DETERMINATION OF LEAF NUTRIENT CONTENT IN BARBERRY GENOTYPES GROWN IN KAYSERI REGION

Poultry breeding is one of the fastest growing segments of the agricultural sector in many countries of the world, including Ukraine. Currently, Ukraine ranks 8th in terms of production of eggs and broilers in the world. A sufficient amount of minerals and vitamins in the diet is the key to good production of poultry products. Feeding feed deficient in vitamins and minerals can cause numerous health problems in chickens, including death in some cases. The poultry farmer must monitor the health of the chickens every day. Therefore, the development of the practice of feeding a balanced diet with the necessary amount of minerals to prevent premature disease of poultry caused by nutrient deficiency is relevant today. In poultry farming, mineral substances are used as one of the ways to increase metabolism in birds. Mineral substances are part of the molecules of complex organic structures that participate in metabolic processes, including digestion, thereby improving the assimilation and use of feed nutrients. The lack of microelements in feed causes diseases of the joints of the limbs of poultry, a decrease in its productivity, and a deterioration in the quality of eggshells. Zinc, copper, manganese, iron, iodine, selenium, cobalt are important trace elements in the feed of broiler chickens. Therefore, the effectiveness of the use of trace elements is an actual topic of modern poultry feeding. Mineral substances are useful in poultry farming, as they provide prevention of various diseases. Organic minerals in small amounts can be added to the diet of birds, because minerals are better absorbed by the bird than mineral salts. Demand for alternative natural feed additives with mineral content is important, especially as an alternative to antibiotics. They can have a preventive effect against various diseases, participate in numerous physical and biochemical mechanisms and basic processes of growth and development. However, further large-scale research is needed for the further use of macro- and micronutrients in commercial poultry farming.

Spider plant (Gynandropsis gynandra) is a leafy vegetable rich in micronutrients, including minerals, vitamins, and secondary metabolites, making it a valuable opportunity crop for combating hidden hunger and promoting human health. However, knowledge of the inheritance of mineral content is limited, which hinders the development of improved cultivars for wider cultivation. To address this, 118 F1 experimental hybrids involving 26 parental lines were generated from a North Carolina mating design II. The F1s and their parents were evaluated across two years (2019 and 2020) for gene action, combining ability effects and heterosis of leaf mineral (zinc, copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, and potassium) content. Significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed among and between hybrids and parents for iron, zinc, copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, and potassium contents. The genotype × year interaction was also significant, with variance greater than the genotypic variance. Significant general and specific combining ability effects, together with variance components analysis, revealed that both additive and nonadditive gene action controlled mineral content, with a predominance of nonadditive gene action. Mid- and best-parent heterosis ranged from -80.4% to 389.5% for mineral content. Parents with good general combining ability were identified, as well as crosses with high specific combining ability and heterosis. There were significant and moderate to strong correlations between mean hybrid performance, specific combining ability effects, and heterosis levels, and low to moderate correlations between general combining ability and the performance of the mean parents. We conclude that hybridization in G. gynandra contributes to improving the mineral content. G. gynandra can be used as a model crop to study the genetic mechanism underlying heterosis in leafy vegetables.

Spider plant (Gynandropsis gynandra) is a leafy vegetable rich in micronutrients, including minerals, vitamins, and secondary metabolites, making it a valuable opportunity crop for combating hidden hunger and promoting human health. However, knowledge of the inheritance of mineral content is limited, which hinders the development of improved cultivars for wider cultivation. To address this, 118 F1 experimental hybrids involving 26 parental lines were generated from a North Carolina mating design II. The F1s and their parents were evaluated across two years (2019 and 2020) for gene action, combining ability effects and heterosis of leaf mineral (zinc, copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, and potassium) content. Significant differences (p < 0.001) were observed among and between hybrids and parents for iron, zinc, copper, manganese, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, and potassium contents. The genotype × year interaction was also significant, with variance greater than the genotypic variance. Significant general and specific combining ability effects, together with variance components analysis, revealed that both additive and nonadditive gene action controlled mineral content, with a predominance of nonadditive gene action. Mid- and best-parent heterosis ranged from -80.4% to 389.5% for mineral content. Parents with good general combining ability were identified, as well as crosses with high specific combining ability and heterosis. There were significant and moderate to strong correlations between mean hybrid performance, specific combining ability effects, and heterosis levels, and low to moderate correlations between general combining ability and the performance of the mean parents. We conclude that hybridization in G. gynandra contributes to improving the mineral content. G. gynandra can be used as a model crop to study the genetic mechanism underlying heterosis in leafy vegetables.

