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Background/Aim. The umbilical cord blood (UCB) volume and hematopoietic stem cells count are used as indicators for hematopoietic potential of UBC units. These indicators are affected by a collection method and obstetric factors. It was established that birth weight and placental weight affect the volume and hematopoietic stem cells count in UCB units. The influence of other obstetric factors is less clear. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of obstetric factors on hematopoietic potential of UCB units. Methods. The study involved 103 consecutive UCB units collected during 2013. Relationship of UCB volume, total nucleated cells, CD34+ cells and Colony Forming Unit- Granulocyte Monocyte count with maternal and neonatal characteristics was retrospectively analyzed. Results. It was shown that birth weight, placental weight and umbilical cord length ≥ 31 cm significantly increased the volume of collected samples, total nucleated cells, CD34+ cells and Colony Forming Unit-Granulocyte Monocyte count. Gestational age between 38−40 weeks increased significantly all umbilical factors (volume, total nucleated cells, CD34+ cells, and Colony Forming Unit-Granulocyte Monocyte count). Gender did not have an influence on quality of UCB units except on total nucleated cells and CD34+ cells count. Other obstetric factors did not affect significantly the quality of UCB units. Conclusion. Our study confirmed that birth weight, placenta weight, length of the umbilical cord and gestational age independently influenced the UCB unit volume, and absolute count of nuclear cells and hematopoietic stem cells. Due to a positive correlation between birth weight and placental weight, only birth weight, umbilical cord length and gestational age should be standard parameters in procedure of donor selection.

The objective of this research was to determine chemical composition and to evaluate the antifungal activity of essential oil of Mentha piperita. By the application of GC/MS analysis of essential mint oil, 27 components were identified. The major components were menthol (39.9 %), menton (23.51 %), menthyl acetate (7.29 %), 1.8-cineol (5.96 %), isomenton (5.24 %), isomenthol (3.17 %), trans-caryophyllene (2.88 %), limonene (2.14 %), pulegon (1.38 %), beta-pinene (1.14 %) and piperiton (1.03 %). The quantitative structure– retention relationship (QSRR) was employed to predict the retention time (RT) of Mentha piperita essential oil compounds obtained in GC/MS analysis, using twelve molecular descriptors selected by genetic algorithm. The selected descriptors were used, as inputs of an artificial neural network, to build an RT predictive QSRR model. The coefficient of determination was 0.983, during training cycle, indicating that this model could be used for prediction of RT values for essential oil compounds in Mentha piperita essential oil extracts. Essential oil of Mentha piperita showed antifungal activity on all tested isolates in the minimal inhibitory concentration range of 0.2–1.7 μl/ml and a minimal fungicidal concentration (MFC) range of 1.7–454.5 μl/ml. The most powerful antifungal activity of mint was observed in C. cladosporioides of MFC value 1.7 μl/ml. P. aurantiogriseum showed the lowest sensitivity of MFC value 454.5 μl/ml. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 31029]

The purpose of this paper is to characterize the amino acid profiles of wholegrain buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth proteins. The content and protein quality of these pseudocereals were compared mutually and with those of wholegrain wheat as a widespread cereal in human nutrition. Amaranth seeds showed the highest total amino acid (TAA) content, followed by wholegrain buckwheat and quinoa, which showed the lowest TAA content compared to the other two pseudocereals (180.85, 162.46 and 125.37 g per 100 g protein, respectively). The protein digestibility, protein efficiency ratio, protein chemical score and essential amino acid index of the pseudocereals under consideration ranged from 79.25 - 84.58 %, 2.9 - 6.17 %, 16.24 - 47.59, and 45.68 - 68.36, respectively. The results obtained indicate that buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth are promising raw materials that can meet the daily requirements of most essential amino acids, and can be used for the development of a range of value-added bakery products.

