Increasing ultraviolet (UV) radiation is expected to become a problem in hazelnut cultivation. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of UV-B on hazelnut pollen. To this end, the pollens were exposed to UV-B for 1, 2, and 3 h at distances of 10, 20, 30, and 40 cm. Groups treated for 2 h at 20 cm and 3 h at 10 and 20 cm were identified as the most affected based on the results of viability, germination, and tube elongation. Further studies on these groups showed that UV-B does not change the DPPH radical scavenging activity for all groups. However, total phenolic compounds decreased after 3 h of treatment at 10 and 20 cm, while total flavonoid compounds decreased after all treatment groups. The UV-B absorbance of cytoplasmic and cell-wall-bound fractions decreased for all groups. The UV-B absorbance of the sporopollenin-derived fraction increased after 2 h of treatment at 20 cm but decreases after treatment for 3 h at 10 and 20 cm. In summary, exposure to UV-B for different times and distances adversely affected pollen grains in terms of pollen viability, germination rate, tube length, and the level of antioxidant molecules and UV-absorbing compounds.

In recent years, it has become more preferable for the products to be used in cosmetics to be of herbal origin. In particular, plants with high antioxidant properties are preferred to be the source for cosmetic products. Endemic plants, which are used only by the local people, will be more profitable economically if they are grown for use in different industries, especially in cosmetics. T.orientalis is an endemic species that grows only in the Black Sea region of Turkey. This study aims to show that these plant extracts have the potential for use in the cosmetic industry. For this purpose, firstly the stem, flower, and leaf parts of T.orientalis were extracted with acetone and their antioxidant activities were measured. According to the results, antioxidant activity was especially high in stem extracts (DPPH 57,12 mg L-ascorbic acid/g; total phenol 288,10 ± 8,55 mg/g dry weight). Then, the antibacterial activity of the extracts on S. aureus was investigated. As a result, no effective activity was found. In addition, SPF values and collagenase, tyrosinase, and elastase inhibiting activities were measured. The best results were observed in the stem (SPF 31,18 ± 0,18%; anti-collagenase 87,25%; anti-tyrosinase 11,47%; anti-elastase 57,64%) and leaf extracts (SPF 31,27 ± 0,24%; anti-collagenase 97,57%; anti-tyrosinase 15,03%; anti-elastase ND). As a result, it has been seen that especially the stem parts of T.orientalis can be used as an ingredient for photoprotective and antiaging purposes in cosmetics.

Geleneksel tarımda bilinçsiz kimyasal kullanımının toprak yapısında değişikliklere yol açarak, toprak verimliliğini olumsuz yönde etkilediği belirtilmektedir. Ayrıca gittikçe artan dünya nüfusu nedeniyle gıda taleplerinin karşılanması için önlemlerin alınması gerekliliği de vurgulanmaktadır. Son yıllarda, alternatif bir çözüm olarak topraksız tarım araştırmaları; iş gücü, zaman, su tasarrufu sağlanması, herbisit/pestisit kullanımının azalması, mikrobiyolojik sıkıntıların ortadan kalkması gibi avantajları olduğu için artmaktadır. Öte yandan, dezavantaj olarak yüksek maliyetlerin düşürülmesi için de girişimlerde bulunulmaktadır. Bazı ülkelerde kentsel tarımın desteklenmesi amacıyla dikey tarım uygulamalarının yapıldığı merkezler bulunmaktadır. Son dönemlerde dikey tarım uygulamaları ile ilgili olarak uzayda bitki yetiştirilmesi, uzay çiftlikleri gibi başlıklar da popülerdir. NASA’nın yürüttüğü projelerde başarıya ulaşılmış olan ürünler bulunmaktadır. Mikro yerçekimi etkisi ile oluşabilecek hasarlar incelenerek, çalışmaların teknolojinin avantajlarıyla daha da ileri götürülmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Ayrıca, gastronomi alanında da topraksız/dikey tarım sürdürülebilirlik açısından son zamanlarda ön plana çıkmaktadır. Bu tekniklerin uygulanarak küçük ölçekli üretimlerin yapıldığı restoranların ön plana çıktığı görülmektedir. Bu derlemede bu konular detaylı olarak irdelenecektir.

Food safety is of great importance all over the world as it concerns consumer health. All employees in the food chain must comply with the hygiene rules. One of the important issues that threaten food safety is contamination with microorganisms. Numerous people are affected by contaminated and/or poorly preserved food and outbreaks have occurred. The World Health Organization (WHO) draws attention to human health and economic losses in this respect. From ancient times, herbs and spices are utilized in Türkiye and various parts of world to enhance the flavor of food and their sensory properties. It is also possible to prevent the development of Staphylococcus aureus, which causes food poisoning, thanks to the antibacterial properties of culinary herbs or spices. Thus, using natural antimicrobial substances from spices and herbs may be an alternative for inhibition/elimination of growth of S. aureus extending the shelf life without synthetic preservatives. This review aims to explain foodborne diseases and their global burden, staphylococcal food poisoning, natural antimicrobials, some edible herbs in Türkiye: their culinary uses and antibacterial efficacy against S. aureus.