The enrichment of food products of industrial production in order to replenish vitamin and mineral deficiency is an actual trend in optimizing the diet of adults and children. Enriched milk as a healthy food is in constant demand. In this regard, monitoring the content of nutrients declared by the manufacturer in fortified milk and identification of its assortment is an important task. The aim of the research was assessment of the content of vitamins and mineral substances as micronutrients that form a balanced diet, in enriched milk marketed in Kemerovo. Material and methods. The content of micronutrients declared by the manufacturer in the information on the individual product label has been determined: vitamins C and B1; mineral substances (calcium, iron, iodine, zinc) in 10 samples of fortified drinking milk with a fat content of 2.5% from different manufacturers. Iron was determined by colorimetric method based on measuring the color intensity of red solution of a complex compound of divalent iron with ortho-phenanthroline. The content of zinc and iodine was determined by inversion voltammetry, the content of calcium and ascorbic acid by titrimetric method, the content of thiamine by the voltammetric method. Results and discussion. The actual content of ascorbic acid in fortified milk was in the range from 6 to 12 mg/100 g, thiamine - from 0.10 to 0.20 mg/100 g, which corresponded to their declared amount. The content of calcium varied from 99 to 155 mg per 100 g, iron - from 1.4 to 1.7 mg per 100 g, zinc - from 0.7 to 1.5 mg per 100 g, iodine - from 94.0 up to 151.0 mcg/kg. The compliance of the declared mineral substances in fortified milk has been confirmed. It has been shown that due to the consumption of 200 ml of product, the daily physiological requirement for the analyzed vitamins and minerals for adults will be: for vitamins C and B1 on average 13-26%; calcium - 18-31%; iron - from 14-18% for women to 28-34% for men; zinc - 12-25%; iodine - 12-20%. Conclusion. It was found that all samples of fortified milk corresponded to the declared characteristics for the content of vitamins and mineral substances. Regular consumption of fortified milk will improve the supply with essential micronutrients in the residents of the Kuzbass region.

Soil is called as the skin of the earth and is greatly influenced by geographical, environmental and weather parameters. Its rich nutrient and mineral content, plays an eminent role in regulating the essence of the ecosystem. Various studies were carried out by the researchers in predicting different parameters for knowing the characteristics of the soil-its nutrient and mineral content- and their usefulness in finding the soil fertility status. There are so many parameters available and their contribution in predicting the soil fertility is a cumbersome job for the agriculture scientist, where automated analytical process plays a major role. The machine learning approaches combined with statistical inferences brings out the novel ways in improving the accuracy of prediction by identifying the important attributes of soil fertility. In this paper, a study is made on different parameters used in the literature for defining the characteristics of the soil and how they are used as input for machine learning algorithms/analysis for predicting the soil fertility. Based on this study, it could be observed that prediction techniques could be efficiently applied over optimized soil parameters for soil fertility prediction with more accuracy and less human intervention.

