Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXI
Written by Giovanni BEZZE, Davide VITALI, Damiano PAGNINI, Maurizio VALERI, George COJOCARU, Ricuţa-Vasilica DOBRINOIU, Silvana DĂNĂILĂ-GUIDEA

Giant bamboo, acknowledged as a specific culture of China than Europe, was introduced in Romania by the Italian Consortium of Bamboo, Only Moso International, in order to popularize this plant among farmers in the EU. Cultivated at this time only for decorative purposes, bamboo is a real industry in Asia, where it is recovered almost entirely: trunk, root, rhizome, the leaves and buds are really hunted for Asian restaurants. Year 2014 represented the debut year in the cultivation of bamboo in Europe, with the first plantation in Italy, where currently there are 1.400 hectares planted. Phyllostachy pubescens specie is a giant perennial graminaceae, ages 80-100 years and height of stems from 14 to 25 meters, with a diameter of 8 to 15 cm. It can adapt easily in temperate climates, provided precisely to achieve specific technological link, this plant can resist in areas where winter minimum temperatures do not fall below -25°C. In Romania, giant bamboo get interest already for many farmers, especially those of researchers within the UASVM Bucharest, where he founded an experimental plantation in order to test the adaptability of species to the specific soilclimatic conditions. As a result of the observations and determinations made on giant bamboo plants in various stages of vegetation, we can say with certainty that that specie has adapted surprisingly well to conditions specific to Romania, successfully resisting the extreme lows that have exceeded the values of -23°C, recorded during winter 2016. In these conditions, the cultivation of giant bamboo may represent a new opportunity for Romanian agriculture and at the same time a new paradigm for business.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXII
Written by Gabriel Florin ANTON, Călina Petruţa CORNEA, Maria JOIȚA PĂCUREANU, Luxiţa RÎȘNOVEANU, Mihaela POPA, Alexandru BRAN, Eliza SAVA, Florentina SAUCA

There are many problems due to the climat changes, in the Romanian agriculture. The water deficit and high or low temperatures, reduce the yield level. The adaptability of sunflower to the environmental conditions, with the purpose to obtain hybrids with high seed yield stability, in all ecological cultivated areas involves a good resistance to drought and low temperatures, specially in germination time. In our research work we have used different sources from our sunflower germplasm collection. Some of our best elite lines have been introduced in a process of improvement of resistance to drought. Each generation of selection was planted in drought natural conditions (missing water in soil and high air temperature). All generations of selection were tested for resistance to low temperatures in germination and emergence time. There have been selected the more tolerant ones.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXI
Written by Valentin ZAMFIROPOL-CRISTEA, Iuliana RĂUT, Tatiana Eugenia ȘEȘAN, Bogdan TRICĂ, Florin OANCEA,

We describe the optimization of cultivation medium composition for biosynthesis of Trichoderma asperellum T36 biomass. This Trichoderma strain is a multifaceted one, being antagonist against major plant pathogens, stimulating vegetables growth, enhancing bioactive accumulation into nutraceutical crops and promoting development on early stages of the plants cultivated into high residues system. To improve the eco-efficiency of T36 based bioproducts production, a maximum conversion of cultivation medium components into fungal biostimulant biomass is required. We optimize the cultivation medium through a designed experiment, based on surface response methodology, wherein several components of cultivation medium were modified in the same time. The studied components were: glucose (carbon source), ammonium sulphate (inorganic nitrogen and sulphur source), soymeal and yeast extract (complex, organic nitrogen source and growth factors source), potassium mono- and di-hydrogen-phosphates (as phosphorus source and buffering ingredients). The optimal composition of cultivation medium, resulted after experimental results analysis, is: 34.2 g. l^-1 glucose, 0.37 g. l^-1 ammonium sulphate, 0.8 g. l^-1 yeast extract, 2.7 g. l^-1 soymeal, 1.2 g. l^-1 K₂HPO₄, 1.7 g. l^-1 KH₂PO₄. We compared the tolerance to dry-flowable formulation of T. asperellum T36 biomass produced on optimized liquid media and on liquid Weidling media. The biomass produced on optimized media has a better tolerance to dry-flowable formulation than biomass produced on Weidling media. Also, the preservation of biological activities, specific to T36 strain, is better on dry-flowable formulation produced with biomass resulted from optimized medium than that with biomass resulted from liquid Weidling medium. Higher tolerance to dry-flowable formulation and better survival rate, of formulated T36 propagules, suggest that optimized medium promote formation of more resilient fungal resting structures. A techno-economic analysis was performed for the optimized cultivation medium.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXII
Written by Ana-Cristina FĂTU, Mihaela-Monica DINU, Ana-Maria ANDREI

