The dietary fibre is edible parts of plants' carbohydrates that are resistant to digestion in human small intestine. Diets naturally rich in dietary fibre support to prevent constipation, improve gastrointestinal health, glucose tolerance and the insulin response, and reduce the risk of colon cancer, hyperlipidemia, hypertension and other coronary heart disease risk factors. About 45% of the dietary fibre intake comes from grains and grain mixtures. In Latvia, there are neither data, nor investigations of the dietary fibre content in grain products during processing and in the end products in which manufacturers and consumers are interested. The aim of this paper was an approval of dietary fibre determination methodology by using analytical equipment the Full option science system (FOS) Analytical Fibertec E 1023. The dietary fibre determination experiments were carried out in the Research Laboratory of the Department of Food Technology at the Latvia University of Agriculture in 2009. The Total Dietary Fibre (TDF) content was analyzed in the samples of rye whole grain flour, rye whole grain bread, and wheat biscuit. Experiments showed that the fibre content in rye whole grain flour is 13.8 g 100 gE-1, in rye whole grain bread - 11.6 g 100 gE-1, and in the wheat biscuit - 1.9 g 100 gE-1. Reached data are comparable with results of other researchers' data.

There are different methods of egg yolk oil extraction, but still solvent extraction is commonly used. Due to the high cost of egg yolk powder production, extraction of lipids from liquid egg yolk remains very topical. Crude egg yolk oil obtained by solvent extraction from liquid egg yolk contains high amount of water which can decrease shelf life of egg oil promoting lipid oxidation. High concentration of residual solvents limits the usage of egg oil in food or in cosmetics due to the health risks. The aim of this study is to purify egg yolk oil obtained by solvent extraction from liquid egg yolk. Results show that it is possible to decrease the water content in egg oil from 14.26 ± 1.29% to 0.88 ± 0.13% by eliminating lecithin from egg oil. Solvent evaporation in the rotary film evaporator under the vacuum cannot remove solvents completely from the extract, but nitrogen streaming through the extract as a last step in evaporation process removes solvent residues, leaving behind high quality egg yolk oil suitable for food application.

Nowadays excessively used corticosteroids in veterinary medicine induce steroid hepatopathy in dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). The objective of this study was to determine the possibility of the hepatoprotectants to decrease the corticosteroid-induced alteration in such dogs’ blood serum enzymes as alaninaminotransferase (ALAT), gammaglutamyltranferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (AP) and corticosteroid-induced thermostable alkaline phosphatase (cAP). The study took place in private veterinary clinics in Riga, Latvia, during 2013, with the permission of dogs’ owners. Twenty eight animals, which received corticosteroids due to present diagnosis, were divided into two groups. In the first group long-lasting corticosteroid methylprednisolone acetate injection was used once, while in the second group the hepatoprotectants were used after the injection of corticosteroids. It was discovered that after 14 and after 30 days of hepatoprotectants use, blood enzymes were significantly lower (p is less than 0.05) than in dogs that did not receive hepatoprotectants. In both groups the enzyme values did not reach the reference limits. The study is set to investigate further if and when the values reach the reference limits.

Bioethanol can be used for food production and to partially replace fossil fuel. Bioethanol is mainly produced from renewable biomass that contains sugars, starch or lignocellulose. The main raw materials for production of bioethanol are cereals, maize (Zea mays), sugarbeets (Beta vulgaris sacccharifera) and other plant species. During the trial that took place in State Stende Cereals Breeding Institute during a three year period (from 2009/2010 to 2011/2012) we examined the suitability of grain from winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), triticale (×Triticosecale Wittm) and rye (Secale cereale L.) for the production of bioethanol. Three varieties of each species were used in the trial. During the trial period the grain yield, the ethanol outcome (L tE-1) and the ethanol yield (L haE-1) were determined. It was established that during three years wheat and triticale provided the highest starch content (more than 700 g kgE-1) of the grain as well as the highest ethanol outcome (L tE-1). These species provided both high grain yield (more than 9 t haE-1 on average) and the highest ethanol yield (3300 – 4665 L haE-1). The choice of variety was also important as both the grain starch content and the grain yield depend on the genotype of the variety.

Plants are components of ecosystem that transfer elements from abiotic to biotic environments. Several elements, such as As, Cd, Hg, Pb, can be considered as food chain contaminants. Simultaneously, some essential micronutrients (e.g., Cu, Cr, Ni, Zn) at high concentrations may become toxic to both, plants and animals. To secure the aim to describe the uptake of metals by food crop species such vegetables, as radish Raphanus sativus L., leafy lettuce Lactuca sativa L. and dill Anethum graveolens L., were grown in soils of various grading composition and type. There were five soil types selected. A part of soils was contaminated with copper sulphate solution at different target concentrations, while another part was contaminated with mixture of metal (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn) compounds. In half of treated soil samples the solution of humic substances was added. Harvested vegetables were dried, and after wet digestion with nitric acid quantitative analysis of metal concentrations was performed by use of atomic absorption spectrometry. The highest concentration of copper was detected in vegetable samples grown in soils with less organics, thereby indicating the importance of soil organic matter to metal transfer routes and accumulation rates in plants. Analysis of lettuce grown in soils contaminated with the mixture of metal compounds revealed that zinc was a metal absorbed more intensively, but metal uptake and accumulation was less intensive from peat if compared with other soils.

