ISSN 2285-1364, ISSN CD-ROM 2285-5521, ISSN ONLINE 2285-1372, ISSN-L 2285-1364
 

Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Denisa Eglantina DUȚĂ, Gabriela Daniela CRIVEANU-STAMATIE, Cristian FLOREA, Mihaela ANGHEL (MULȚESCU), Adriana Laura MIHAI, Claudia ZOANI, Nastasia BELC, Michael RYCHLIK

The study aimed to valorize the whey resulting from dairy technology by its incorporation in grissini food products. It aimed to evaluate the consumers’ acceptability of the new product and the market potential through a cross-country trial and survey conducted in parallel in Romania and Italy. Whey ultrafiltration concentrate used in the grissini recipe had high protein, fat, and sugar content. Grissini obtained by replacing water with whey were characterized by a higher protein content, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity than the control sample made with water. Acceptance of the new product obtained was assessed with 100 panelists in Italy and 102 in Romania, respectively. Respondents answered a questionnaire and tested the grissinis. When it came to the acceptability of the samples made with whey, in both countries, the consumers showed a higher appreciation than for the control sample. A similar percentage of respondents (50% in Italy and 48% in Romania) were willing to pay 1.5 euro (8 lei)/100 g product. In general, participants in the study are keen to pay for innovative products at the same price as for conventional products.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Diana GROPOŞILĂ-CONSTANTINESCU, Ioan-Nicolae RANGA, Radu-Cristian TOMA, Gabriela-Lucica MĂRGĂRIT

Choosing organic and natural products should be a top priority for a healthy skin. The aim of this research was to formulate and test a cream based on natural ingredients, used for skincare and also to relief rheumatic diseases. The main active ingredients used to obtain the cream were the following: burdock oil, macadamia nut oil, shea butter, ylang-ylang oil, harpagophytum oil, capsicum oil, and vitamin E. The properties of each ingredient have been taken into account in the preparation of the product, in accordance with the general methods for making creams. Organoleptic and physicochemical analyses confirmed the quality of the product, pleasant appearance and odor and a creamy consistency.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Maria DUCA, Ina BIVOL

This study investigates the genetic differentiation and phylogeny of the parasitic weed Orobanche cumana Wallr. using ISSR markers in 33 populations from Serbia, Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, and China, representing E, G, and H physiological races. Phylogenetic relationships were analysed using Nei's standard genetic distance and the Neighbour-Joining method in POPTREE2. The results of the phylogenetic analysis indicated the presence of three distinct groups. The first clade included populations from Serbia, Turkey, and China. The second clade comprised populations from Moldova and Romania, and the third clade included Bulgarian populations, forming a separate branch. Genetic variation analysis of O. cumana populations at both country and race levels showed that all physiological races and the Moldavian populations exhibited high interpopulation diversity. In contrast, the primary genetic differentiation exhibited by the Bulgarian, Serbian, Turkish, and Chinese populations occurred principally within their respective populations. This genetic diversity is influenced by factors such as the expansion of sunflower production, agricultural development, and climate change. Furthermore, distinct evolutionary adaptations among O. cumana races were evident. The results obtained demonstrate the complex evolution and dispersal mechanisms of this parasitic species and offer crucial insights into effective management strategies for the production of sunflowers.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Elena-Claudia STOICAN (GRADEA), Ionuț MORARU, Angela MORARU, Mircea-Cosmin PRISTAVU, Florentina ISRAEL-ROMING

People suffering from celiac disease must exclude gluten products from their diet. The lack of gluten in bakery products causes both technological problems for processors and nutritional deficiencies for consumers. The purpose of this paper is to obtain functional gluten-free breadsticks with cumin improved by the addition of cruciferous extracts. The 3xBiotics commercial extracts was used for the experiments, which is a mixture of fermented cruciferous powders. In addition to the gluten-free breadsticks with cruciferous extracts, two control samples were made: gluten-free breadsticks with cumin whithout cruciferous extracts and breadsticks with gluten and cumin improved by the addition of cruciferous extracts. All the samples were evaluated from microbiological point of view to determine the shelf life, from physico-chemical point of view to determine the nutritional value and from sensory point of view, using a panel of consumers, to characterize the sensorial attributes. Following the comparison with the control samples, it was found that the energy value for functional gluten-free breadsticks with cumin and cruciferous extracts was higher compared to the control samples.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Adina Floricica IANCU, Mădălina MILITARU, Sina COSMULESCU

The aim of this study was to construct a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library to confirm the presence and structure of the Rvi2 gene, which provides resistance to apple scab caused by Venturia inaequalis, in several apple cultivars developed in Romania. This approach is intended to aid in detailed genetic analysis to improve apple breeding programs. The clones were sequenced and the results were compared with the sequence of the Rvi2 gene registered in the "National Center for Biotechnology Information" database (locus "AY626824"). BLAST analysis confirmed the presence of the Rvi2 gene in all 20 varieties: 'Alex', 'Bistrițean', 'Cezar', 'Ciprian', 'Dany', 'Discoprim', 'Delicios de Voinesti', 'Estival', 'Ionaprim', 'Luca', 'Pomona', 'Redix', 'Remar',', 'Romus 3', 'Romus 4', 'Romus 5', 'Salva', 'Starkprim’, 'Voinea’ and 'Voincel’. Query identity ranged from 94.6% to 100% for the forward primer and from 95.39% to 100% for the reverse primer, with query coverage ranging from 85% to 92% for the forward primer and 80% to 93% for the reverse primer. The results confirm the presence of the Rvi2 gene, demonstrating high sequence identity and coverage.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Vladimir ROTARU, Vladimir TODIRAȘ