The melolonthine scarabs, Melolontha melolontha L., Amphimallon solstitiale L. and Anoxia villosa F. are well known as serious pest in orchards, vineyards, forests and fruit tree nurseries. The susceptibility of third instars larvae of M. melolontha, A. solstitiale and A. villosa to entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria brongniartii (three isolates) and Metarhizium anisopliae (three isolates) was evaluated in laboratory conditions by dipping the insects in aqueous suspensions of 1x107 conidia/ml, respectively. The greatest mortality rates were observed to be caused by B. brongniartii isolates: 100% when M. melolontha larvae were treated and 60% mortality for A. villosa after 60 days of incubation. The most susceptible larvae species to M. anisopliae was A. villosa (35.5% mortality). The most resistant larvae species to all the fungal treatments was A. solstitiale at which mortality rate never exceeded 23.6% after 76 days of incubation.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XX
Written by Roxana Gabriela CRISTINA, Ioan I. ARDELEAN

The aim of this study is to determine the time-evolution of live and dead cells as well as the number of colony forming units of E. coli strain DH5α after the passage from LB medium to seawater indoor microcosms. In order to determine the dynamics and survivability capacity with respect to the absence or presence of bacterivores microorganisms E. coli sub-samples were housed in three different microcosms containing filtered (0.22 or 0.45 μm pores) and unfiltered sea water. The microcosms were kept for five days in a sterile environment at a constant temperature of 18 °C in the dark. The samples collected were examined by fluorescent microscopy (SYBER green and Ethidium homodimer) for the determination of cell density (total /dead) and colony forming units quantification (LB and Levine media) in order to establish C.F.U. growth. The results presented in this paper show that the shocks associated with the passage from LB medium to sea water indoor microcosms (hypothermic, hypo-osmotic, including low levels of nutrients, and the presence of bacterivores microorganisms) play a key role in the survival of E. coli cells in this five days period.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XX
Written by Veronica DRUMEA, Roxana NITA, Lenuta ZGLIMBEA, Laura OLARIU

There are multiple ways in which pesticide contamination can take place, depending on the method used for obtaining the raw material: by conventional agriculture or harvest from wild flora. Assessing the transfer level of residues in extracts, in controlled conditions of preparation and analysis, contributes to determining the risk level for the consumer, as well as making processing choices that lead to a low concentration of contaminants. We used an adapted QuEChERS extraction method for liquid samples to compare the level of pesticides in plant extracts obtained by ethylic alcohol and acetone extraction. This was done by extraction in the presence of MgSO4 and NaCl and cleanup by dispersion with PSA, active charcoal and Mg SO4. To achieve the appropriate level of sensitivity, the injection module of the equipment was used in Programmed Temperature Vaporization (PTV) mode, injecting 3 μl of sample. Calibration was performed by the standard addition technique, in which case the correlations were linear. Our results show that ethylic alcohol extraction, commonly used for obtaining tinctures, leads to different residue transfer levels, depending on their chemical structure and solubility (between 15 and 76,8 % recovery, for quintozene and terbuthylazine respectively). On the other hand, acetone extraction is selective for pesticides, and the crystallization of the resulting bioactive compounds leads to significantly reduced pesticide levels.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XX
Written by Maria Cristiana ONCICĂ (MORARU), Ricuţa-Vasilica DOBRINOIU, Luminiţa VISAN, Silvana DANAILA (GUIDEA), Izabela OPREA