Growing interest of consumers in healthy eating has provided the development of new range of food. Therefore the task of research was to determine the nutritional value, calculate energy value and investigate the sensory properties of yoghurt samples enriched with flakes from biologically activated hull-less barley grains and malt extract. Results showed that by adding flakes from biologically activated hull-less barley grain and malt extract it was possible to improve the nutritional value of yoghurt, i.e., increased protein, carbohydrate and decreased fat content. The energy value of yoghurt samples enriched with flakes from biologically activated hull-less barley grain and malt extract ranged between 65.96 and 75.72 kcal 100 gE-1, which is significantly lower comparing with mean energy value of commercial yoghurts. The changes of sensory properties were affected by the amount of added malt extract in yoghurt samples. The optimal amount of added malt extract for sensory evaluation in yoghurt samples was determined as 2%. The content of carbohydrate in yoghurt sample enriched with 5% of biologically activated hull-less barley grain and 2% of malt extract was two times lower than commercial yoghurts therefore its energy value was significantly lower. Yoghurt enriched with flakes from biologically activated hull-less barley grain and malt extract could be competitive.

This article presents data on veterinary and sanitary evaluation of cows’ (Bovis) meat infected by leptospirosis. The material for the study was a sample of muscle tissue of m. longissimus dorsi taken at slaughter of 10 cows (Bovis) kept on farms in Almaty region. The following parameters have been examined in muscle tissue: water, protein, fat, ash, amino acid composition. Besides the biochemical studies we also measured pH of meat, put the reaction of neutral formalin (Formalin test) and determined the biological value of meat. It was determined that physical and chemical characteristics of sick animal meat have significant deviations from the norm. Such meat rapidly accumulates products of protein decay. The amount of essential and nonessential amino acids decreases, which indicates low nutritional value of meat. Meat of cattle infected by leptospirosis concedes by nutritional and biological value comparing to meat of healthy animals.

The aim of the study was to determine and compare calcium and phosphorus content in pedal mass, visceral mass and shell of wild and bred trial groups’ snails (Helix pomatia). The trial was performed from May to September of 2011 at the Roman Snail Research Facility of the Research Institute of Biotechnology and Veterinary Medicine „Sigra”, of Latvia University of Agriculture (LLU). Snails were divided in 4 trial groups depending on the diets. Samples were collected from the local natural population of snails and experimental breeding farm in spring (May), summer (July) and autumn (September). Significant differences (p is less than 0.05) were found between the levels of the calcium and phosphorus content in the edible part (pedal mass) and visceral mass in wild snails and experimental trial groups.

The paper overviews the research material related to occurrence of sinkholes and change of their water quality in the conditions of increasingly natural environment and minimal anthropogenic impact. Sinkholes create favourable conditions for interaction of surface and groundwater. Identification of possible sources of sinkholes pollution is very important in solution of groundwater safety problems. Water quality investigations are carried out in 4 sinkholes, which are of different age and have differently overgrown slopes. Sinkhole water quality may worsen due to accumulation of organic materials (increasing peat content) or natural changes of environment (abrasion of slopes, overgrowth, etc.), while anthropogenic impact is minimal. Water quality in peat-filled sinkholes and young sinkholes with mineral slopes is different. Water of peat-filled sinkholes has bigger amounts of N-NO3, PTotal, SO4 and BOD7 than water in young sinkholes. The highest N-NO3 and SO4 concentration is observed in the sinkhole that is overgrown with trees and shrubs.

The investigations were carried out during the period 2006-2011 in the land of the Water resources management institute of ASU, in the village of Lipliūnai on Endocalcari Endohypogleyic Cambisol (CMg-n-w-can). The base of investigations is 3 drainage systems, which contain cereals differing in fertilization and grass crop rotations. The aim of investigations is to determine the crop rotations differing in fertilization and these relations with cycles of phosphorus in agroecosystem. Higher productive was perennial grass crop rotation. In the conditions of cereal crop rotations this productive was 3-46% lesser. The highest concentration of P-PO4 3- in drainage water was received in the conditions of higher fertilization cereals crop rotation while highest concentration of total P was in the conditions of grass crop rotation. The concentration of P-PO4 3- in drainage water essentially depends on amount of mobile P2 O5 in soil, fertilization, productivity of field crops, drainage runoff as well as cumulative balance of P. The highest leaching of P-PO4 3- and total P by drainage was received under the conditions of higher fertilization cereals crop rotation. The leaching of P-PO4 3- essentially depends on fertilization, drainage runoff as well as cumulative and yearly balance of P. The application of all crop rotations was distinguished by positive P balance.