Powdery mildew, caused by Sphaerotheca fuliginea is a widespread disease affecting cucumber plants causing yield losses worldwide. A greenhouse experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of the ecological plant protection products of monopotasium phosphate, dipotasium phosphate and Neem oil on powdery mildew disease severity. The study, also, evaluated the changes of photosynthetic pigments contents in leaves in relation to treatments. All treatments resulted in a significantly lower mildew infection development than untreated control plants (water spray). The application of Neem oil emulsion alone recorded the lowest efficacy rate. The most significant disease severity reduction was registered in the treatment with integrated use of dipotasium phosphate (1%) and Neem oil (0.5%) compared to the other treatments. The foliar application of the tested compounds improved the status of photosynthetic pigments in leaves and no phytotoxicity was observed on the plants. This research demonstrated that the integrated application of potassium phosphates and Neem oil had fungicidal activity against powdery mildew.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Ecaterina-Teodora CHIREA, Emanuela-Catalina IONETIC, Iulia-Roxana ANGELESCU, Silvia-Simona GROSU-TUDOR, Cristina PURCAREA, Medana ZAMFIR

Lactococcus lactis R152 was isolated from a traditionally made cheese and identified through 16S rRNA gene sequencing. This strain exhibited antibacterial activity against five bacterial strains, including four potential pathogenic strains. In this study, we investigated the nature of the inhibition and characterized the active compound. The pH neutralization of the culture supernatant did not affect the inhibitory activity against Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus LMG6901T, but this was lost after proteinase K treatment, indicating that the antibacterial compound is proteinaceous, likely a bacteriocin. Ammonium-sulfate precipitation of the culture supernatant increased the activity from 1,600 AU/ml to 12,800 AU/ml. Tricine-SDS-PAGE analysis indicated an estimated molecular mass of the presumptive bacteriocin of less than 6,500 Da. This compound was resistant to heat (preserving activity after autoclaving) and to pH variation in the pH 1 and 9 interval. These findings, combined with the identification of nisin A gene in the bacterial genome, suggest that Lactococus lactis R152 produces nisin A, a bacteriocin with potential applications in the food industry.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Monica ȚUȚUIANU, Lavinia-Mariana BERCA, Dănuț CIMPONERIU, Florentina ISRAEL-ROMING

This Scopus-based bibliometric study evaluates global trends and the impact of wheat and bakery product fortification on public health. The search query (flour AND fortification*) OR (bakery AND products AND fortification*) yielded 1,917 articles, from which 1,239 English-language publications were selected for in-depth analysis in the domains of Agricultural and Biological Sciences and Medicine. Publications date back to 1942, although the volume of papers surged markedly post-2000. The most pertinent sources were Food and Nutrition Bulletin, Food, and Food Chemistry. Most authors were associated with institutions in the USA, India, and Brazil, whereas the most frequently cited publications were produced in the USA, Canada, and India. Frequently identified key words in abstracts included “flour”, “female”, “article”, “human”, and “folic acid”. Trend analysis since 2002 revealed a rapid diversification of research topics, reflecting the dynamic evolution of fortification research. Although articles span eight decades, the and most impactful research directions emerged after 2014. In conclusion, this bibliometric analysis evaluates global trends, key research areas, and the impact of flour and bakery product fortification.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Evelina GHERGHINA, Gabriela LUȚĂ, Daniela BĂLAN

Global warming, plant diseases and environmental issues such as excessive use of pesticides and fertilizers have affected the production yield in the agricultural sector. Promoted in the last decade or so, nanotechnology has been offering sustainable solutions to conventional agriculture, having a major impact on improving crop productivity and nutrient supply by increasing and regulating the availability of minerals in the soil. Thus, zinc oxide nanoparticles are widely used in agriculture, due to the multiple roles of zinc in the plant cell, such as the involvement in regulating the metabolism of the proteins, lipids, sugars, and nucleic acids, its enzymatic cofactor activity for some enzymes involved in photosynthesis, or being key element in cellular biomembranes. Although the widespread use of nanoparticles can lead to phytotoxicity phenomena, the research direction in recent years is focused on balancing positive and negative effects. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to update the informations about the applications and the effects of zinc compounds and zinc oxide nanoparticles in agricultural practices.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXIX, Issue 1
Written by Constantin BUTOI, Alexandra Ioana IONESCU, Viorel SCHIOPU, Georgeta POPESCU

Black tea is a very popular drink and is consumed worldwide for its flavor and health benefits. Due to its powerful antioxidant compounds, drinking black tea has health benefits for the consumer. Flavoproteins are one of the most widely studied families of enzymes - proteins that contain a nucleic acid derivative of riboflavin. Flavoproteins have either FMN (flavin mononucleotide) or FAD (flavin adenine dinucleotide) as a protein group or cofactor. The majority of flavoproteins, carry out redox reactions. This work paper aims to study the sweetener-induced changes in flavoproteins. The results showed very significant changes induced by honey (V3) and saccharin (V4) on the concentrations of the active forms of flavoprotein in black tea.

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