Mushrooms contain a variety of secondary metabolites, including various phenolic compounds, which have been shown to act as excellent antioxidants. In this study, the contents of total phenolic, flavonoids and tannins of mushrooms methanolic extracts were evaluated by colorimetric assays to ranges of 277.36±0.66 to 420.86±0.90 mg (GAE)/100g DW; 31.99±0.90 to 90.90±0.07mg (QE)/100g DW and 150.61±0.16 to 220.47±1.01mg (TAE)/100g DW respectively. HPLC-profiles of methanolic extracts indicated that the individual phenolic compounds found to the samples of the species of mushrooms that are Lentinus squarrosulus and Auricularia politrich revealed us that gallic acid, catechin, acid ρ-hydroxybenzoїc, acid ellagique and naringerin were presented to the level of the two species. With respect to organic acids, the results showed that citric acid and fumaric acid was the major organic acid in all the samples of both mushrooms species. The methanolic extracts of the two mushrooms exhibited the high DPPH radical scavenging activities ranging from 34.10±1.12 to 58.95±0.52%. These data indicated that these mushrooms could constitute a potential good source of natural antioxidant for the local population.

This study established an efficient in vitro callus formation and plant regeneration protocol for a prevıously reported Cu accumulator, Brassica nigra, black mustard collected from Diyarbakir (Station site). Node explants from 10-day old mature plants were used for callus formation and shoot regeneration. The highest callus formation frequency (100%) was observed on Murasige Skoog (MS) medium containing 0.1 mg/L Benzylaminopurine (BAP) + 0.5 mg/L Naphthylacetic acid (NAA) (MS 2), 0.6 mg/L BAP + 0.2 mg/L NAA (MS 7), the highest shoot regeneration frequency (100%) was achieved on MS medium containing 0.6 mg/L BAP + 0.05 mg/L Indole butyric acid (IBA) (MS 8), 0.2 mg/L IBA + 0.2 mg/L NAA (MS 10) and the highest number of shoots per explant (3,25) was obtained on MS medium supplemented 0.6 mg/L BAP + 0.05 mg/L IBA (MS 8). After root, stem, and leaf formation from explants in MS medium, these plants were transferred to soil and grown in the plant growth room for one month. A dependable and effective shoot regeneration procedure was developed, laying the groundwork for genetic transformation in Brassica nigra.

The study examined the constraints of access to the use of agricultural insurance schemes (AIS) by small-scale farmers in Kogi State, Nigeria. Sustainable agricultural enterprise in most developing countries like Nigeria can be achieved through adequate financing especially in the area of agricultural insurance. Despite the existence of insurance services by the Nigerian Agricultural Insurance Corporation and other private firms in Nigeria, there has been a low level of participation of farmers buying insurance premium; thus, there is a need to examine the hindrances in accessing the scheme. The specific objectives were to describe the socio-economics characteristic of small- scale farmers, examine the types of agricultural insurance and evaluate the constraints in accessing AIS in the study area. Primary data were collected from 150 farmers with the aid of a well-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results showed that farmers in the study area were dominated by the married (68%), literates (81.33) and males (73.33%) with the mean age and farming experience of 47 and 19 years respectively. Crop insurance (56%) and farm implement insurance (46%) were the major types of agricultural insurance used by the farmers. Rigorous procedures in claim settlement (3.266), poor government attention (3.106) poor repayment (3.080) and non-coverage of all the crops (3.093) were among the major challenges in accessing AIS) in the study area. The study recommended that the government through the ministry of Agriculture or Bank of Agriculture should eliminate the bureaucratic processes and bottlenecks encountered by the farmers in accessing AIS.

In this study aimed to determine the effect of ultrasound and microwave assisted extraction on fatty acids yield. Fatty acid components of Tamarindus Indica (T. Indica) seed were determined using ultrasound assisted microwave extraction method. T. Indica is cultivated in the tropics and in Egypt and India. Its fruits are 12-15 cm long, brown and leguminous. In addition to its positive effects on the digestive system, it is an excellent source of vitamin C and a rich antioxidant. It has also been proven beneficial in keeping blood sugar balanced. Fatty acid components were determined by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS) method. In addition, the effects of the solvent on the fatty acid yield were investigated. When the results of the analysis were examined, the highest yield was obtained when ethyl alcohol and methyl alcohol were used as solvents. Another important solvent is acetone. The least product was achieved when hexane was used as solvent. Linoleic acid and arachidic acid were detected in each type of solvent used. Capric acid, ligroseric acid and nervotic acid, which are important fatty acids, are detected only in methyl alcohol extraction. The ultrasound assisted microwave extraction method was found to be much faster than the traditional Soxhlet extraction method.

Biyoteknolojik yöntemlerle canlıların gen dizilimlerinin değiştirilip, mevcut özelliklerinin geliştirilmesi ve/veya yeni özellikler kazandırılması ile elde edilen organizmalara genetiği değiştirilmiş organizma (GDO) denilmektedir. Bebeklerin yaşamlarının ilk ayları boyunca tükettikleri bebek sütleri ve bebek devam sütleri de türevlerine göre soya, mısır, pirinç gibi ürünleri içerebilmektedir. Dünya’da yoğun olarak genetiği değiştirilmiş organizma sınıfında üretilen bu bileşenleri içeren bebek formüllerinde de GDO taraması yapılması gerektiği düşünülmüştür. Bu çalışmada, 2011 yılında Türkiye’de piyasaya sürülen bebek sütlerinde ve bebek devam sütlerinde, kül, % rutubet, toplam yağ, karbonhidrat, protein analizleri ve real time PCR yöntemi ile GDO taraması yapılmıştır. GDO taraması sonucunda p35S, tNOS ve pFMV izgenlerini içeren ürüne rastlanmamıştır.

