The phenolic composition and antioxidant activity of wine and fermented pomace (FP) from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes harvested at three ripening stages were evaluated using LC-MS/MS and spectrophotometric analyses. An investigation of grey mold’s (Botrytis cinerea) influence on wine phenolic content modulation was conducted as well. Finally, the influence of the plant’s ripening stage on the dynamics of the phenolic compounds extracted from wine and FP obtained from fully ripe grapes was evaluated. In this study, the content of catechin, epicatechin, quercetin, and p-coumaric, gallic, and syringic acids was analyzed. Wine and FP were obtained after extended maceration during the spontaneous and inoculated fermentation of fully ripe grapes. When comparing the wine and FP obtained from véraison, fully ripe, and overripe grapes, catechin was the most abundant in wine (40.13 ± 3.25 mg/L) and quercetin in FP (10.96 ± 0.14 mg/kg). A decrease in analyzed phenolic compounds was noticed in wine produced from grapes affected by Botrytis cinerea, and the highest depletion was found for quercetin. The use of a winemaking technique that involved differing maceration periods and inoculation using yeasts as well as spontaneous fermentation significantly modulated the phenolic content of derived wines and FP. The dynamics of the phenolic compounds extracted into wine, evaluated using a principal component analysis (PCA), highlighted contents of catechin and epicatechin. After a decrease in maceration, the PCA revealed a notable content of gallic and syringic acids, as well as quercetin, in samples of FP. This study offers a perspective for future research and the development of functional food with a high content of phenolic compounds originating from red grape products, such as wine and fermented pomace.

Phytotoxic substances released by invasive plants have been reported to have anti-pathogen, anti-herbivore, and allelopathic activity. The aim of this study was to determine the allelopathic influence of the Ambrosia trifida L. on oxidative stress parameters (the lipid peroxidation process; reduced glutathione (GSH) content; and activity of antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (PX)) and phenolic compounds (total phenolic and tannin content) in maize (Zea mays L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) crops to explore the effect of released allelochemicals through A. trifida root on crops. An analysis by HPLC confirmed the presence of protocatechuic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, and syringic acid as major components in the A. trifida. Based on the obtained results for oxidative stress parameters, it can be concluded that the sunflower was the most sensitive species to A. trifida allelochemicals among the tested crops. The other two crops tested showed a different sensitivity to A. trifida. The soybean did not show sensitivity, while the maize showed sensitivity only 10 days after the sowing.

The aim of this research was to investigate the effects of biofilm on antibiotic resistance of the bacterial isolates present in fish meat and to assess the risk of antibiotic residues for public health. Common carp, silver carp and grass carp fishes were purchased from retail stores for an in vitro biofilm investigation and a drug-resistant pattern determination. In all samples, up to 10⁴ CFU/g of bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, Aeromonas hydrophila, Shewanella putrefaciens, Vibrio spp. and Staphylococcus spp., were observed. Isolates from the samples and their biofilms were subjected to an antibiogram assay using antibiotics such as amoxicillin, ampicillin, cefotaxime, ciprofloxacin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, streptomycin, tetracycline and trimethoprim. Obtained results showed that some of the isolates were sensitive to antibiotics and some were resistant. Results of LC-MS/MS analysis showed that antibiotics residues were present in fish samples in the range between 4.9 and 199.4 µg/kg, with a total sum of 417.1 µg/kg. Estimated daily intake (EDI) was established to be 0.274 μg/kg of body weight/day for men and 0.332 μg/kg of body weight/day for women, with an acceptable daily intake (ADI) of 8.5 and 7.0 µg/kg of body weight/day for men and women, respectively. The results of the present study, therefore, highlight the safe consumption of fresh fish.

