A total amount of 90 pig tonsil samples were investigated to detect presence of Y.enterocolitica 4/O:3. Samples were collected in two large-scale Latvian slaughterhouses from five pig herds during February and March, 2006. Samples were investigated with direct plating onto selective CIN agar plates according to ISO 10273 method, with subsequent cold enrichment for 2 weeks at 4 deg C in accordance with NMKL 117 method. Y.enterocolitica positive isolates were investigated for pyrazinamidase and lipase activity, indole production and salicine, xylose, trehalose fermentation. Slide agglutination reaction with commercial antisera O:3 was carried out for detection of Y.enterocolitica sevovars. Pathogen was isolated from all five herds with 30% mean prevalence. Incidence of Y.enterocolitica 4/O:3 depending on herd varied from 20 to 45%. High incidence of Y.enterocolitica in pig tonsils indicates that animals are important reservoir of this pathogen in Latvia. Further studies about incidence of Y.enterocolitica pathogenic bioserotypes in pig population and contamination pattern with pathogen in slaughterhouses are needed.

Sterigmatocystin is a mycotoxin produced by fungi of many Aspergillus species and it is a biogenic precursor of aflatoxin B1. For analysis of various mycotoxins to clean up sample extracts, mainly solid phase extraction (SPE) is used. An elution of sterigmatocystin from Strata X and Strata C18 SPE columns by different acetonitrile-water and methanole-water solutions were checked in this paper. Acquired results showed a possible suitability of both columns for the analysis of sterigmatocystin.

The dynamic of rapeseed oil oxidizing processes under the influence of light in brown glass, colourless glass, and colourless PET bottles during storage at 18+-2 deg C were investigated. The changes in A and E vitamins content in rapeseed oil packed in colourless PET packaging materials were determined after 4 months storage at 18+-2 deg C at daylight. The connection between different packaging materials' transparency and oxidizing of oil were observed.

The role of Bifidobacterium lactis and the effect of the addition of inulin and lactulose on the viscosity of a functional fermented milk product have been investigated. The effect of chosen starter and prebiotics on the properties of the functional fermented milk was significant for the apparent viscosity. Generally the viscosity of analyzed products was lower than the viscosity of classical fermented milk products, such as yoghurt, kefir or others. The viscosity was strongly affected by the content of total solids of the analyzed products: with an increase in the total solids there was increase in the viscosity. Among analyzed fermented milk samples, sample with 5% of lactulose had the highest viscosity. In general, inulin did not seem to have an effect on the viscosity of the analyzed product samples compared with the control sample. Bifidobacterium lactis has a weak proteolytic activity; therefore the structure and consistency of functional fermented milk product were characterized as weak, too. It is known that inulin is not only dietary fibre or prebiotic, it has the functions of food additives, too. Inulin is added to food formulations to modify products' texture or viscosity and sweetness of products. Comparison of the obtained results shows that the viscosity of the functional fermented milk product with various concentrations of lactulose or inulin is different. This suggests that the role of inulin in a food matrix is bi-functional. Inulin does not increase the viscosity of a milk product but gives a richer texture to liquid products and spreads.

Meat is muscle tissue from animals. It is a good source of protein. The meat of various species also is good source for micronutrients and vitamins. Ostrich meat differs from the meat of other animals. It is no fat; it is lean and easily separated from bones and connective tissue. It is more digestible compared to other types of meat, soft and does not require long culinary treatment. Although it can be compared with beef due to its red colour and taste, ostrich meat is as tender as chicken meat, and is characterized by short muscle fibre. The objective of study was to determine the A, E, B1, B2 and B5 vitamins content in ostrich meat and compare it with beef and chicken produced in Latvia and available at retail. All vitamins are determined by standard methods according to AOAC Official Standard Methods: vitamin A - 974.29, vitamin E - 971.30, vitamin B1- 986.27, vitamin B2 - 970.25, and vitamin B5 - 961.14. The obtained results showed that ostrich meat contains significant quantities of vitamins B1, B2 and B5. The highest content in ostrich meat was calculated for B5 (11.45 mg 100gE-1) and the lowest - for B2 (0.098 mg 100gE-1). Ostrich meat contains more than 18 % of vitamins B1 and B2 and more than 7.5 % of B5 compared with beef, and more than 30 % of vitamins B1 and B2 and more than 27 % of B5 compared with chicken. The content of vitamin E is highest in ostrich meat then follows chicken and beef. Regarding vitamin A, ostrich meat has only traces of it.