Probiotic yoghurt with fruit was produced to enrich the intestinal flora of infants and to prevent various ailments in infants when the flora is inadequate. Peach, apple and pear purees (10% and 20% each), cow milk, milk powder, starter culture (combination of Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus paracasei) were used in the production of probiotic yogurt for babies. Some properties of yoghurt samples were investigated during fermentation and on the 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st days of storage. After ten hours of fermentation, the lowest pH was observed in samples with apple puree. It has been determined that syneresis increases with increasing concentrations of fruit purees. The water holding capacity was less in yoghurts containing fruit puree compared to control yoghurt and in 20% fruit puree compared to yoghurts containing 10% fruit puree. The number of L. bulgaricus generally increased in all samples during storage. It was determined that the number of S. thermophilus in control sample was higher than other samples during storage. The number of L. paracasei and Bifidobacterium spp. decreased during storage. While the control sample remained probiotic until the 14th day of storage, other samples lost its probiotic properties before the 7th day of storage. Considering that the number of probiotic microorganisms in a probiotic product should be at least 106-107 CFU/g according to FAO, it has been decided that the most suitable fruits for probiotic yogurt with fruit puree are peach and apple, respectively. Considering the structural features, it is more appropriate to use 10% fruit puree, and considering the probiotic feature, it is more appropriate to use 20% fruit puree. Choosing the appropriate packaging and fixing suitable storage conditions will help probiotic microorganisms to preserve their vitality for a long time.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of zinc on the productive performances, carcass yield and blood profiles of broilers. Experiment was done for a period of 35 days with a number of 60, day old broiler chicks. Birds were divided into four dietary treatment groups with 3 replications each having 5 birds per replication. The dietary treatment groups were; T0 (basal diet; no zinc), T1 (basal diet + 50 mg zinc/kg feed), T2 (basal diet + 100 mg zinc/kg feed), T3 (basal diet + 150 mg zinc/kg feed). Results revealed that body weight and body weight gain were significantly increased in the zinc supplemented group compared to the control group. Higher feed intake and better FE were also observed in the zinc supplemented group than the control group and the best performance was observed in the group fed 150mg zinc/kg feed (T3). Carcass yield was significantly higher in the groups fed dietary zinc. Net profit was slightly higher in the T3 group but not significantly (P.0.05) differed with the control group. However, T1 and T2 showed less profit even than the control group. Blood profile of the experimental birds including Hb, PCV, and ESR did not significantly differ among the groups. The results indicate that the addition of zinc in the broiler diet improves productive performances, carcass yield and increases net profit without affecting the health status of broiler. So, zinc can be used as an effective and useful micronutrient to improve the performances of broiler.

In the present study, the seaweeds belong to Phaeophyaceae (Cystoseira elegans Sauvageau 1912, Cystoseira amentacea (C.Agardh) Bory 1832, Padina crassa Yamada 1931) and Florideophyceae (Corallina elongata J.Ellis & Solander 1786) collected from nearby Iskenderun-Turkey of Mediterranean Sea were detected for their antimicrobial activities against seven bacterial strains (Escherichia coli ATCC 35218, Bacillus cereus NRRL B-371, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27853, Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC 13883, Salmonella typhimurium ATCC 14028, Proteus vulgaris RSKK 96029). The antimicrobial activities were expressed as minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBCs). According to the results obtained from MICs and MBCs values of the extracts on pathogenic microorganisms were between 0.78 to 50 mg/mL. The lowest MICs and MBCs values were recorded for C. elegans extract against B. cereus with a MIC value of 0.78 mg/mL. These results suggest that secondary metabolites of brown and red algae are important sources that could be used as broad spectrum of biological and pharmaceutical activities.

Direct Seeded Rice (DSR) is an alternative cultivation technique to the conventional Transplanted Rice (TPR). In this method, seeds are directly sown to the field without the necessity of nursery raising and transplanting. DSR can generally be divided into dry-DSR (sowing dry seeds in dry soil), wet-DSR (sowing pre-germinated seeds in moist soil) and water-seeding (sowing dry or pre-germinated seeds in standing water). This helps in saving water alongside the labour and results in early harvest due to quick crop establishment. DSR is proved to be sustainable and eco-friendly since it emits less methane than in TPR. However, there are few constraints associated with DSR such as weed infestation, crop lodging and nutrient loss. If these major issues are fixed, DSR can result in greater economic returns as compared to TPR. In absence of puddling, the soil structure can be maintained which leads to greater yields of succeeding crops. This technique has been successfully practiced in many countries like Srilanka, Malaysia and USA. In developing nations like Nepal, irrigation and labour constraints can be tackled by adopting direct-seeding for rice cultivation.

The objective of this study was to develop mathematical functions to predict deflection for radial and bias tires. In order to develop the models, the data were obtained from the tire manufacturing companies and organized in Excel first and then transferred to Minitab® for stepwise regression analysis. The variables considered in the study were inflation pressure, load and tire width and overall diameter. Tire width (w) and overall diameter (d) was considered in a multiplication form. The tire deflection models in two different form (linear and non-linear) were developed for both, radial and bias tires. The model selection was achieved by three different criteria and % differences between the measured and predicted data. Based on the results of applying model selection criteria, the models for radial and bias tire in non-linear form were found to be adequate for predicting the tire deflection. The results from the stepwise analysis indicated that the load on tire was the predominant variable in the models and made the highest contribution to the prediction functions. The developed models were verified against to published literature data and found a good agreement.