Orgu cheese, widely produced and consumed in Turkey's South-eastern Anatolia region, is usually made from sheep's milk. In this study, 15 traditional and 15 industrially produced Orgu cheese samples were compared in terms of chemical, biochemical, mineral content, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity. While the mineral substance and antioxidant activity values of Orgu cheese samples produced by both traditional and industrial methods were close to each other, it was determined that there were differences in terms of chemical and biochemical content. The mineral content was obtained quite high and antioxidant activity was low in cheese samples. Also, the water-soluble extracts of cheese samples didn’t show any antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and Escherichia coli ATCC 11303. It was detected that the production method and ripening conditions have a decisive effect on some basic characteristics of the examined cheeses.

The article deals with the content of selected mineral substances in Czech liturgical wines and compares them with common wines. Sulphur, phosphorus, boron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, cadmium and lead were selected as evaluated minerals, and they were all found in all the analyzed varieties - Pinot Noir, Red Traminer and Chardonnay. Mineral substances were determined using a quadrupole mass spectrometer in the inductively coupled plasma variant of the Thermo Scientific ICAP Q ICP-MS. Generally, measured results did not show significant differences between the mineral content in liturgical and common wines. Therefore the influence of specific production technologies of liturgical wines on the mineral contents was not proved either. One of the highest mineral concentration was in communion Red Traminer, which, besides beneficial minerals, also contained a high amount of toxic elements. On the contrary, common Red Traminer had one of the lowest concentrations of toxic compounds. The content of permitted lead levels was exceeded in a single case, namely in the Chardonnay kosher sample. For cadmium, no sample exceeded the allowed limit.

Phytomonitoring study on intra urban variations of leaves of some evergreen and deciduous trees

This study investigates the production of biochar from fresh wood shavings (B-WSF) and used wood shavings (B-WSU–animal litter) biomass through pyrolysis at 450 °C and explores its potential for NO2 adsorption at different temperatures from 22 °C to 250 °C. The biochars’ thermal stability, elemental composition, mineral content, textural properties, and surface chemistry were comprehensively analyzed using various techniques, including thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), ultimate analysis, proximate analysis, mineral composition analysis, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and NO2 adsorption experiments. The results indicate that biochars derived from WSF and WSU biomass possess high stability and exhibit significant changes in their elemental composition, surface functional groups, and textural properties compared to the raw biomass. The biochars demonstrated substantial NO2 adsorption capacities and reduction, with B-WSU biochar exhibiting higher adsorption capacity attributed to its higher specific surface area, mineral content, and functional groups. In addition, the results reveal distinct patterns in NO2 adsorption and NO release, with temperature playing a pivotal role in the process. At lower temperatures, NO2 adsorption on both biochars exhibits gradual increases, while higher temperatures facilitate immediate adsorption and subsequent reduction to NO. The adsorption of NO2 increased with increasing adsorption temperature, with B-WSU biochar achieving a maximum adsorption capacity of 43.54 mg/g at 250 °C, compared to 9.62 mg/g for B-WSF biochar. Moreover, XPS analysis revealed alterations in surface functional groups upon NO2 exposure, indicating enhanced surface oxidation and formation of nitrogen-containing species. In addition, differences in surface heterogeneity and mineral content influence NO2 adsorption behavior between the biochar samples. These findings highlight the potential of WSF biomass-derived biochar as an effective adsorbent for NO2 removal, offering insights into its application in air pollution mitigation strategies. The mechanism of NO2 adsorption involves chemisorption on oxygen-containing functional groups and physical adsorption, facilitated by the high specific surface area and pore volume of the biochar. Furthermore, the rich mineral content in B-WSU biochar explains its high adsorption capacity, demonstrating the potential for valorization of waste materials in the circular economy.

