Antimicrobial activity and chemical composition of the essential oil of Juniperus communis (L.), originated from east part of Kosova, was investigated. The essential oil from berries of J. communis (L.), obtained by hydro-distillation was analyzed by GC and GC-MS. Antimicrobial properties of the essential oil of J. communis (L.) are investigated and results are submitted for their activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Hafnia alvei and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Applying the agar disc diffusion technique, we measured diameters of the inhibition zone around discs, which are previously wetted with DMF solution of the essential oil with three different concentrations, 1, 3 and 5 mg mL-1. Analysis of the oil resulted in the identification of 41 peaks, representing 96% of the oil. Berry essential oil composed mainly of monoterpenoids which amounted to 83%, of which 69.4% was monoterpene hydrocarbons. The main monoterpene hydrocarbons were α-pinene (36.2%) and β-myrcene (21.1%). The sesquiterpene accounted for about 13.4% of the total oil composition. Germacrene D (2.2%), α-cadinol (1.6%), α-humulene (1.5%), spathulenol (1.4%), epi-α-bisabolol (1.3%) and germacrene B (1.1%) were the main constituents of the sesquiterpenes. The inhibition zone depends from concentrations and also from sort of bacteria. The inhibition zones differ from 0-39 mm. The present work presents the chemical composition of the hydrodistilled oil of J. communis (L.) from East part of Kosova and the results are compared to those reported in the literature. This study demonstrates the occurrence of α-pinene chemotype of J. communis (L.) from east part of Kosova. The essential oil of J. communis (L.) growing wild in Kosova, showed moderate to high activities against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Hafnia alvei. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is resistant to the essential oil of J. communis (L.) growing wild in east part of Kosova.
Kosovo is the one of the important diversity centers for Cucurbita pepo because of their adaptation to diverse agro ecological conditions as a result of natural and also farmers selection. In Kosovo, in most cases C. pepo is grown both in maize fields and vegetable gardens as well as in other more intensive systems. Our expedition have identified different location in the part of Kosovo where were collected a samples at altitudes from 545 till 748 MASL. Kjeldahl method we have used to determine Protein content (PC). Lipids were determined by extraction using Soxhlet apparatus and diethyl ether was used as extraction solvent. The aim of the present investigation was carried out to study morphological diversity, protein and lipids content. Pumpkin populations show great diversity in morphological characteristics, particularly fruit weight (FW), fruit shape (FSH). All populations for FW were on higher genetic variability + 2556.9 g or 97.71%. The collection showed appreciable phenotypic variation in fruit shape (FSH). The greater part of variance was accounted for protein content (PC) and lipids content (LC). The estimation overall value ? in seed for PC and LC were 14.59%, and 32.99% respectively. This evaluation of traits variability can assist breeders to identify populations with desirable characteristics for inclusion in variety breeding programs.
1 January 2010 in American Journal of Biochemistry and Biotechnology
Problem statement: Chemical composition of essential oil of Achillea millefolium (L.), originated from east part of Kosova, was investigated. Approach: The chemical profile of the essential oil was evaluated by GC and GC-MS. Results: Analysis of the oil resulted in the identification of 33 peaks, representing 81.4% of the oil. The main compounds of Achillea millefolium (L.) from east region of Kosova, were 1,8-cineole (22%), camphor (21%), borneol (7,6%) and β-pinene (5.3%). Conclusion: After comparison of our date with those reported in literature we can conclude that various chemotypes of Achillea millefolium (L.) occur in nature.
Background and Aim: Several strains of Aspergillus fumigatus produce mycotoxins that affect the health and productivity of dairy cattle, and their presence in dairy cattle feed is a serious concern. This study aimed to determine the densities of A. fumigatus and gliotoxin in commercial dairy feed. Materials and Methods: More than 60 dairy feed samples were examined for fungal contamination, specifically for A. fumigatus, using phenotypic approaches and DNA sequencing of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and β-tubulin regions. Thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to assess gliotoxin production in A. fumigatus. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to investigate the expression of gliZ, which was responsible for gliotoxin production. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to detect gliotoxin in feed samples. Results: Aspergillus was the most commonly identified genus (68.3%). Aspergillus fumigatus was isolated from 18.3% of dairy feed samples. Only four of the 11 A. fumigatus isolates yielded detectable gliotoxins by HPLC. In total, 7/11 (43.7%) feed samples tested had gliotoxin contamination above the threshold known to induce immunosuppressive and apoptotic effects in vitro. The HPLC-based classification of isolates as high, moderate, or non-producers of gliotoxin was confirmed by RT-PCR, and the evaluation of gliZ expression levels corroborated this classification. Conclusion: The identification of A. fumigatus from animal feed greatly depended on ITS and β-tubulin sequencing. Significant concentrations of gliotoxin were found in dairy cattle feed, and its presence may affect dairy cow productivity and health. Furthermore, workers face contamination risks when handling and storing animal feed. Keywords: Aspergillus fumigatus, cattle feed, gliotoxin, gliZ, high-performance liquid chromatography, real-time polymerase chain reaction.
29 September 2022 in International Journal of Food Contamination
Although bee honey is considered an essential and healthy food for humans, honey can be affected by various contaminants, such as antibiotics, that can cause health problems for consumers. The objective of this study was to assess the occurrence of streptomycin residues in locally produced and imported bee honey, which was collected in 2017 from individual apiaries and retail markets in six different regions of Kosovo. In the present study, 155 bee honey samples were qualitatively screened by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method using an I'screen STREPTO test kit (Tecna S. r. L., Trieste, Italy) as a simple and fast method. Descriptive statistics were used to outline the essential characteristics of the sample and mass; 29% of samples were contaminated with streptomycin at concentrations between 2.1-9.3 ug/kg, while 71% of the samples were found to be negative for streptomycin. Most of the samples with streptomycin residues were from the Ferizaj and Prizren regions. Based on these results, competent authorities should establish and maintain programs to continuously monitor honey to ensure that consumers in Kosovo receive risk-free honey. In addition, there is a pressing need for additional research to accurately assess other aspects of this problem and identify effective corrective actions that will reduce contaminants in bee honey.