reduced the level of mycotoxin production. The ability of P. freudenreichii ssp. freudenreichii 111 to remove zearalenone from liquid medium was also evaluated. It was shown that both viable and non-viable cells caused a decrease in zearalenone concentration in the medium.