The objective of this paper was to investigate the Proximate Composition, Minerals Content and Probiotic Profile of Extraction by-product of Processed Shea Butter (Vitellaria paradoxa) pulp Juice obtained from Lapai Local Government Area, Niger State Nigeria using appropriate standard methods. Data obtained showed that the proximate analysis revealed significant levels of carbohydrates (11.5%), proteins (2.8%), total solids (15.2%), moisture (80.5%) and fat (0.8%). while mineral content indicated substantial amounts of potassium (442.5mg/100ml), sodium (15.1mg/100ml), iron (0.8mg/100ml), magnesium (58.2mg/100ml) and calcium (27.5mg/100ml). Additionally, the probiotic profile was assessed, identifying various beneficial bacteria strains, including Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, known for their roles in gut health and immune function. Lactobacillus plantarum (8.2×10^7 CFU/ml), Lactobacillus casei (5.5×10^6 CFU/ml), and Bifidobacterium bifidum (3.1×10^5 CFU/ml). The juice exhibited antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory properties. The findings suggest that processed Shea pulp juice could serve as a functional beverage, promoting health through its rich mineral content and probiotic properties. This research highlights the potentials of utilizing Shea pulp juice as sustainable source of nutrients, contributing to waste reduction in the Shea industry

Abstract: Background: The nutritional value, antinutritional properties, mineral and Vitamin content of six invasive Alien Plant species (IAPs) namely Ageratina adenophora, Ageratina riparia, Chromolaena odorata, Ocimum americanum, Bidens pilosa and Hyptis suaveolens which are used by the local inhabitants in Mizoram, India was analysed. Materials and Methods: The proximate composition, antinutritional contents, mineral and Vitamin content were investigated following standard analysis protocols. Tannins, saponins, oxalates, cyanogenic glycoside, and phytate were estimated to ascertain the antinutritional properties of the selected IAPs. Water soluble Vitamins were estimated by HPLC method and results were analysed utilising the Statistical Package SIGMAPLOT 14.5 (Systat Software Inc., USA). Results: Results revealed high protein (1.19-12.70%, dry plant material), carbohydrate (1.55-26.79%, dry plant material) and ash (6.93–12.14%) but low crude fat content (1.12–3.64%) in these IAPs. Highest Vitamin-C content was observed in A. adenophora (28.15 mg/ 100 g dry plant material). The oxalate content was maximum in A. riparia (0.29% ± 0.003%) and least in O. americanum (0.17% ± 0.002%); phytate content ranged from (0.06% ± 0.001%) in C. odorata to (0.11% ± 0.007%) in O. americanum. Tannin was detected highest in A. adenophora (3.82% ± 0.164%) and least in O. americanum (1.75% ± 0.024%). Highly invaded A. adenophora contained mineral in the following order Ca> Zn > K > Mg > Na > Fe > Mn > Cu. Conclusion: It can be concluded that these IAPs exhibited high nutritive value (high protein, carbohydrate content; micronutritional components Vitamin-C and minerals) of the examined plants. The study recommends these IAPs could potentially be used as a food or feed additive in Mizoram by locals for sustainable management of invasive plants. Keywords: Invasive alien plants, Antinutrients, Mizoram, Minerals content, Proximate composition, Vitamin.

Propolis is very significant in terms of its phytochemical content and biological activity among bee products. In this study, the antioxidant activities (total phenolic and flavonoid, Fe3+, Cu2+ (CUPRAC), Fe3+-TPTZ (FRAP) reducing, and DPPH•, ABTS•+ scavenging assays) of propolis collected from the Bitlis province of Türkiye were determined. In addition, the carbonic anhydrase I and II isoenzymes (hCA I and hCA II), α-glycosidase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) inhibition activity and phytochemical profile of propolis and mineral content were determined by LC-MS/MS and ICP-MS, respectively. In propolis, 31 phytochemicals were found, and the highest concentration of acacetin (23.604 mg/g) was detected. It is seen that the phytochemicals in propolis provide antioxidant properties. The mineral content was screened for 18 elements and determined to be rich in the elements that make up the salt content. Total phenolic content was 215.14 mg GAE/g, and total flavonoid content was 79.11 mg QE/g. The Fe3+ reduction result was 0.940 (µg/mL), CUPRAC 1.183 (µg/mL), FRAP 0.963 (µg/mL), DPPH• scavenging IC50: 16.7 (µg/mL), and ABTS IC50: 8.01 (µg/mL). hCA I enzyme inhibition results in IC50: 7.19 (µg/mL), hCA II 8.15, AChE 5.17, BChE 7.50, and α-Glycosidase 5.72. As a result of this study, it was determined that Bitlis propolis has high antioxidant properties and a rich phytochemical content. It was also observed that it is an effective enzyme inhibitor against epilepsy, glaucoma, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes, which are important diseases, and it can be evaluated in the treatment of these diseases and drug production.

