The world aquaculture industry shows a rapid increase in production recently. Depending on production methods, culture techniques and culture methods are also developing. With developing culture methods, decrease of water quality, increase of stress, decrease of food quality, increase bacterial, viral or parasite infections can suppress on growth. Lately the use of alternative materials such as prebiotics widespread to improve the health of the fish. A prebiotic is a non-digestible food ingredient that beneficially affects the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or the activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon. In this review, the importance and potential effects of some prebiotics are emphasized in aquaculture.

In Libya especially in Benghazi, Zummita is a traditional Libyan food consisting of 85% whole barley flour and is commonly consumed as a breakfast meal, and. Due to an increase in Type 2 diabetes and a lack of information on the effects of Zummita consumption on glycemic response, this study was performed to determine the glycemic index (GI) of Zummita. Fasted healthy subjects (6 males and 6 females) volunteered to consume either glucose or Zummita. The blood glucose concentrations were analyzed using capillary blood samples immediately before, 30, 60, 90 and 120 min after glucose or Zummita consumption. The GI value of Zummita was calculated by expressing the incremental area under the blood glucose response curve (IAUC) value for Zummita as a percentage of each subject’s average IAUC value for the glucose. The GI value of Zummita was found as 46.90 ± 7.56. This result indicates that Zummita should be classified as low GI food. More importantly, our result provides the GI value of a Libyan traditional food which was not determined previously. This valuable information will be significant for management and the prevention of diabetes mellitus in Libya and other countries having similar food tradition.

Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) is known as phenylthiourea and it is an organic compound that has the phenyl ring. Ability to perceive the tastes of PTC chemical is related to the dominance of taste genes. There are a large number of population studies regarding the PTC taste perception and different personal characteristics or disease conditions. The purpose of this study is to reveal and compare the relation between the PTC taste perception and work-out habits, smoking, alcohol consumption and tendency to the depression of people. A total of 2500 adults were volunteered to be included in this study. PTC taste perception was measured by tasting with PTC solution (10 mg/L) filtered in a paper. It showed that tasters were significantly more frequent (81.8%) than nontasters (18.2%) in all population. And in some parameters analyzed in this study, there are significant differences. The taste genetics show up with environmental factors and create the sense of taste, which develops the feeding behaviors. The taste perception resulting from food and beverages diversifies by genetic and environmental effects and the nervous system interprets this perception. This study is enlightening in terms of presenting that the taste perception of people affects their lifestyles and lead them to start and either continue or discontinue some habits.

Modelling is carried out for eleven major weeds in cucumber to develop estimated models for weed emergence time. Weed species were grouped according to their emergence patterns. Amaranthus retroflexus, Chenopodium album, Heliotropium europaeum, Polygonum aviculare and Solanum nigrum were early emerging, Convolvulus arvensis, Cyperus rotundus, Cynodon dactylon, Portulaca oleracea and Sorghum halepense were season long emerging Tribulus terrestris was the late emerging weed species. Different non-linear growth curves (Chapman-Richard, Weibull, logistic, Gompertz and cubic spline) fitted to the data of cumulative percent emergence for the different species and years. Cubic spline seemed the best model for many species.

In year 2013, onsite seasonal measurements have been carried out in 4 different points of Birecik Reservoir, and water samples have been taken from surface and different depths. Physical and chemical parameters have been investigated in taken water samples. The result of analysis were obtained in the following range pH (6.98-9), temperature (9.9-26 °C), electrical conductivity (275-373 µs/cm), sodium ( 19.93-22.06 mg/L), potassium (1.-2.2 mg/L), chloride/11.68-21.4, hardness (179-210 mg/L), calcium (41.66-52.9 mg/L), magnesium ((17-18.35 mg/L), sulphate (27.92-43.48 mg/L), dissolved oxygen (7.92-8.83 mg/L), chemical oxygen (0.25-8.70 mg/L), nitrate (0.62-2.48 mg/L), nitrate (0.001-0.008), ammonium (0.01-0.07), phosphate (0.001-0.031 mg/L). The samples were compared with standard values recommended by world health (WHO). The study finalize that Birecik reservoir which was declared to be a threat to the water quality should be arrested at denitrification and nutrient control to halt the degradation of the water.

