The Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly), Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae), poses a significant threat to agriculture worldwide. This study examines the potential insecticidal effects of essential oils from Mentha arvensis and Cinnamomum zeylanicum on controlling C. capitata under laboratory conditions. Even at low concentrations, toxicity assays indicated that both essential oils significantly increased the mortality of adult Medflies. The concentration-dependent effect of these oils on C. capitata mortality is demonstrated, with Mentha arvensis achieving 100% mortality within 48 hours at 1% concentration and Cinnamomum zeylanicum exhibiting rapid efficacy, reaching a low LC50 value after only 1 hour of application. The concentration and application time of essential oils were found to have a significant impact on their effectivness. This study highlights the potential of essential oils for controlling C. capitata populations. Essential oils offer a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative for managing C. capitata but further studies are necessary for their successful incorporation into integrated pest management programs.

This study aimed to determine the structural relationship between internal and external egg quality (IEEQ) traits. In this study, 114 eggs produced from 24 weeks-old laying hens reared at the Ondokuz Mayis University Research Farm were used. Egg weight (EW), egg width (EWi), egg length (EL) and shell weight (SW) measurements were examined as external quality traits. Also, albumen height (AH), albumen width (AW), yolk height (YH), yolk weight (YW) and yolk diameter (YD) parameters were used as internal quality traits. Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used to determine the relationships between IEEQ traits. Data analysis was performed with the LISREL package. It has been determined that the variables that are important in determining the external egg quality are SW, EWi and EL. When the variables explaining the internal traits were examined, it was determined that the YW, YD, AW, AH and YH were significant. It was determined that the relationship between external egg quality and internal quality was 0.96 and external quality explained the internal quality by 91%. It has been determined that the SEM used in this study is sufficient to explain the relationship between internal and external quality.

This study investigated the effects of various guar gum edible coating formulations, incorporating different proportions of waste leek powder and sunflower oil, on weight loss, color parameters (L*, a*, b* values, and ΔE), texture, and shrinkage of Agaricus bisporus mushrooms during a 7-day storage period. The goal was to assess the potential impact of these coatings on preserving the mushrooms’ quality over time. The results showed that the coatings had a significant effect on reducing weight loss compared to uncoated samples. The lowest weight loss was observed in the 0.5% leek powder and without sunflower oil, while the highest was in 2.5% leek powder and 0.1% sunflower oil. Shrinkage was also positively affected by the coatings, with 1.5% leek powder and without sunflower oil showing the most promising results. The L* values of the coated samples declined slightly, indicating better color preservation, while the a* values exhibited stable redness/greenness. On the other hand, b* values increased, indicating an increase in yellowness during storage. The ΔE values were lower for the coated samples, suggesting less color deviation compared to uncoated ones. Overall, the study indicates that these edible coatings have the potential to maintain the quality of mushrooms during storage, leading to better preservation and extended shelf life.

Erzincan Tulum Cheese (ETC) holds a significant place among the most popular cheeses in Türkiye. It has been awarded Protected Geographical Indication status, which restricts the allowable milk species, its production area, and specific sheep breed used in its production. Mineral content and antioxidant activity of ETC were aimed to be predicted using conventional FT-NIR and a portable FT-MIR spectrometer combined with partial least square regression (PLSR) and machine learning algorithms based on conditional entropy. Seventy ETC samples were analyzed for their mineral (Al, Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, and P) content using ICP-MS. The samples' antioxidant activity was measured using the DPPH•+ scavenging activity method. PLSR combined with FT-NIR spectral data correlated with antioxidant activity (r=0.89) and minerals (as low as r=0.83) except for Cr and Fe. FT-MIR data provided a good correlation for minerals (as low as r=0.82) except for Cr and Mn and a moderate correlation with antioxidant activity (r=0.64). Information theory was applied to select wavenumbers used in machine learning algorithms, and better results were obtained compared to PLSR. Overall, FT-NIR and FT-MIR spectroscopy provided rapid (~ 1 min), non-destructive, sensitive, and reliable output for mineral and antioxidant activity predictions in commercial cheese samples.