Background. Some of the humanity’s problems in the 21st century are related to insufficient mineral nutrition according to the World Health Organization. The reason for this conclusion is not in the amount of mineral substances supplied with food, but in their bioavailability in the body. The problem of rabbit high-quality mineral nutrition is not solved during industrial maintenance. Research on the impact of organic compounds of trace elements on the human and animal body has intensified over the last decade. Studies show the effectiveness of the use of organic compounds of microelements with unique physiological properties to penetrate the cell and exert an activating effect on the course of biochemical reactions, which positively affects the whole organism. However, the physiological effect occurs under the condition of receiving and assimilation of organic compounds of trace elements in optimal amounts. Therefore, the main task of this research was to study the effect of the investigated doses of zinc citrate, which was fed in rabbits for 36 days after weaning to assess the change in the content of minerals in the tissues of their body. Materials and Methods. Studies were conducted on 16 rabbits that were close by clinical and visual indicators aged 40 days from birth, kept in a laboratory room of a research institution equipped with mesh industrial cages for rabbits. Rabbits of the control group were kept with free access to complete nutrient and mineral supplementation in feed and water. The animals were kept separately in cages and an appropriate amount of zinc citrate was added to the daily amount of water (100 mL) every day. Rabbits of this age drink an average of 100 mL of water per day. Rabbits of study groups I, II, and III used the same feeding as in the control, in addition, for 24 hours, zinc citrate was additionally used with water in the amount of: I – 0.25; II – 0.50; III – 0.75 mg Zn/kg of body weight. The comparative period was 10 days, the experimental period was 36 days. On day 36 of the study, animals of all groups were euthanized; their blood and tissues: liver, kidney, ribeye, spleen, and hair from the thigh area of rabbits were taken to determine the content of mineral elements using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Results. Feeding zinc citrate with water in the amount of 0.25 mg Zn/kg of body weight was marked by a probable increase in the content of Co and Cu (P &lt;0.05) in the blood. Administration of zinc citrate in the amount of 0.50 mg Zn/kg of body weight was characterized by a probable increase in Zn (P &lt;0.001), Co (P &lt;0.001), Fe (P &lt;0.05), Cu (P &lt;0.05) in the blood; the level of Z (P &lt;0.05), Cr (P &lt;0.05), Co (P &lt;0.01), Fe (P &lt;0.05), Cu (P &lt;0.01) in the liver; Fe (P &lt;0.05) and Cu (P &lt;0.05) in the spleen, Zn (P &lt;0.05) in muscle and hair compared to control. The use of zinc citrate at the rate of 0.75 mg Zn/kg of body weight induced the most probable changes: the content of Zn (P &lt;0.01) in the blood, liver (P &lt;0.05), spleen (P &lt;0.01), muscle (P &lt;0.05) and hair (P &lt;0.01), Cr in the liver (P &lt;0.05), Co in the blood (P &lt;0.01), liver (P &lt;0.01), spleen (P &lt;0.01), Fe (P &lt;0.01) and Cu (P &lt;0.05) in the blood, liver (P &lt;0.05–0.01), kidneys (P &lt;0.05–0.01), Fe in the spleen (P &lt;0.01) and muscle (P &lt;0.05) compared with the control group. Conclusions. Additional administration of zinc citrate (0.25 mg Zn/kg body weight) with water for 36 days was marked by the smallest changes in the studied mineral substances concentration of rabbits’ tissues, with the exception of an increase in the Co and Cu blood content. With an increase in the daily amount of zinc citrate (0.50 and 0.75 mg Zn/kg body weight), the concentration of Zn, Co, Fe, and Cu in the blood and liver tissue mainly increased, while less prominent changes were noted in the tissue of the spleen and kidneys compared to the control group. Macro- and microelements concentration changes may indicate a more pronounced effect of zinc citrate depending on the applied amount, in particular, a larger amount (0.75 mg Zn/kg body weight) induced the greatest probable increase in the studied microelements, with the exception of Mg and Mn in the rabbits’ body tissues.