Cultivation of field crops is a challenge and risky business in sloping areas. A study was conducted as a demonstration model for the sloppy lands of Fateh Jang, Pakistan. The objectives of this study were to monitor the runoff water and soil sediment loss under different vegetative covers and slope gradients in comparison with bare fallow on each slope gradient. Three artificial slope gradients i.e., 1%, 5% and 10% were established and three crops i.e., Wheat, Gram and Lentil were cultivated on each slope gradient. Soil and water losses were quantified against each slope gradient and every cover crop for the period of 4 years. Total soil sediment losses during this study were 51% in Lentil, 30% in Gram and 25% in Wheat were lesser compared with bare soil whereas, water losses from Lentil, Gram and Wheat were 69%, 75% and 73% lesser respectively while compared with bare plots. The highest soil and water losses were monitored at 10% slope gradient following 5% and then 1% slope gradients respectively.

The protective effects of ‘ofada’ rice koji (ORK, fermented ofada rice) and ascorbic acid (AA) against lead (Pb)-induced toxicity in the blood, liver and kidney tissues of male Wistar rats was investigated. The animals were divided into four treatment groups (A – D, n = 5). Groups B, C and D were intoxified by intra-peritoneal injection of 75 mg lead acetate/kg body weight. Groups C and D only had their feed mixed with ORK and AA, respectively. The results showed no significant difference in % packed cell volume (PCV) and Pb concentrations. Feeding with ORK and AA significantly decreased alanine aminotransferase activities (36.50 ± 3.54 and 34.02 ± 0.05 UL-1 respectively) compared to Pb-only treated group (85.50 ± 3.25 UL-1). The ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) for organs increased significantly following intake of feeds mixed with ORK and AA; increases in FRAP was higher for ORK-treated group possibly due to increased total flavonoids concentration following fermentation. Furthermore, Pb-induced high plasma creatinine levels decreased upon treatment with feeds mixed with ORK and ascorbic acid. These findings strongly indicated that feed supplementation with ORK by 45% may be more effective at ameliorating the effects of Pb-induced toxicity in tissues compared to supplementation with AA by 2%.

In this study, examined the economic analysis of fruit sapling producing enterprises in Hatay Province. The data were obtained from 92 enterprises by the method of full count and face to face with producers. Enterprises were classified as three groups according to the production capacity of fruit sapling trees. First group (1 to 50.000 number sapling), second groups (50.001 to 100.000 number sapling) and third group (more than 100.000 number sapling).The average gross production value is 590.083 TL in enterprises and fruit sapling sales account for 75.38% of the gross production value in enterprises. Gross output, net profit and agricultural income are calculated as 593.108 TL, 365.200 TL and 411.980 TL. In addition to the average fixed costs and variable costs are found as 80.828 TL and 109.842 TL in enterprises respectively. Also, the cost of per sapling and selling price of saplings were calculated as 1.87 TL and 3.36 TL. As a result, net margin is higher in III. group enterprises which have more production capacity than the others.

Aflatoxins are the potential carcinogens produced as secondary metabolites by Aspergillus flavus. They have the ability to contaminate large number of food which ultimately affect the human population. Malt extract agar was selected for the growth of control stains of fungus. The aim of the study was to develop a reliable and quick method for the detection of aflatoxin producing strains in peanuts by using molecular approaches. Total 80 samples of infected peanuts were collected from four different cities of Punjab and checked for their aflatoxin contamination. For aflatoxin detection, three target genes nor1, ver1 and aflR were selected which was involved in the aflatoxin biosynthesis. In all examined cases, 24 out of 80 (30%) samples successfully amplified all three genes indicating aflatoxigenic activity. Discrimination between aflatoxigenic and non-aflatoxigenic strains were also determined on the basis of amplification of these three target DNA fragments. In this study, it was also demonstrated that only specific strains were able to produce the aflatoxin contamination in peanuts.

Fermentation is the oldest traditional method in order to protect against spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Thermal treatment, pH and water activity lowering and preservative addition other food preservation techniques that are commonly used. Although, as preservatives, many improved antibiotic and chemical agents have been gained, there are some other factors such as rapid resistance to antibiotics used in bacteria, in order to limit their use in food, to be found dimensions of threatening human health of the chemical protection and to cause allergic reactions. Recently, studies on bacteriocins that are produced by the safe bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria, contain no toxic and adverse effects for human consumption have gained sudden intensity in accordance with the request against consumers in developing microbiologically safe and minimal processed food. There are some important effects using of bacteriocins accepted the new generation of antimicrobial agents as food preservatives such as extension of shelf life, reducing of the use of chemical preservatives and the economic loss caused degradation by microorganisms. Nisin, defined as GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by FDA and named the E234 code 'Nisin-protective' or 'natural protective' located in the food additives list, first used in 1988 as a natural preservative by prohibiting of antibiotics using in food in the US. Nowadays in more than 50 countries, there have been more successful implementation of the nisin protected up the food from milk and dairy products to canned foods many food products