The physical properties of seeds and grain is a wide knowledge that can be useful in the sowing, harvesting and storage or in processing such as drying, freezing and other. This knowledge is important in the designing of machinery to harvest and in preparation of processing chain from grain to food. In this study, the physical properties, color characteristics, mechanical behavior, and germination parameters of three different cultivars (Reis, Töre, and Özkaynak) of forage peas were examined and compared. The statistical differences were observed between the cultivars on the length, width, geometric mean diameter, sphericity, and surface area of the forage pea cultivars. Significant differences were observed between cultivars on mass, thousand mass, volume, and bulk density. The effects of cultivars on the true density, and porosity of forage pea seeds were not significant. Töre and Özkaynak cultivars constitute the highest statistical group in terms of mass and thousand mass (0.172 g, 0.174 g, 139.34 g, 138.54 g, respectively). The effects of cultivars on L*, a*, b*, chroma, and hue angles of forage pea seeds were significant. Many features of the seeds should be considered in sowing, harvesting, and post-harvest processes and technological applications of forage pea seeds. In light of the data obtained in this study, it can be assumed that the operations to be carried out will contribute to the reduction of harvest losses, and the improvement of storage conditions at the pre-harvest and post-harvest engineering technologies and food production process applications.

Yapılan çalışmada, iç mekân tasarımının kurumsal kimlik ilkesiyle nitelikli hale getirilmesi hedeflenerek eğitim mekânlarında, duvar yüzeyi tasarımının yapılması, uygulanması ve böylece belirlenen örneklem alanlarının iç mekân tasarımıyla kurumsal kimliği kapsayıcı şekilde kullanıcıya kazandırılması amaçlanmıştır. Çalışmada materyal olarak Selçuk Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü ve Selçuk Üniversitesi Edebiyat Fakültesi’nin girişinde bulunan duvar yüzeyleri kullanılmıştır. Çalışmanın metodunda, literatür araştırması yapılarak iç mimarlık disiplini üzerinden kurumsal kimlik ve eğitim mekânlarına odaklanılmıştır. Sonrasında örneklem alanlarını sürekli kullanan personel ve öğrencilerin görüş ve önerileri alınarak gözlem ve analizlerde bulunulmuştur. Buna bağlı olarak ele alınan eğitim mekânlarının girişlerinde kurumsal kimliği logo ile temsil eden, odaklayıcı aydınlatmalarla pekiştirilmiş, gelen misafir ve öğrencilerin fotoğraf çekinebilecekleri duvar yüzeylerinin olması gerektiği gözlemlenmiştir. Edinilen verilere göre, materyal olarak ele alınan eğitim mekânlarının kurumsal kimliğine göre duvar yüzeyi tasarımı yapılmış ve uygulanmıştır. Tasarımın uygulanmasından sonra, yerinde gözlem ve analizlere dayanarak personel ve öğrencilerin kuruma karşı aidiyetlik duygusunun geliştiği, gelen misafirlerin ve mezunların günümüzde yaygın olarak gerçekleştirilen fotoğraf çekme eyleminde bulunarak kurumun tanınırlığını arttırdığı, tasarımı yapılan duvar yüzeyinin ait olduğu mekâna kazandırılarak aktif hale geldiği görülmektedir.

Today, environmental issues are rapidly increasing due to the growing population, rapid and unplanned urbanization, industrialization pressure, and advancing technology. Consequently, there is an accelerated search for solutions to environmental problems. As in the formation of these problems, humans will be a key factor in solving them. Therefore, individuals need to be developed and equipped in terms of environmental awareness, environmental consciousness, and environmental sensitivity. Many studies in the literature advocate the necessity of education to increase environmental awareness; however, first and foremost, individuals’ environmental awareness must be identified and their levels must be revealed. In this study, noise pollution, which has been increasingly impactful in the last 30 years and is ranked as the second-highest burden of disease by the World Health Organization after air pollution, with less awareness compared to other environmental issues, is evaluated. In this context, the research area is selected as the Çukurova District of Adana Province, and the awareness of noise pollution among the residents in the region is assessed through survey forms and SPSS software. Additionally, using the survey results, the proportional values of noise pollution as the most significant environmental issue are evaluated as spatial analysis and mapped.