The aim of this work was to investigate nutritional profile in relation to proteins, amino acids, fatty acids and mineral composition, as well as phenolic profile of small edible fungal species Coprinellus disseminatus originated from Serbia. Total protein content in the analyzed fungal species was 9.72%. Fifteen protein fractions obtained by electrophoresis were identified in a range from 1.6 to 63.6 kDa. Chip-based separations showed the presence of protein fraction with molecular weight of 27.5 kDa that could possess antifungal activity. The total essential and non-essential amino acid contents were 29.57 and 96.69 mg/g DW, respectively. Among the essential amino acids, leucine was the most abundant. Fatty acid composition of C. disseminatus showed that polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, 59.1% of total FA) predominated over saturated fatty acids (SFA, 23.1% of total FA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA, 17.9% of total FA). The dominant fatty acids were linoleic acid (56.6%), palmitic acid (13.9%), and oleic acid (12.0%). The most abundant macroelement in C. disseminatus was potassium, followed by calcium and magnesium, while iron dominated in microelements. Eight phenolic compounds were quantified in methanolic extract of C. disseminatus by LC-MS/MS with the highest amount of p-hydroxybenzoic acid and p-coumaric acid reaching 9.46 ± 0.2 µg/g DW and 7.8 ± 0.1 µg/g DW, respectively.

Considering that mushrooms synthesize different kinds of compounds with antioxidative activity and that search for natural antioxidants is a topical study area, testing of unstudied species is fully justified. The aim of the study was to evaluate antioxidative capacity of Lenzites warnieri basidiocarps using different solvents. Antioxidative potential of 96% ethanolic, 70% ethanolic and methanolic extracts was evaluated by 2,2’-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) bleaching assay and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging assay. Additionally, total content of phenols and flavonoids in extracts was determined as galic acid equivalent (GAE) and quercetin equivalent (QE), respectively. Presented as EC50, 70% ethanolic extracts showed the highest antioxidative capacity by DPPH assay (3.08 ± 0.49 mg/mL) and 96% ethanolic extract by ABTS assay (3.08 ± 0.24 mg/mL). Methanolic extract exhibited the lowest antioxidative activity in both assays (6.02 ± 0.99 mg/mL and 4.92 ± 0.38 mg/mL, respectively). Results showed that antioxidative capacity of extracts depended on solvents and assay used, indicating that ethanolic extracts were with higher capacity in free radicals neutralization. The highest content of total phenols was detected in 70% ethanolic extract (37.45 ± 0.36 μg GAE/mg of dried extract) while the lowest amount was noted in methanolic extract (22.73 ± 0.05 μg GAE/mg of dried extract). Total flavonoid contents were negligible and ranged between 1.91 ± 0.10 and 2.24 ± 0.13 μg QE/mg of dried extract. The obtained results indicate that Lenzites warnieri possess significant antioxidative capacity which is mainly correlated to phenols present in the extracts. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 173032]

Although some members of the genus Daedaleopsis have been prized for their medicinal and spiritual powers since Neolithic times, modern science has not yet sufficiently dealt with their bioactivities. This study aims at defining the antioxidative ac­tivities of extracts of Daedaleopsis tricolor wild and cultivated basidiocarps and mycelium and assessing their dependance on substrate type. Ethanol extracts (at a concentrations from 0.25 mg/mL to 16.00 mg/mL) of mycelium and wild fruiting bodies showed a considerable antioxidative potential (88.65% and 81.57%, respectively), which was almost the same as the commercial antioxidant BHA (88.91%). These radical scavenging abilities were reflected in EC50 values, which were 12.45 mg/mL for the extract of cultivated basidiocarps, 8.29 mg/mL for the extract of wild basidiocarps, 7.93 mg/mL for mycelium one, and 0.10 mg/mL for commercial antioxidant. Despite the fact that phenol proportion in the extracts was no neg­ligible (between 20.41 μg GAE/mg of the extract of dry wild basidiocarps and 146.37 μg GAE/mg of the extract of dry cultivated basidiocarps), its correlation with antioxidative activity was moderate. Flavonoids, in significant concentration, were detected only in the extract of cultivated fruiting bodies (28.64 μg QE/mg of dry extract), but no correlation with radical scavenging capacity was noted. A remarkable antioxidant potential, especially of the submerged cultivated mycelium, put D. tricolor high on the list of promising new natural antioxidants. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 173032]