The presented study aimed to explore the relationships between different indices of ambient ozone (O3) and tree defoliation, radial increment, and specific diversity and abundance of soil micro-arthropods, stream macro-invertebrates, small mammals (mainly rodents) in order to test the hypothesis that changes in the considered objects of forest ecosystem could be related to changes in ambient ozone concentration. The observations have been carried out on 3 integrated monitoring stations located in Aukstaitija (LT-01), Dzukija (LT-02) National Parks (NPs) since 1994, and Zemaitija (LT-03) NP since 1995. The obtained data revealed that only peak ozone concentrations (from 125 to 215 mug mE-3) had significant effect on changes in the considered components of forest biota. Radial increment and crown defoliation of Scots pine, a little lower the diversity of soil microarthropods, and the least diversity of small mammals were found to be the most sensitive to ozone exposure.

Main factors raised interest about biomass as the source of energy increase renewable resource demand in the context of Green house gases emissions decrease and the problem of environmentally friendly and efficient waste utilization. Legislation of waste water sewage sludge use is becoming stricter now. After cutting away top peat layer of peat quarry, the owners have two alternatives: the first, to flood the fields and transform them into bogs, the second, to carry out some economic activities - one of which must be field afforestation with traditional or fast growing tree species. Before planting trees it is necessary to fertilize the fields, and waste water sewage sludge will be one of potential fertilizers. Aims of research were to determine the impact of waste water sewage sludge fertilization 10 t haE-1 on tree growth and soil properties. Concentration changes of N, P, K, and Ca, Mg in different depth and concentration of S and total C and heavy metal in soil top layer during the year 2006 were determined. The effect of fertilization on tree growth and stock was determined by the non-destructive method, data were calculated by height and root core diameter of trees. Fertilization stimulates tree growth as weed growth too. On peat areas observed soil acidity decreasing. Despite of sufficient amount of nutrients willows were not suitable for peat fields. To avoid increasing of heavy metals content in soils, only qualitative waste water sewage sludge or waste water sewage sludge composts is acceptable for fertilization.

The most urgent environmental problem in cultivated land areas of Lithuanian karst region is the protection of subsurface water from technogenic pollution. In terms of subsurface water pollution, the ambience of sinkholes is considered to be particularly dangerous. The work was carried out in 2004-2006 in the district of Birzai. Having analyzed the regime of sinkhole water formed in the vicinity of sinkholes as well as the regime of ground water of their vicinity it was determined that this regime is different in respect of the local hydrogeological conditions. A common regularity was observed: during the snow thaw period and rainy period sinkholes are fed with water from ambient soil and with shallow ground water, during the dry period water accumulated in peat of the failures of sinkholes flows into the ambience, and during the particularly dry periods subsurface water abates in sinkholes and they start draining the ground water very intensively. Analyzing the interrelations of water quality indices it was determined that in most cases the quality of ground water in sinkholes and in their vicinity is closely related. Sinkholes with water level higher than the ground water level and with higher chemical compounds concentrations make no adverse effect on ground water quality due to comparatively low runoff into the environment. However, such sinkholes are considered to be potential pollution sources of lower aquatic layers. Nitrate nitrogen is one of the most harmful pollutants getting into the sinkholes from agricultural fields and farming land plots where mineral fertilizers are applied. Ground water of higher level polluted with the nitrogen is obviously polluting the subsurface water of the sinkhole as well.

After the private ownership of land was restored and a part of land reclamation structures was given to land owners, the intensity of land use has changed. In the areas of Lithuania, which are less favoured for agriculture, the land is not intensely used. Further financing of land reclamation of such areas from the state budget grants is economically inefficient as the return of relatively high investments is very low. With the changing of land reclamation infrastructure it is necessary to prepare measures which would facilitate rational, regional agricultural specialization corresponding to natural conditions. The routine procedure of financing the land reclamation has to be changed as well. The paper analyses the changes in usage of drained land areas and financing of the land reclamation sector in Lithuania during the last decade (1997-2007). The purpose of this research is to establish the criteria of the economical efficiency of drainage systems and to propose methods how to change the financing of state-owned land reclamation infrastructure. On the grounds of the carried out situation analysis, a methodology of distributing state grants for land reclamation to municipality budgets are presented. To have an efficient use of the state budget funds, the operation and maintenance of shared land reclamation systems have to be carried out according to the maintenance plans approved by municipalities, which would provide for arrangements and compensations due to conflict of interests arising when land plots are used in different ways. Possible ecological measures that could be applied when carrying out repair and reconstruction of drainage systems are discussed.

The process of creation of the informative systems based on the account of such animals as horses, sheep and goats is analyzed in the work. Three structural models are created and their comparative analysis is conducted. As a result of analysis the general elements of structures, characteristic to each model were found. The Meta modelling approach to facilitate the system was used. The system has a more abstract structure and allows dynamically to adding not only the animal specimens but also new types of attributes in fly during runtime. Recompilation of the system is not required there is no necessity of the analytical restructuring of the model, the absence of type explosions is guaranteed in a database because not a new table-type, but a new record in one or two tables is added.