Bovine mastitis a major disease that is commonly associated with bacterial infection. The common treatment is with antibiotics administered intramammary into infected quarters of the udder. The excessive use of antibiotics leads to multidrug resistance and associated risks for human health. In this context, the search for alternative drugs based on plants has become a priority in livestock medicine. These products have a low manufacturing cost and no reports of antimicrobial resistance to these have been documented. In this context, the main objective of this study was to determine the antimicrobial effect of extracts and products of several indigenous, or acclimatized plants on pathogens isolated from bovine mastitis. A total of eleven plant alcoholic extracts and eight plant-derived products were tested against 32 microorganisms isolated from milk. The obtained results have shown an inhibition of bacterial growth for all tested plants, with better results for Evernia prunastri, Artemisia absinthium, and Lavandula angustifolia. Moreover, E. prunastri, Populus nigra, and L. angustifolia presented small averages of minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations. Among the plant-derived products, three out of eight have shown a strong anti-microbial effect comparable with the effect of florfenicol and enrofloxacin, and better than individual plant extracts possibly due to synergism. These results suggest an important anti-microbial effect of these products on pathogens isolated from bovine mastitis with a possible applicability in this disease.

Honey composition and color depend greatly on the botanical and geographical origin. Water content, water activity and color of 50 declared acacia samples, collected from three different geographical zones of Romania, together with chromatographic determination of sugar spectrum were analyzed. A number of 79 volatile compounds from the classes of: Alcohols, aldehydes, esters, ketones, sulphur compounds, aliphatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen compounds, carboxylic acids, aromatic acids and ethers were identified by solid-phase micro-extraction and gas-chromatography mass spectrometry. The overall volatile profile and sugar spectrum of the investigated honey samples allow the differentiation of geographical origin for the acacia honey samples subjected to analysis. The statistical models of the chromatic determination, physicochemical parameters and volatile profile was optimal to characterize the honey samples and group them into three geographical origins, even they belong to the same botanical origin.

Nettle (Urtica dioica), basil (Ocimum basilicum), thyme (Thymus serphyllium), costmary (Chrysanthemum balsamita) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium) are used worldwide as aromatic herbs and medicinal plants. The alcoholic macerates of these plants were prepared and their chemical composition was investigated by spectrophotometric methods and HPLC chromatography with photodiode array detection. Alcoholic extracts were tested also in vitro against 5 pathogenic bacterial strains: 2 Gram-positive (Staphyloccocus aureus and Bacillus cereus) and 3 Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhimurium). Minimum inhibitory concentrations for the extracts against all the microorganisms were determined by serial dilutions method. All the extracts demonstrated antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria and partially against Gram-negative bacteria. In addition, nettle extract possessed the highest polyphenolic and flavonoid content. The results obtained indicated that these plants represent a potential source of natural antibacterial substances and can be used for the production of natural antibacterial formulations.

The domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori L. comprises a large number of geographical breeds and hybrid lines. Knowing the genetic structure of those may provide information to improve the conservation of commercial lines by estimating inbreeding over generations and the consequences of excessive use of those lineages. Here, we analyzed the genetic diversity of seven breeds and eight hybrid lines from Eastern Europe and Asia using highly polymorphic microsatellites markers to determine its genetical impact on their use in global breeding programs. No consistent pattern of deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium was found for most breed and hybrids; and the absence of a linkage disequilibrium also suggests that the strains are in equilibrium. A principal coordinate analysis revealed a clear separation of two silkworm breeds from the rest: one (IBV) originated from India and the other one (RG₉₀) from Romania/Japan. The tendency of the other breeds from different geographic origins to cluster together in a general mix might be due to similar selection pressures (climate and anthropogenic factors) in different geographic locations. Phylogenetic analyses grouped the different silkworm breeds but not the hybrids according to their geographic origin and confirmed the pattern found in the principal coordinate analysis.

This study aimed to characterize raw honeys from different geographical origins in Romania, in respect of chemical composition, microbiological examination and evaluate their probiotic potential. The physico-chemical determinations were performed in APHIS-DIA Laboratory, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, using standard validated methods. Bacterial identification was performed for each sample and each colony type using Vitek^® 2 Compact 15 system and PCR amplification using 16S rDNA bacterial universal primers (27F, 1492R), species being confirm by sequences analysis. In five raw honey samples, we have identified probiotic bacteria, such as: Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus subtilis, and Bacillus velezensis. Generally, all honey samples meet the standard values for chemical composition. However, one sample having 7.44% sucrose was found to have also probiotics bacteria from the genus Bacillus because sucrose is a substrate for probiotics development. In conclusion, the Romanian raw honey can be a potential reservoir of probiotics, which confer a health benefit for consumers.

Codex Alimentarius Standard, EU Legislation and National Standards state honey authenticity. Authenticity in respect of production (to prevent adulteration) and authenticity in respect of geographical and botanical origin are the two main aspects of general honey authenticity. Quality of honey depends on the plant source, the chemical composition of these plants as well, as on the climatic conditions and soil mineral composition. Romanian acacia (Robinia pseudoacacia) honey that came from the most important Transylvanian massif (Valea lui Mihai, Bihor County, Romania) was evaluated for authenticity by pollen-analysis, several physico-chemical analyses, including sugar profile and mineral content. As polyphenolic content could be also an important factor for botanical authentification, HPLC-DAD-MS analyses were performed to assess the fingerprint of this important secondary plant metabolite. Statistical data were processed in order to develop a biochemical profile of this type of honey and the main quality categories identification. The results of physico-chemical analysis demonstrated that the tested honey samples could be framed into monofloral type of acacia honeys. The analysis of acacia honeys originating from Valea lui Mihai, Romania, showed that polyphenolic profile (phenolic acids and flavonoids) could be used as a complementary method for authenticity determination together with pollen analysis and other physico-chemical analysis.