The Alternaria mycotoxins such as alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), and tentoxin (TEN) are mycotoxins, which can contaminate cereal-based raw materials. Today, wheat is one of the most important crops in temperate zones, and it is in increasing demand in the Western Balkans countries that are urbanizing and industrializing. This research aimed to investigate the occurrence and determine the concentration of Alternaria mycotoxins AOH, AME, and TEN in wheat samples from the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Albania, harvested in the year 2020 in the period between 15 June and 15 July. A total of 80 wheat grain samples, 40 from each country, were analyzed by an QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method. From the obtained results, it can be seen that the mean concentration of AOH was 3.3 µg/kg and AME was 2.2 µg/kg in wheat samples from Serbia, while TEN from both Serbia and Albania was under the limit of quantification (<LOQ). The maximum of AOH and AME mycotoxins was recorded only in wheat grain samples collected in the Republic of Serbia (5.3 and 2.3 µg/kg). In conclusion, Alternaria mycotoxins have concentrations above the LOQ, which could be potentially considered a health hazard to both humans and animals.

The cereal grains, which represent the cultivated grasses fruits, supply almost half of the total caloric requirements for humans and provide more nourishment compared with any other class of the food. Out of many cereals used for food, maize, rice, and wheat are the most important food resources for humans, representing 94% of the total cereals consumption. According to the data of the Republic Institute of Statistics for the year 2018, the harvested areas of corn amount to 906,753 hectares. The production of about 7 million tons was achieved with an average yield of 7.7 t/ha according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Serbia. Serbia is still among the ten largest exporters of wheat and corn in the world for the period of 2014/15–2017/18. More precisely, it ranks seventh in the export of corn. Utilization of maize products for food animal nutrition (1000 t) is 491,48, and for industrial processing (1000 t) 278,862 expressed as the total consumption (1000 t) is 769,910. Therefore, a total of 103 samples of maize products were analyzed for the presence of toxins, i.e., tropane alkaloids (TAs). The samples were collected from the retail stores in the Republic of Serbia in 2021 and analyzed for the presence of atropine and scopolamine (33 corn grits, 39 polenta, and 31 semolina samples). Therefore, the Recommendation 2015/976/EU on the monitoring of TAs in food was adopted by the EU Commission to obtain more occurrence data on TAs in food. The monitoring extent, however, is restricted because reliable analytical methods and appropriate sensitivity are limited. There was a limit of 1 g/kg for each atropine and scopolamine in cereals containing millet, sorghum, buckwheat, or their derivatives. All the samples were analyzed by the LC-MS/MS. The LOQ was set at 1.0 μg/kg. Out of the total 103 tested samples, 32 samples (31.1%) were contaminated with atropine and scopolamine in concentrations above the LOQ. The highest concentrations of the studied TAs were observed in a semolina sample-atropine: 58.80 μg/kg, scopolamine: 10.20 μg/kg. The obtained results indicate that the TAs concentrations are above the LOQ which can be considered potential human and animal health hazards.

S-metolachlor is one of the most frequently used herbicides worldwide. However, toxicity studies of this herbicide to aquatic organisms are scarce. In the present study, two experiments were conducted to test the effects of S-metolachlor on common carp, one of the most economically important fish species, with a distribution throughout the world: (1) 96 h acute semi-static toxicity test, aiming to determine LC₅₀; (2) a subchronic semi-static test that lasted 28 days, in which juvenile carp were exposed to 3%, 8%, and 25% of previously determined LC₅₀—0.5 mg·L⁻¹, 1.4 mg·L⁻¹, and 4.1 mg·L⁻¹, respectively. Several biomarkers were employed to assess fish responses to toxicants. Blood biochemistry analysis and nuclear alterations of erythrocytes did not show any difference among experimental groups. Semi-quantitative histopathological analysis revealed mild alterations in the gills and liver, where oedema of secondary epithelium of gills and leukocyte infiltration in liver were significantly higher in fish exposed to 1.4 mg·L⁻¹ and 4.1 mg·L⁻¹. Histopathological indices in liver, as well as the total histopathological index, also showed significantly higher scores in the same groups. Bioconcentration factors of S-metolachlor ranged from 3.2 to 9.4, depending on the experimental group.