The presence of aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), and fumonisins (FUMs) was examined in maize samples from the Republic of Serbia. The maize samples were collected during the period 2012-2016, and analyzed every year after harvest using validated Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. The obtained results were considered regarding the weather conditions parameters recorded during the investigated maize growing seasons. Significant differences in weather-related parameters recorded in the five-year period resulted in different mycotoxin profiles between the investigated years. Obtained results indicate that the presence of ZEA and DON in maize is characteristic of years with abundant precipitation, while AFs and OTA mainly occur in maize during hot and dry years. Furthermore, FUMs were detected with different contamination frequency in maize samples from every year. Based on the findings obtained in this study, as well as on noted changes in weather conditions in the recent years it could be assumed that maize from Serbia may become susceptible to problems concerning mycotoxins. Therefore, there is a necessity for monitoring and research related to the mycotoxins occurrence in maize from Serbia.

Due to a high content of rutin (2-10%), dried buckwheat leaf and flower (DBLF) formulations were shown to be efficient in the treatment of vascular diseases. In order to find a cost effective way for the extraction of antioxidants, the effects of ethanol/water ratio and temperature on the extraction efficiency of phenolic compounds and the mechanisms of antioxidant action of the extracts were tested. Extraction with ethanol/water mixture (80:20, v/v) for 24 h at room temperature, after the mixture was just brought to boil was demonstrated to be an efficient and cheap way for obtaining a high yield of rutin (49.94±0.623 mg/g DBLF). The most abundant phenolic compounds in DBLF extracts were rutin and chlorogenic acid. Flavonoids, especially rutin, were shown to be the most responsible for the antioxidant activity in all investigated lipid model systems, acting as free radical scavengers, electron-donating substances and chelators of iron ions. In β-carotene bleaching tests, the extracts with the highest activity were as efficient as BHT (butylated hydroxytoluole). Regarding the results of antihemolytic and Schaal oven tests, the extracts demonstrated remarkable ability to inhibit the oxidative destruction of erythrocytes and to prolong the beginning of the oxidation process in sunflower oil. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR-31029]

In this work, anti-atherogenic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of a herbal mixture, rich in polyphenols, and composed of 35% of buckthorn bark (Frangulae cortex), 20% of mint leaves (Menthae piperita folium), 20% of caraway fruit (Carvi fructus) and 25% of parsley fruit (Petroselinum fructus) were studied by monitoring biochemical parameters in experimental animals. Experimental animals (Wistar rats) were subjected to five different feeding regimes. Plasma levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, cholesterol bound to high-density lipoproteins (HDL) and cholesterol linked to low-density lipoproteins (LDL) were monitored in different time periods. The feces of experimental animals was analysed for seven bile acids, as well as for total cholesterol. Simultaneously, the activities of alanine aminotranferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were measured. The introduction of herbal mixture into fatty food did not have significant influence on enzyme activities; however, the effect on induced hyperlipidemia was significant. Total atherogenic index was reduced by 43.3%, whereas total cholesterol and cholesterol bound to low density lipoproteins were reduced by 18.2% and 18.8%, respectively. Total bile acids concentrations dropped by 13.2%, whereas cholesterol was reduced by 33%. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije: Functional products of cereal for persons with metabolic disorders]

Molasses is an important by-product of sugar beet or sugar cane refining industry and it was one of the first sweeteners used in human nutrition. Sugar cane molasses has unique characteristics that can make it suitable for application in food industry, especially in confectionery and bakery products. On the other hand, sugar beet molasses has not had greater application in the human diet, primarily because of its strong smell and taste of the beet, which makes it unattractive for consumption. Since recent investigations showed that sugar beet molasses can be used as a hypertonic solution in osmotic dehydration of different materials of plant and animal origin, the objective of this work was to review recently studied sugar beet molasses in terms of its applications in osmotic dehydrations of fruits and vegetables. Previous studies showed that sugar beet molasses is an excellent medium for osmotic dehydration of fruits and vegetables (apple, carrot, plum, etc.) primarily due to a high content of dry matter (80%, w/w) and specific nutrient content. An important advantage of using sugar beet molasses as a hypertonic solution is an enrichment of the dehydrated material in minerals and vitamins, which penetrate from molasses into the plant tissue. Concentration of sugar beet molasses solution and immersion time had the biggest influence on the process of osmotic dehydration of fruit and vegetables, while the temperature of the solution was the least influential parameter. The effect of immersion time on the kinetics of osmotic dehydration in sugar beet molasses increases with an increase in concentration of hypertonic solution. Fruit and vegetables dehydrated in sugar beet molasses had a higher dry matter content compared to samples treated in sucrose solutions. Besides, application of sugar beet molasses in osmotic dehydration of fruits and vegetables had some other advantages such as lower cost of molasses compared to sugar and its liquid aggregate state. Molasses caused darkening of osmotically treated materials due to transfer of colouring compounds (melanoidins) from molasses solution to plant tissue. The intensity of this darkening depended on immersion time and concentration of molasses solution. An increasing trend in tissue firmness observed in dehydrated samples after 1 h of immersion was proportional to the concentration of molasses solution.

