2021

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.iuls.ro/handle/20.500.12811/3112

Browse

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5

listelement.badge.access-status Open Access ,
The Occurrence of Aflatoxins in Nuts and Dry Nuts Packed in Four Different Plastic Packaging from the Romanian Market
(MDPI, 2020-12-28) Macri, Adrian-Maximilian; Pop, Ioana; Simeanu, Daniel; Toma, Diana; Sandu, Ion; Pavel, Liliana-Lăcrămioara; Mintaș, Olimpia-Smaranda
Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by various fungi. A very important category of mycotoxins are aflatoxins, considered to be the most dangerous in humans. Aflatoxin B1, well known as a favorable factor in the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma in humans, is the most controversial of all mycotoxins. Aflatoxins, found in naturally contaminated food, are resistant to degradation by heat. Current food processing practices and conventional storage conditions do not completely eliminate aflatoxin contamination from the food supply chain. Long storage food products—such as peanuts, pistachio, nuts in general, and dried fruits—are susceptible to aflatoxins contamination. The type of plastic material can influence the concentration of aflatoxins during storage due to the permeability to gas and moisture exchange with the external milieu. Nuts in general and dried fruits are consumed in large quantities worldwide. Therefore, herein we investigated the effect of plastic material on the total aflatoxins and aflatoxin B1 content in 64 samples of nuts and dried fruits packed and stored in low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The method consisted in a cleanup procedure using immunoaffinity columns coupled with RIDASCREEN FAST immunoenzymatic competitive assays based on the ELISA technique. Collected data were subjected to statistical analysis and multiple comparisons tests were applied. From the total analyzed samples, 14.06% exceeded the maximum admitted European levels for total aflatoxins. The highest concentrations of total aflatoxins were obtained from samples packed in LDPE, followed by PP, PE, and PET. Aflatoxin B1 was detected in all samples packed in LDPE, PP, and PE. Most of the samples packed in PET had concentrations <1 µg/kg. These results indicate that nuts in general packed and stored in LDPE are more prone to contamination with aflatoxins, while PET is more suitable for maintaining the quality and safety of these products.
listelement.badge.access-status Open Access ,
Sustainability in the Case of Small Vegetable Farmers: A Matrix Approach
(MDPI, 2021-09-15) Brumă, Ioan-Sebastian; Ulman, Simona-Roxana; Căutișanu, Cristina; Tanasă, Lucian; Hoha, Gabriel
Considering that sustainability is a relative concept, but also that this limitation could be avoided through continuous adaptation of the evaluation tools by taking into account the directions of change (such as time, space, application domain), the goal of the present study is to elaborate a matrix for measuring the level of sustainability for small vegetable farms. Thus, looking at what sustainability could represent under such circumstances, we divided its characteristics into four main dimensions (economic, social, environmental, cultural), while adding the private dimension. Inclusion of the private dimension may provide potential added value to this study, and thus enrich the general perspective of producers’ capacity to meet the sustainability goals in their entrepreneurial activity. To quantify these five dimensions of the sustainability matrix, a questionnaire was built up and used as support for face-to-face interviews conducted at the level of the North-East Development Region of Romania. Our results showed associations between diverse components of the dimensions considered, revealing their synergy in farm activity, along with the occurrence of some differences in the levels of sustainability dimensions and sub-dimensions, which differ as a function of the specific types of vegetable production (conventional, ecologic, natural, mixed).
listelement.badge.access-status Open Access ,
Quality assessment of raw honey issued from Eastern Romania
(MDPI, 2021-03-14) Albu, Aida; Radu Rusu, Cristina-Gabriela; Pop, Ioan-Mircea; Frunză, Gabriela; Nacu, Gherasim