Plant fungal disease pathogens cause significant yield and quality losses in onion growing areas. In addition to yield losses, they cause negative effects that reduce the quality and export potential of the product, resulting in significant economic losses during harvest, post-harvest, processing and marketing stages. In recent years, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has emerged as a rapid, cost-effective, reproducible, and powerful technique for identifying microorganisms, and its impact on microbiological diagnosis has transformed workflow in equipped laboratories. In this study, proteomic analyzes were performed on Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium species isolated from onion growing areas in Hatay, Amasya, and Tokat provinces. After extraction of mycelium from single spore cultures of the isolates with ethanol-formic acid, the spectra of the individual fungal isolates were determined using the Flex control software program. These spectra were compared with Maldi Biotyper Real-Time Classification (RTC) and identification was performed. Of 519 different fungal isolates, 435 representative fungal isolates (83.8%)  were identified by MALDI TOF MS. Eighty-four fungal isolates could not be identified because they were not in a satisfactory range of purity and identification. Of the 435 isolates, 269 (61.8%) were identified as Fusarium spp., 80 isolates (18.4%) were identified as Alternaria spp., 60 isolates (13.8%) as Aspergillus spp., and 26 isolates (6.0%) as Penicillium spp. Among the fungal isolates, 72.5% of the Fusarium isolates, 78.8% of the Alternaria isolates, 90.0% of the Aspergillus isolates and 84.6% of the Penicillium isolates were identified as “highly probable” species with score values between 2.000-3.000 (green color). These species are Alternaria alternata, Alternaria infectoria, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus niger, Fusarium culmorum, Fusarium moniliforme, Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium proliferatum, Fusarium solani, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium commune and Penicillium glabrum. The results clearly demonstrate that MALDI TOF MS biotyping may be used as a highly reliable and economical diagnostic method for routine diagnosis of diseases caused by Alternaria, Aspergillus, Fusarium and Penicillium species.

Black cumin has been used in many countries for the treatment of diseases such as cancer and diabetes, and for thousands of years as a spice, flavoring in products such as bread, and as a food preservative in pickles. Too much delay in the sowing of black cumin has a negative effect on plant growth. In order to determine the most suitable sowing dates for different black cumin genotypes, an experiment was conducted in the open-field conditions of the Eastern Mediterranean region of Türkiye at Çukurova University, for two years, in 2020 and 2021, in three different sowing dates (October 15th, November 01st, and November 15th) with three different black cumin genotypes (Çameli cultivar (G1), Adana population (G2) and Iraq population (G3)). The findings of this research demonstrated significant differences in the agronomic characteristics and overall quality of black cumin. The main components were p-cymene (51.45%-66.33%), trans-4-Methoxythujane (8.40%-11.90%), thymoquinone (0.11%-19.26%), γ-Terpinene (1.28%-9.09%), and limonene (2.93%-4.50%). The main fatty acids were determined as linoleic acid (53.97%-57.56%), oleic acid (20.98-26.40), and palmitic acid (13.73%-15.02%). Consequently, the low number of flowers and the high temperatures observed in May, along with the early spring frosts, negatively affected the fertilization of the flowers. The seed yield was adversely affected because some of the seeds could not mature.

Traditional milk desserts are one of the most essential dessert groups that Turkish society consumes. Due to foaming activity, it was aimed to investigate the feasibility of the ohmic heating system to produce a semolina dessert with milk. Hence, an ohmic heating treatment was used to heat the milk, semolina, and sugar mix from 20°C to 100°C using three different voltage gradients (15, 17.5, and 20 V/cm) and then boil for two minutes. It was found that the current value escalated from 20°C to approximately 86°C but decreased after 86°C due to foaming. Since the total consumed energy during the ohmic cooking treatment was inversely proportional to the treatment time, the total consumed energy values decreased based on the rising voltage gradient. As a result, the feasibility of the ohmic heating treatment for making a traditional semolina dessert with milk was determined in this study.