The cultivation and the usage of maize have been significantly increased across all provinces of Rwanda. Nevertheless, the problem of aflatoxin contamination remains a major factor that renders them to be unfit for animal and human consumption. In this research, the effects of drying methods (sun drying, kitchen drying, dry shelter) post aflatoxin infection in maize were evaluated in Northern Rwanda. A randomized complete block design with four replications was used with maize variety (H628) with drying methods as the main plot. Maize samples were tested for aflatoxin using aflatest. In both seasons (2021 A and 2021 B) the aflatoxin results show that the aflatoxin infection levels were lower in maize dried with kitchen drying (1.4 ppb) compared to the samples dried with sun drying (1.6 ppb) and dry shelter (2.2). Also, it was seen that the three drying methods are good for reducing the aflatoxin infection levels lower than 10 ppb as standards limit for East African countries. The aflatoxin infection levels were found to be significant (≤10 ppb) as results of kitchen drying than sun drying and dry shelter methods. This research resulted that proper drying such as drying maize on kitchen fire (kitchen drying) produce the lower level of aflatoxin infection in maize.

The objectives of the study were to determine the aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) content in ınfant formula samples in Türkiye and to assess the risk of infants’ exposure to aflatoxins food contamination. A total number of 72 samples of infant formulas (premature, hipoallergenic, 0-6, 6-9,9-12 and 12-36 months) were analyzed for the presence of AFM1 using the Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) method. 49% of the samples (35 samples) were contaminated with AFM1 and the group most highly contaminated with AFM1 was infant formulas 12-36 (8 samples) months. In addition, this study aimed at evaluating AFM1 levels especially above international (European Commission) (0.025 µg/kg) and local (Türkiye Food Codex Regulation) (0.025 µg/kg) standards and cancer risks associated with the ingestion of infant formula sampled from Türkiye. Five samples of infant formula had AFM1 concentration above maximum allowable concentration according to the standards. Risk assessments of AFM1 for infants ranged between 0.002- 0.035 ng/kg bw/day and >100.000–5263.15 respectively for Estimated Daily Intake (EDI), and Margin of Exposure (MOE). The riskiest group was determined in the 9-12 months samples. Results of our study indicate the high risk of infants’ exposure, who are at the early stage of development and vulnerable to toxic contaminants.

Lactic acid bacteria are the substantial source for producing polysaccharides used in technological applications as thickeners and viscosifiers in the food industry. A broad variety of lactic acid bacteria species secrete structurally diverse exopolysaccharides that contribute to their surface attachment, protection against abiotic or biotic stress factors and nutrient uptake. The exopolysaccharides are produced naturally during fermentation process by living lactic acid bacteria cells and accepted as postbiotic for these metabolites having various physiological health-promoting effects. Exopolysaccharide producer lactic acid bacteria encode a great number of enzymes and regulatory proteins involved exopolysaccharide biosynthesis process. This process is a complex and occurs through presence of multiple genes. However, it is crucial the understanding of structure, composition, function, chemical, and physical properties of exopolysaccharides which vary from one type of bacteria to another via chemical analysis methods. In this review, the use of lactic acid bacteria exopolysaccharides, their structures, genetic modules and biosynthesis, and the use of exopolysaccharides derived from lactic acid bacteria in the food industry are described, discussed and focused on recent developments.

In this study, it was aimed to make a breakfast spreadable Cornelian cherry nectar similar to marmalade. Lactiplantibacillus plantarum DA100 strain, which has potential probiotic properties, was added to this nectar.  It was investigated whether this strain has an effect on various sensory properties of nectar. In the study, sensory and various chemical properties of nectar produced without probiotic microorganism were determined. Since the breakfast spreadable Cornelian cherry nectar produced in our study was not exposed to high temperatures for a long time, a very low HMF of 4.290 mg/kg was determined. Vitamin C was determined as 716.800 mg/L and total phenolic content was determined as 3156.64 mg GAE/100g. In the probiotic group, the microorganism viability, which was 1.5×1010 Log CFU/mL initially, was determined below approximately 1.5×106 Log CFU/mL at the end of 5 days. In addition, coliform bacteria and E. coli were not detected in any group during this period. Contrary to the texture score, the difference between the sensory evaluation results of the probiotic-added and the control group of breakfast spreadable Cornelian cherry nectar was significant in taste, bitterness, odor and sourness. An alternative to jams and marmalades, rich in vitamin C and phenolic content, limited HMF production, and a functional product with low sugar content were tried to be obtained, and when the results obtained are evaluated, the product is thought to be promising.

Growth regulators such as Indole-3-Butyric Acid (IBA) are generally used to promote root formation of rose cuttings. However, today, within the scope of sustainable agricultural practices, research studies of new materials and methods alternative to synthetic chemicals in the plant production process are gaining momentum. At the beginning of such alternative applications are plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and mycorrhizal fungi, which are increasingly used today, promoting plant growth. In this study, Bacillus cereus (ZE-7), Pseudomonas putida (ZE-12) rhizobacteria and mycorrhiza (6000 ppm) were applied to 12-15 cm long softwood rose cuttings. The softwood cuttings were kept in the mycorrhiza suspension for 10 seconds and in the rhizobacteria suspension for 30 minutes and then planted in the rooting medium. In the study, in order to determine the effects of applications on steel root development; rooting rate (%), callus rate (%), decay rate (%), root number (number) and root length (cm) parameters were examined. In the results of working; the highest rooting rate (19.44%), the highest callus rate (38.89%) and the highest number of roots (8.64 units) were obtained in ZE-12 treated cuttings. In particular, rhizobacteria application showed a high effect on reducing the rate of decay in steels. The lowest decay rate in the steels was obtained from the ZE-7 bacterial strain application (8.33%) compared to the control (38.89%). As a result, it was concluded that mycorrhiza and rhizobacteria applications can be applied to rose cuttings and these applications as an alternative to IBA in rooting.