Romania is known among the main European honey producers, due to the variety of landforms as well as the diversity of the flora. Thirty-four honey samples of the acacia, linden and multifloral types, produced in eastern Romania and collected during 2013–2018, were physico chemically analyzed using methods provided by the national and EU standards. The results of water-insoluble solids, color and refractive index were found to be 0.023–0.131%, 0.3–76.4 mm Pfund and 1.485–1.499, respectively. The moisture content ranged between 15.20% and 20.77%, solid substances content ranged between 79.23% and 84.80% and total soluble substances content ranged between 77.83 ◦Brix and 83.26 ◦Brix. The obtained values of specific gravity were from 1.414 to 1.450 g/cm3 , pH ranged from 3.673 to 5.503 and free acidity ranged between 2.4 meq and 50 meq kg−1 . The ash content and the electrical conductivity varied between 0.030 and 0.543% and 130 and 679 µS cm−1 , respectively. Pearson0 s correlation analysis showed an intense association of the ash content with electrical conductivity (r = 0.81). Our findings reveal the qualitative level of Romanian honey and the variation in quality parameters due to factors such as geographical region, climatic conditions, botanical origin and handling or storage conditions.
listelement.badge.access-status Open Access ,
Performance assessment of five adsorbents based on fly ash for removal of cadmium ions
(Elsevier B.V., 2021-03-18) Buema, Gabriela; Lupu, Nicoleta; Chiriac, Horia; Ciobanu, Gabriela; Bucur, Roxana-Dana; Bucur, Daniel; Favier, Lidia; Harja, Maria
Five adsorbents based on fly ash treated with NaOH for the adsorption of cadmium ion from aqueous solutions were investigated. The materials were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier trans form infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area methods. The results demonstrated that the specific surface area of fly ash was improved after NaOH treatment, and that the adsorp tion of cadmium by the new adsorbents reached equilibrium in less than 120 min. The results also confirmed that the materials treated with NaOH solution by direct activation had a higher adsorption capacity than untreated fly ash. The maximum adsorption capacities obtained were in the range of 9.18–48.5 mg/g. Also, SEM/EDS and FT-IR results of Cd(II) loaded adsorbents were performed. The obtained experimental data were used for kinetics de termination using three model equations: a pseudo first-order model, a pseudo second-order model, and the intraparticle diffusion model. Was found that the adsorption of cadmium ions onto the adsorbents studied fol lows the pseudo second-order model. The adsorption isotherms of the adsorbent synthesized by direct activation for 15 h using 5 M NaOH at 90 °C with a ratio of 1:3 fly ash: NaOH (A5) was assessed in terms of the Langmuir (four types of linearization), Freundlich, Temkin, Harkin-Jura, and Halsey models. The effectiveness of the adsor bents was evaluated using the toxicity characteristic leaching (TCLP) procedure. Accordingly, the proposed methods in this study are recommended for advanced capitalization of fly ash, particularly as a potential adsor bent for the removal of cadmium ions from wastewater
listelement.badge.access-status Open Access ,
The influence of dehulling on the nutritional quality of lupine seeds (Lupinus albus L.) and the effect of their use in the feed of laying quails on the live performance and quality of eggs
(MDPI, 2021-10-05) Struți, Dănuț-Ioan; Bunea, Andrea; Pop, Ioan-Mircea; Păpuc, Tudor-Andrei; Mierliță, Daniel
Lupinus albus seeds from low-alkaloid varieties are a valuable alternative source of protein for reducing the dependence on soybean meal for the feeding of monogastric animals. Therefore, the aim of this research was to evaluate the dehulling influence of lupine seeds (L. albus, cv. Amiga) and the effect of their use in the laying quails feed on live performance and egg quality. A total of 200 laying quails (Coturnix japonica), with an age of 10 weeks, were randomly assigned to five experimental groups (five replicates/group). Each group was randomly assigned to one of five dietary treatments: the control group (C) diet was based on soybean meal, while the experimental groups received either 200 g/kg (WLS20) or 250 g/kg (WLS25) of whole lupine seeds in their diets, or 200 g/kg (DLS20) or 250 g/kg (DLS25) of dehulled lupine seeds in their diets. The results show that by dehulling the lupine seeds, the nutritional value of the seeds increased. The use of dehulled lupine seeds in the diet of laying quails did not affect the live performance (egg production, feed intake, feed conversion ratio), yolk cholesterol content, and physico-chemical quality indices of the eggs, compared with control. The presence of dehulled lupine seeds in the diet improved the nutritional quality of the yolk lipids because of the increase in the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Thus, the lipid quality indices of the yolk became more favorable to consumer health because of an increase in the h/H ratio (hypocholesterolemic/Hypercholesterolemic FA) and a decrease in the atherogenic index and thrombogenic index values. The higher content in carotenoids also contributed to the higher nutritional quality of the eggs obtained by lupine utilization. In conclusion, dehulling of lupine seeds had a positive influence on the nutritional quality of the seeds, the live performance of quails, and the quality of eggs.

Browse

Recent Submissions