The aim of this work was to study chemical profile and antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of ethanol and water extracts of Lactarius controversus (Pers.) 1800 mushroom species growing in eastern Serbia. The chemical characterization of phenolic compounds performed by HPLC-MS/MS demonstrated the presence of quinic acid among others. Determination of antioxidant activity, including radical scavenging effects on DPPH•, NO•, OH• and SOA radicals and ferric reducing ability was investigated. The highest DPPH radical scavenging effect was obtained for water extract (LcAq) while ethanol extract (LcEtOH) demonstrated the highest FRAP activity. Hexane extract applied in antibacterial assay against three pathogenic strains demonstrated antibacterial effect only against S. aureus ATCC25922. Anti-proliferative properties against estrogen dependent MCF 7 breast cancer cell lines using MTT showed higher activity for ethanolic extract. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 46001 i br. 172058]

There is an increasing interest on neonicotinoid residues determination in honey samples because they are banned by European Union. Their determination is based on liquid chromatography analytical methods and, therefore, the aim of this study was to develop the analytical method for quantifying these compounds using different sample preparation techniques. The sample preparation was conducted by two different techniques and the new HPLC-DAD method was developed and validated assuring reliable accuracy (R, 70-120 %), repeatability (RSD, < 20 %) and within-laboratory reproducibility (RSD,

Quality parameters and the possibility of successful placement of buckwheat-enriched wheat bread on the national market are presented in this paper. Analysis of the market position of buckwheat-enriched wheat bread includes demands, offer and competition. Elements that affect the overall retail price of buckwheat-enriched wheat bread are given in details, along with SWOT analysis and marketing plan including target market, market supply and product marketing mix. According to all performed analyses it could be concluded that this product should be positioned on the national market, especially for people with special needs and requirements.

Newborn size at birth is an important indicator of fetal health, neonatal health, infant survival and childhood morbidity. The aim of our study was to assess and identify factors that significantly influence birth weight, length, and head circumference by performing a post hoc analysis of the data collected during the retrospective-prospective observational cohort study which was conducted at the Clinic for Gynecology and Obstetrics at the University Clinical Centre Kragujevac, Serbia. The influence of potential factors on birth weight, length, and head circumference was evaluated by multiple linear regression analysis. The study included 320 pregnant women and 332 newborns. Four factors had a significant negative effect on birth weight: smoking, twin pregnancy, use of methyldopa and corticosteroids during pregnancy. Smoking, twin pregnancy and corticosteroid use also had a significant negative effect on birth length. Negative effect on fetal head circumference at birth had smoking, use of corticosteroids and antibiotics during pregnancy. Maternal height and gestational age at birth showed a positive influence on fetal anthropometric measurements. Clinicians should pay attention to pregnant women with lower body height, twin pregnancy, who smoke and use corticosteroids, methyldopa and antibiotics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study was the evaluation of antifungal, antioxidant and anticancer potentials of Pleurotus eryngii, P. ostreatus and P. pulmonarius mycelial extracts, and the influence of mycelium enrichment with selenium on these activities. Both Se-amended and non-amended extracts showed the same or similar minimal inhibitory concentration for 14 studied micromycetes, while a fungicidal effect was not noted, contrary to ketoconazole, which had inhibitory and fungicidal effects at very low concentrations. Se-non-amended extracts exhibited antioxidant activity, especially at higher concentrations. Selenium enrichment influenced activity, its effects decreasing in P. eryngii and P. pulmonarius, while in P. ostreatus no effect was noted. The DPPH• radical scavenging capacity of the extracts was in direct correlation with their phenol and flavonoid contents. Cytotoxic activity against both HeLa and LS174 cell lines was very low compared with cis-DDP. These features suggest that mycelium should be an object of intensive studies. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173032]

