In the presented manuscript, the method of production, mechanism of action and the potential fertilizing effect of fertilizer soil microgranules, characterized by a controlled release of ingredients, that were produced from thermally processed bone waste and protein were described. The prepared fertilizer was tested in 3 doses in a pot experiment and thereafter the selected dose of 30 kg ha⁻¹ was utilized in field conditions. The applied dose of fertilizer caused an average increase of maize yield of 620 kg ha⁻¹ (grain moisture 14%). It was found that the obtained increase of maize did not result from the amount of supplied micro and macro elements to the soil, but it was a consequence of the fertilizer’s mechanism of action. It was shown that the release of nitrogen in ammonium form from protein degradation due to the influence of fertilizer components and water had impact on the intensive growth and development of plant root system. This resulted in an increase in plant resistance to water stress during the growing season and consequently, greater yield. The developed soil fertilizer (produced mainly from the processed waste) with the proposed mechanism of action should be successfully applied in fertilizing plants that are grown in areas characterized by cyclical water shortages during the growing season

This manuscript presents the effect of foliar and soil fertilizer produced from thermally processed bone waste on the initial growth and development of maize plants. The developed fertilizers were tested in three different doses in a pot experiment. Because nutrient deficiency interferes with plant physiological processes, the impact of the developed fertilizers on gas exchange parameters, relative chlorophyll content, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters were assessed. Based on the conducted research, it was found that fertilization with developed foliar and soil fertilizers increased the relative content of chlorophyll in maize leaves and increased the value of gas exchange parameters and chlorophyll fluorescence. All determined parameters of gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence showed a positive correlation depending on the dose of foliar fertilization used (average value r = 0.8414). In turn, the soil fertilization that was utilized during the experiment significantly correlated only with the content of chlorophyll (r = 0.6965). The tested fertilizers improvement of the physiological parameters of the plants, which indicates the fertilizing efficiency of the tested fertilizers.

Background: A microgranule fertilizer was designed for localized fertilization of soil with controlled release of nutrients. The microgranule matrix was fortified with proteins, which were obtained from food industry byproducts or waste, i.e., whey protein from milk serum, soy protein from soy isolate and egg white protein from chicken egg white powder. The mechanism of the protein decomposition and migration of micro and macromolecule compounds through two different model soil systems was investigated. The potential of the protein fortified fertilizer for localized fertilization of the potted maize seeds was evaluated. Results: The study revealed that proteins slowly diffused through soil with simultaneous degradation, which was accompanied with release of ammonia ions. The highest concentration of proteins and degradation products was found in a close vicinity of the microgranule. The microgranules were used as a local fertilizer for maize seeds in the pot experiments. The experiments confirmed statistically significant improvement in root density of maize plant compared to control group. Conclusions: Byproducts or waste of food industry, such as the milk serum and soy can be used as a source of proteins that degrade in soil without a pretreatment. The degradation is accompanied with formation of ammonium ions, which can be utilized by plants as a nitrogen source. The fertilizer microgranule should be placed in a close vicinity to the plant seed, since the maximum of the protein concentration and ammonia ions is reached at a very close distance from the microgranule.

Mycotoxins are well known secondary metabolites of various fungi. They pose a significant threat to human and animal when present in food or feed. They can be responsible for losses in grain production and in livestock or human intoxication. In this study, several mycotoxins were detected in Aspergillus fumigatus contaminated maize kernels. The contaminated kernels were treated with gaseous ozone at a concentration of 500 and 3000 ppm for 1 hour. Depending on the specific compound, the contamination level was reduced by up to 100%. This screening research showed that a concentration of ozone as high as 3000 ppm could be sufficient to completely remove several toxic compounds from the maize matrix.

The improvement of the microbial quality of food products is one of the most important aspects of the world economy with a significant impact on the health of consumers. Due to the content of lipids, water, and proteins, meat is highly susceptible to degradation mediated by enzymes or microorganisms. Among the wide variety of animal-derived consumption products, fish is highly perishable and characterized by a short shelf life. To improve safety and microbial quality during storage, fish food can be treated with ozone, which is a highly potent antimicrobial agent. In this study, the effect of ozone treatment on the total microorganism content and the quality of fish food was investigated with respect to the content of lipids and the volatile faction responsible for the characteristic odour. The content of microorganisms in fish food subjected to an atmosphere enriched with ozone was reduced. For example, for the control sample with 1.8 x 10³ cfu, which was exposed to 20 ppm ozone in atmosphere during the exposition time in the range 10–30 min, a microbial load was reduced to a level between 1.6 x 10³ and 1.2 x 10³ cfu. The observed reduction levels indicated that such an ozone treatment procedure can be declared as an viable option for improvement of microbial safety of fish. However, the presence of ozone caused qualitative changes of chemical parameters of the fish matrix; in particular, oxidation of lipids occurred. The extent of those changes increased with the extension of the exposition time..