This study aimed to evaluate the discharge waters in the Nerodime River and the impact of the seasons on the quality of the surface waters of the Nerodime River. Research data were collected at six locations along the Nerodime River in three seasons of 2021. During this research, 14...

Physicochemical and microbiological parameters are important indicators of drinking water quality. This study assessed the quality of groundwater used for drinking in four regions of Kosovo at 16 locations using an integrated assessment framework that combined physicochemical, microbiological, and Water Quality Index (WQI) approaches. The results reveal substantial spatial variability in water quality. While most physicochemical parameters remained within recommended limits, elevated values of total dissolved solids (up to 2792.5 mg/L), electrical conductivity (up to 2768.5 µS/cm), nitrate (up to 60.75 mg/L), and phosphate (up to 0.875 mg/L) were observed at several locations, indicating localized hydrogeochemical and anthropogenic influences. Dissolved oxygen levels were generally low (0.68–5.49 mg/L), reflecting limited aeration conditions in groundwater systems. Microbiological analysis revealed critical contamination, with Escherichia coli concentrations up to 299.9 CFU/100 mL, and all sampling sites exceeded permissible limits, indicating widespread fecal pollution and rendering the groundwater unsafe for direct consumption. WQI assessment further confirmed this condition, where 93.75% of locations were classified as medium quality using the NSF-WQI method, whereas the WA-WQI method categorized 68.75% of samples as poor and 6.25% as very poor. The novelty of this study lies in the integrated evaluation of hydrogeochemical processes and microbiological contamination using dual WQI methods and multivariate statistical analysis, providing a comprehensive understanding of groundwater degradation pathways. The findings are significant for policymakers, environmental managers, and public health authorities, highlighting the urgent need for groundwater treatment, improved sanitation infrastructure, and sustainable water resource management strategies in vulnerable regions.

Benthic diatoms are being used as indicators to assess the biological quality of surface waters in Kosovo. The Klina River is the left tributary of the White Drin River Basin, with a length of 69 km. The study assessed the level of surface water quality in the Klina River using 12 diatomic indices calculated with the Omnidia program. For this purpose, three stations monitored the river Klina in the autumn of 2021 to conform to international standards. A total of 88 diatom taxa were identified, with the dominant species being Rhoicosphenia abbreviata (C. Agardh) Lange-Bertalot, Gyrosigma acuminatum (Kützing) Rabenhorst, Cocconeis placenula Ehrenberg, Gomphonema minutum (Ag.) Agardh f. minutum, Gomphonema clavatum Ehr, Meridion circulare (Greville) C.A. Agardh, Cocconeis pediculus Ehrenberg, Diatoma vulgaris Bory, and Nitzschia dissipata (Kützing) Grunow ssp. dissipata etc. This study assessed the surface water quality in the Klina River using diatom indices, indicating that the river is in good to moderate ecological condition. Environmental variables such as hydrogen ion concentration (pH) and dissolved oxygen (DO) had significant positive correlations (<0.01) with the biological diatom index (IBD), Descy’s pollution metric (Descy), Sladeček’s pollution metric (SLA), the European index (CEE), and Watanabe’s Index (WAT), while the total suspended solids (TSS) also showed a strong negative significant correlation (<0.01) with the generic diatom index (IDG), Indice Diatomique Artois Picardie (IDAP), the eutrophication pollution index (EPI-D), the trophic diatom index (TDI), the Pampean diatom index (IDP), and Steinberg and Schiefele’s index (SHE). Total phosphorus (TP), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD) presented a significant negative correlation (<0.05) with the IBD, Descy, SLA, CEE, and WAT indices. Our findings provide insights for organizations dealing with the state of the environment and water protection in Kosovo, and these results can be used as a starting point for assessing the ecological quality of water and monitoring environmental pollution in the Kosovo region.

Millet beverages require fermentation processes that provide acidification, culturable starter populations and resistance to serum separation. Beverages containing 0 to 3% (w/v) millet flour were fermented with a yoghurt starter, Propionibacterium freudenreichii subsp. shermanii, or both cultures. Fermentation was conducted at 37 °C for 6 h with yoghurt or mixed cultures and 18 h with the propionic starter, followed by storage at 6 °C for 28 days. Two independent production experiments were performed, each with duplicate samples. Acidification, bacterial counts, pH, penetration forces, centrifugal syneresis and selected carbohydrates were assessed. Mixed cultures yielded higher presumptive propionibacteria counts after fermentation and storage, reaching 6.7 log CFU/mL on day 28 with 2% flour. Their pH remained approximately 4.1–4.2. Flour increased hardness and reduced centrifugal serum release. With 3% flour, syneresis on day 28 was 48.3% for yoghurt and 57.8% for mixed cultures. Carbohydrate concentrations below 0.50 mg/g were treated as semiquantitative estimates. The results describe formulation-dependent technological responses without establishing metabolic synergy. Limited independent replication, substantial centrifugal serum release and the absence of rheological and sensory measurements restrict statistical inference and conclusions about commercial suitability.

Published microbiological data for Albanian artisanal dairy and meat supply chains remain limited, particularly for origin-specific cheeses, raw farm milk, and selected meat products. This targeted exploratory study examined 145 physical samples representing independent product lots or, for raw milk, independent bulk-milk lots obtained in separate collection events. The samples were organised into 29 organism-by-matrix analytical categories, with five independent experimental units in each category. ISO-based methods were used to enumerate hygiene indicators and screen for selected pathogens. Beta-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli counts were below 10 CFU/g in cow milk feta-type brined cheese and sausage, while Enterobacteriaceae counts were below 10 CFU/g in goat yoghurt and pistachio cake. In three raw-milk cheese-origin groups with quantified Escherichia coli data, mean counts ranged from 3.08 to 3.25 log CFU/g. For Liqenasi and Bardhoke, all five results in each category were >300 CFU/g and were treated as right-censored; the exact counts above this value were not quantified, so these observations were excluded from numerical summaries. Raw milk aerobic colony counts ranged from 4.52 to 6.52 log CFU/mL. Unconfirmed presumptive Salmonella spp. culture screening findings were obtained for 5/5 frozen chicken portions tested at 10 g and 5/5 pork portions tested at 25 g. Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in 5/5 ready-to-eat grilled chicken portions, each 25 g. Findings apply only to the sampled lots and support confirmatory sampling, complete lot documentation, and quantitative follow-up of right-censored results.