The aim of this study was to investigate the antibacterial activity of raw milk from Domestic Balkan donkey breed toward Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. Examination of antibacterial activity was performed in artificially contaminated milk samples by monitoring the changes of count of viable cells of tested bacteria during 8 hours of incubation at 38°C. Lysozyme and fatty acids contents were also determined in donkey milk. The obtained results indicated inhibitory effect of donkey milk toward both tested bacteria. The lysozyme content in the analyzed milk samples was ranged from 0.67 to 3.54 g/L. The most abundant fatty acids with known antibacterial activity toward Gram positive bacteria were linoleic, lauric and oleic acid.

Cereals are the primary source of human diet, wheat being the third most produced grain worldwide, and in Serbia second most produced grain, just behind corn. As a result of climate change and global warming, frequent occurrences of mycobiota on steep grains can produce a negative impact on the safety of food products and their quality, which inevitably leads to large economic losses. Although Fusarium spp. remains a main source of mycotoxins contamination of wheat, in recent years, due to the evident climatic changes affecting agricultural production, other mycotoxigenic fungi have been pointed out as important wheat contaminants. Among them are the fungi of the genus Alternaria, especially A. alternata, which under favourable conditions, produces mycotoxins such as alternariol, alternariol monomethyl ether, tenuazonic acid, and other Alternaria toxins. Taking into account the toxicity of metabolites produced by certain species of fungi of the genus Alternaria in the system from farm to table, it is necessary to develop specific and sensitive analytical methods in order to implement systematic controls of occurrence of Alternaria toxins. Liquid chromatography coupled to (tandem) mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) has become the technique of choice for the detection and quantification of Alternaria toxins in food and feed. There are several limiting factors such as the efficiency of sample cleanup and the lack of reference materials for food and feed. The aim of this study was to choose the most suitable preparation method for the determination of Alternaria toxins from wheat samples by LC-MS/MS technique based on published sample preparation methods, with possible modifications, which are used in analysis of mycotoxins. Modified method of wheat samples preparation by extraction with ethyl acetate was selected as acceptable based on extraction efficiency of analytes of interest.

Qualitative analysis of liposoluble wheat extract from conventional, integrated, organic, biodynamic and control farming systems was performed by gas chromatography with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Organic and biodynamic farming systems were close to each other versus conventional and integrated which are similar in fertilization and plant protection. In the control treatment no fertilization or plant protection was used. Cluster analysis (CA) was applied to classify the samples according to lipid profiles in wheat from different farming systems. The obtained results showed that better discrimination of wheat samples was achieved by analyzing the peak area after 18 min retention time (non-saponifiable lipid fraction), than used the peak area for the whole chromatogram. The study has found that this method can be a potentially used for making a distinction between organic and non-organic wheat production.

In this study, a total of 78 maize samples harvested during September and October 2012 in Vojvodina were analyzed. Presence of aflatoxins (AFs) was deter­mined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Among the 78 analyzed maize samples, even 44 (56.4%) samples were contaminated with AFs. Concentration interval between 1-10 μg/kg, 10-50 μg/kg and 50-80 μg/kg were found in 23.1%, 17.9% and 15.4% of analyzed maize samples, respectively. It was supposed that prolonged drought during spring and summer of 2012 had a great influence on high contamination frequency and concentration of AFs. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. III 46001]