The object of research is the black liquor of the alkaline pulping sample Paulownia Clone in Vitro 112® with active alkali consumption of 14, 18 and 22 % in Na2O units from the mass of completely dry raw materials. The problem solved in the work is related to the formation of waste in the form of black liquor during pulp production. It is noted that as a result of the production of 1 ton of cellulose, up to 7 tons of black liquor is formed. In the course of the work, an analysis of the total titrated and active alkalinity in the white and black liquor after cooking paulownia wood was carried out, and the pH value was determined. The dependence of the content of dry substances in black liquor on the consumption of active alkali, the duration of cooking, the presence of a catalyst, and the final temperature of the delignification process is given. The amount of organic and mineral components of dry substances of black liquor per 1 ton of air-dry fibrous semi-finished products was calculated. It was established that with an increase in temperature by 20 °C (from 150 to 170 °C) and a duration of approximately 1.5 times (from 60 to 90 min and from 90 to 150 min), with the same consumption of active alkali and the use of a catalyst in the conditions after sodium pulping, the content of dry substances in the black liquor increases by 1.5–3 %. This regularity is explained by the transition into the solution of a greater number of dissolution products of lignin, hemicelluloses, and mineral substances. Estimated values for the content of mineral and organic substances in black liquor after cooking paulownia wood for a duration of 150 min and a final temperature of 170 °C at different consumptions of active alkali and the use of catalysts in the form of anthraquinone and ethyl alcohol are within the range of 1024-1518 kg per 1 ton dry pulps of normal yield and can be used in practice. The obtained results can be used to form an assessment of the black liquor as an additional resource potential for the economy of production.

Cassava leaves’ consumption as vegetables are common in several Asian countries. They contain various nutrients, such as, anthocyanins, carotene, minerals, and vitamins. New varieties with high mineral contents in leaves need development to increase the leaves’ quality as vegetables. This study aimed to identify and characterize cassava genotypes of the MV10 generation resulting from gammaray- induced mutations based on the leaves' morphology, growth characteristics, and mineral contents, using two cultivars and 10 cassava genotypes. All genotypes planted in a randomized complete block design had three replications. The leaf's morphology and mineral contents underwent scrutiny on the third to fifth leaf below the apical shoot. The mineral content analysis used the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry method. Data analysis comprised the ANOVA test and descriptive analysis. This study revealed petiole length, leaf lobe length, and leaf lobe width were significantly different between genotypes at four months after planting (MAP). However, no meaningful difference showed for the plant height, stem diameter, and number of leaves among genotypes. In general, the leaf morphology consisted of purplish green apical leaves with present pubescence; the shape of the central leaflet is lanceolate; the petiole color is reddish to greenish; leaves are dark green with five to seven leaf lobes; leaf veins are reddish-green; smooth lobe margins; and horizontal petiole orientation. The genotypes affect mineral contents, as the genotype with the highest Mg contents was G6-2-15-5-3, and the one with the highest Zn contents was G2D1-422. Fe contents showed more variations between genotypes, and no genotype showed consistently high Fe contents. This research produced promising genotypes for Mg or Zn contents in leaves for future cassava varieties for vegetable production.