Knowing the fact that sweet corn valorization is mainly done, in our country, as fresh product, for boiling purposes and less for manufacturing, productivity elements and the production of corn cobs for ach area unit, constitute, nowadays, priority amelioration tasks, considering that an ever significant part of sweet corn yield begins to be meant, in Romania too, to the manufacture as frozen beans or tins, this fact leading to an economic effectiveness of this crop, only for production levels found over certain limits. Research aimed at testing the behaviour of a sweet corn foreign and local assortment, hybrids which belong to different precocity categories, under the circumstances of practising two soil tilage systems (conventional system and minimum tillage system). After analysing and comparing the experimental results, one has established the superiority of the yields achieved by the minimum tillage system, system which had as result a better preservement of water in the soil, having direct impact on the crop achievement, each of the tested hybrids valorizing very well their genetical endowement concerning the productive capacity.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XX
Written by Tanja KAMBURI, Luljeta XHANGOLLI

Decisive to produce a good beer is the production of qualitative wort. The process of wort production requires coordination of operations (temperature / time / pH) in order that from the raw materials used, to handle and to extract the maximum capacity of the production of wort for kg malt. To obtain the optimum potential from malt we should know and interpret very well its parameters. Physical characteristics of malt are very important and affect the technological process of brewing. In this paper are presented the results of physical analyses performed on samples of maltand also is studied the impact of these results in the quality of wort. Each base malt should have mealy contentof 90%. If we will use the infusion method the mealy content must be at least 95%. The bigger are the size of barley grains the higher is their efficiency. The uniformity of malt grains shows how uniform will be its fragmentation. Good malt should have about 90% of its grains uniform in terms of size. Malt is classified by how much percent of its grains are glassy. Therefore it is checked if grains are mealy, half glassy, glassy ends and glassy. If the endosperm is not more than 25% glassy then the malt is called mealy. The malt grains are half glassy if 25-75% of endosperm is glassy. When the endosperm is over 75% glassy the malt is called glassy. Glassy malt produces less extract because the grains are not fragmented as well and hydrolysis occurs with difficulties in mashing process.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XXI
Written by Hülya GÜL, Hicran ŞEN

Effects of dried and ground rosehip seed flour (RSF) on bread quality and in particular on loaf volume, length, height, crumb and crust colour, texture and sensory properties were determined. RSF was added in levels of 0, 5, 7.5 and 10% to wheat flour sample. There was a considerable decrease detected at both loaf volume and loaf height whereas a sharp increase was measured at firmness and chewiness of breads as the concentration of RSF were increased. Brightness (L value) of crumb went down while redness (a value) went up as the ratio of RSF in bread formulation was increased. When 10% RSF was added total dietary fiber content of breads were doubled as compared to control. Sensory evaluation by a consumer panel resulted in a less rated scores at loaf volume, shape-symmetry, colour and structure of crust, crumb colour, grain structure, flavour, taste and aroma of RSF added breads than control. However all these parameters were affected significantly by the level of RSF. Beside general sensory attributes, acceptability and purchasing intent of 5% RSF containing breads were found as near as the control breads. According to the obtained results, RSF can be used up to 5% level without negatively affecting the technological and sensory quality of breads. Also it can be used above 10% to enhance the dietary fiber content of breads but in this case further studies should be needed to improve technological quality of breads.

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Published in Scientific Bulletin. Series F. Biotechnologies, Vol. XX
Written by Roxana DUDOIU, Stelica CRISTEA, Daria POPA, Carmen LUPU, Maria OPREA

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), one of the most widely grown winter cereal crop in Romania, is grown on approximately 2 million ha. Fusarium species affect yield and grain quality because of mycotoxins production. Fusarium spp. is one the most frequently pathogenic species of wheat and understanding its biology provides information regarding the optimal timing to implement specific control measures in order to stop the infection process of the disease. The occurrence and development of toxigenic fungi affects stored products causing quality depreciation, products aggregation and also toxins and allergens production. Micromycetes development on stored cereal seeds is favoured by temperature, light and atmospheric moisture present in storage units, and their fluctuations in time. The aim of our research was to determine the influence of some biological parameters (temperature, pH, light and culture media) on the vegetative fungal growth and development, under controlled conditions. The biological material consisted in one strain of Fusarium spp., isolated from caryopses of wheat, from samples taken from a storage unit in Paulesti, Prahova County. It was established that the fungus develops in a large scale of pH, forming specific colonies between low-acid and high alkaline values (pH 4-10). Optimal temperature values were between 20 and 28°C, with a 6° C minimum and no growth above 36°C. Very good sporulation and vegetative growth was obtained under continuous light conditions.

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