Species of the genus Trametes represent one of the most efficient lignin-degraders which can be attributed to a well developed ligninolytic enzyme system. Current trends are screening of ability of new species to produce these enzymes, as well as the optimization of conditions for their overproduction. Therefore, the aim of the study was to evaluate the potential of T. suaveolens to synthesize laccase and Mn-oxidizing peroxidases during fermentation of the selected plant raw materials. Level of enzyme activities was measured on 7, 10 and 14th day of submersion, as well as the solid-state fermentation of wheat straw and oak sawdust in the presence of NH4NO3 in previously determined optimal nitrogen concentration of 25 mM. The enzyme activity was determined spectrophotometrically using ABTS and phenol red as the substrates. The highest level of laccase activity (1087.1 U/L) was noted after 7 days of wheat straw solid-state fermentation, while during the submerged cultivation the production of the enzyme was not noted. Submerged cultivation in oak sawdust-enriched medium was the optimal for activity of Mn-dependent peroxidase (1767.7 U/L on day 14) and Mn-independent peroxidase (1113.7 U/L on day 7). Introduction of T. suaveolens to produce ligninolytic enzyme represented the base for further study, as well as the determination of relation between enzyme activity and rate of lignin degradation. It could lead to greater possibility of fungal species selection with high delignification capacity, which could take participation in sustainable production of food, feed, fibres, and energy, environmentally friendly pollution prevention, and bioremediation.

Introduction. West Syndrome (WS) is age-related epileptic encephalopathy characterised by a triad of symptoms: specific seizure type, pathognomonic electroencephalographic (EEG) pattern - hypsarrhythmia and delay and/or regression in psychomotor development (PMD). Aetiologically, it occurs in three forms: symptomatic, cryptogenic and idiopathic. Objective. Estimation of PMD in children with WS according to aetiology. Methods. The observed group consisted of 65 children. Age range was between 6 and 30 months. The patients were divided into three groups according to aetiology. All patients underwent psychological examination with Brunet-Lesine test, as well as PMD evaluation based on achieved developmental milestones for the corresponding age. Results. Statistically significant better values in the Human Developmental Index (HDI) had patients with idiopathic compared to other forms of WS, at testing after 12 months (93.0±8.1 vs. 46.8±6.1 vs. 45.6±3.8), as well as after 24 months (93.9±7.7 vs. 51.9±5.5 vs. 50.9±4.4). The best values of HDI after 24 months had patients with improvement in PMD with the average of 66.2±4.4, which was statistically significant compared to those with unchanged PMD (41.5±5.3) and with further regression in PMD (28.3±4.4). Significant correlation was obtained between PMD after 12 and 24 months (r=0.477), as well as a considerable improvement in HDI from the 12th to 24th month (49.4±4.0 vs. 53.7±3.9). Conclusion. The patients with idiopathic WS accomplished the best PMD. Improvement in PMD after 12 and 24 months of treatment was associated with improved HDI. Improvement in PMD was observed in all patients after 2 years of follow-up.

This study is aimed at examining total polyphenol, flavonoid, gallotannin and condensed tannins content in acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extracts of Halacsya sendtneri (Boiss.) Dörfl., their antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, as well as identifying and quantifying the phenolic components. The antioxidant activity is consistent with the results of total quantity of phenolic compound. The results showed that the acetone extract of plant species Halascya sendtneri (Boiss.) Dörfl. possessed the highest antioxidant activity. IC50 values were determined: 9.45��1.55 μg/mL for DPPH free radical scavenging activity, 13.46±1.68 μg/mL for inhibitory activity against lipid peroxidation, 59.11±0.83 μg/mL for hydroxyl radical scavenging activity and 27.91±0.88 μg/mL for ferrous ion chelating ability. The antimicrobial activity was tested using broth dilution procedure for determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). The MICs were determined for 8 selected indicator strains. All of the extracts showed strong to moderate strong antimicrobial activity. The phenolic composition of Halacsya sendtneri extracts was determined by the HPLC method. The dominant phenolic compound in acetone, chloroform and ethyl acetate extract is rosmarinic acid. Ethyl acetate extract was also abundant in p-hydroxybenzoic acid and ferulic acid. The main compounds in petrol ether extract were chlorogenic acid and quercetin.

Molds are ubiquitously distributed in nature and their spores can be found in the atmosphere even at high altitudes. The difficulty of controlling these undesirable molds, as well as the growing interest of the consumers in natural products, have been forcing the industry to find new alternatives for food preservation. The modern trends in nutrition suggest the limitation of synthetic food additives or substitution with natural ones. Aromatic herbs are probably the most important source of natural antimicrobial agents. Origanum heracleoticum L. essential oil has been known as an interesting source of antimicrobial compounds to be applied in food preservation. In the this work, we have investigated the effect of essential oil obtained from O. heracleoticum on growth of six isolates of Penicillium aurantiogriseum and four isolates of Penicillium chrysogenum isolated from meat plant for traditional Petrovacka sausage (Petrovská klobása) production. The findings reveal that the essential oil of O. heracleoticum provides inhibition of all of fungal isolates tested. O. heracleoticum L. essential oil exhibited higher antifungal activity against the isolates of P. chrysogenum than the isolates of P. aurantiogriseum. O. heracleoticum essential oil showed a MIC value ranging from 25 to 100 μL/mL. The fungi cultivated in the medium with higher concentration of essential oil showed certain morphological changes. The alterations included lack of sporulation and loss of pigmentation.

Introduction. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from malignancy in Serbia. Objective. This is a retrospective analysis of lung cancer epidemiological changes regarding to its histological type and patients’ age of both genders. Data were based on surgically treated lung cancer patients from 1985 to 2005. Methods. Data were collected from 972 pathohistological reports of operated patients of both genders divided into age groups. Histological types of lung cancer were distributed in four major groups: squamous cell cancer (SCC), adenocarcinoma (AC), small cell cancer (SCLC) and other rare histological types. Both genders together and separately were analysed. Chi-square with the level of significance p

To get a better insight into the ligninolytic system of Lenzites betulinus, the effect of wheat straw and oak sawdust, as carbon sources, on production of Mn-oxidizing peroxidases and laccase, under solid-state and submerged fermentation, was studied. Obtained results revealed considerable differences related to the both factors affecting enzyme activities. Wheat straw was more favorable carbon source for Mn-oxidizing peroxidases and oak sawdust for laccase activity. Solid-state fermentation of wheat straw was optimal for Mn-dependent peroxidase activity (72.1 Ul-1). In contrary to this, submerged fermentation of the same residue gave the highest level of versatile peroxidase activity (25.4 Ul-1). The peak of laccase activity was noted during solid-state fermentation of oak sawdust (32.3 Ul-1), while this enzyme was not detected under submerged fermentation of any plant residues.

Sugar beet molasses, a concentrate of mineral elements and a number of bioactive compounds, can be useful to supplement a range of components in the production of enriched food products. The quality of molasses as a raw material in the food industry was investigated in this paper. The basic chemical composition, as well as betaine content in the molasses produced in the domestic sugar factories, were analyzed. Betaine constitutes one of the principal non-sugar organic matter in molasses. Betaine content, which has a significant role in the functioning of human organism, was determined by HPLC method.

This paper presents the WSN–FSO (wireless sensor network–free-space optics) system based on CCR (corner cube retroreflector) and modeled with Gamma–Chi-square distribution. The expressions of ABER (average bit error rate) for the received signal under conditions of different levels of atmospheric turbulence are calculated. Numerical results are presented in the form of graphs, and the results are confirmed by the Monte Carlo simulation. Graphs are presented for different Rician factor values, link lengths, and different levels of atmospheric turbulence. The obtained results are compared with the existing results for other FSO channel distribution models. After thorough consideration we conclude that Gamma–Chi-square gives a better system performance in terms of ABER. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sugar industry molasses represents a syrup obtained in final stage of crystallization. In production of sugar from sugar beet, for cause of higher rentability, phase of crystallization needed to be conducted so that the less quantity of molasses is obtained in which, under optimal conditions, remains around 12 % of total beet sugar quantity. On forming molasses affect present nonsucrose compounds forming with sucrose complex easily soluble additive compounds, which have higher solubility than sucrose, due to which saturation coefficient increases. Depending on technological quality of sugar beet, from sucrose introduced in processing, 88 - 92 % of white sugar can be obtained. Sugar in molasses is the highest loss of sugar in sugar beet processing. High visosity is one of the reasons for which significant quantities of sucrose can not be crystallized on the final stage of crystallization by the usual technological procedure. Test include determination of the parameters of molasses saturation and viscosity as a function of nonsucrose compounds.