Son yıllarda dünyada olduğu gibi Türkiye’de de tüketicilerin fonksiyonel ürünlerin talebinde artış yaşanmaktadır. Günümüzde sağlıklı bir yaşam sürdürmek ve artan sağlık problemlerini önlemek için tüketiciler fonksiyonel ürünlere yönelmektedirler. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Çukurova Üniversitesi öğrencilerinin fonksiyonel ürünlere yönelik bilgi düzeyleri, tutumları ve tüketim eğilimlerini tespit etmektir. Bu amaçla, Çukurova Üniversitesi öğrencilerinden 103’ü ile anket çalışması yapılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçlarına göre, ankete katılanların %70,87’sinin fonksiyonel gıda kavramını daha önce hiç duymamış olmakla birlikte bu ürünleri tükettikleri belirlenmiştir. Katılımcıların özellikle mineral bakımından zengin içecekleri (%58,25) ve bitki çaylarını (%48,54) düzenli olarak kullandıkları tespit edilmiştir. Ayrıca, ankete katılanların büyük bir bölümü (%65,00) fonksiyonel gıdaların insan sağlığını olumlu yönde etkilediğini düşünürken, fonksiyonel gıdaların, sağlık açısından potansiyel faydaları, öğrencilerin söz konusu gıdalara yönelik algı ve tutumlarını belirleyen en önemli faktör olarak belirlenmiştir.

P. zozimoides is local endemic in Nigde province, Turkey. There has been no previous examination of the chemical composition and bioactivity of that plant extract. In this study, we studied total phenolic content, antioxidant properties and cytotoxic effect of methanolic extracts of plant sample. According to the Folin-Ciocalteau method, the total phenolics of the extracts were determined spectrophometric. The antioxidant activity was conducted DPPH (1,1’-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging method and free radical reducing power assay. The cytotoxic effect was studied using MTT assay cell viability on cancer cell lines as well as on Caco-2 cell lines. The total phenolic content of P. zozimoides extract was found 28.79±0.68 μg GAE /mg. The free radical scavenger activities of the DPPH was 31.69%±1.61, 85.15%±0.13, 86.96%±0.085 for 1, 5 and 10 mg/mL, respectively. The free radical reducing power assay was 0.375±0.52, 1.587±0.71, 1.798±0.84 for 1, 5 and 10 mg/mL compared to ascorbic acid standard. On Caco-2 cell lines, the extract of plant showed no cytotoxic potential. Because of its phenolic constituents and its antioxidant capacity it can be considered a healthy nutrient.

Soil is one of the most important factors affecting the plant development on the basis. The method mostly applied for the purpose of accelerating the plant development and ensuring the increase in products is to increase the nutrients in the soil, namely fertilization. Fertilization ensures lots of food elements in the soil to get mixed in the soil and change the soil composition. Another factor affecting the plant growth speed and productivity is shadowing. Shadow conditions change the light receiving amounts of the plant and directly affect the plant photosynthesis speed. In addition; shadowing not only affects the dissolution and in-soil mixture speed of the fertilizers applied to the soil, but it also directly affects the humidity content of the soil. In this study, it has been aimed to determine the food element changes in the soil on the lavender individuals grown under different shadow conditions and fertilized with different fertilizers. The lavender used in the study has been selected due to the fact that it adapts to dry areas, it is abstinent in terms of soil and it is an important and income-generating medical aromatic plant. As a result of the study, it has been determined that shadowing statistically affects salt, carbon, phosphor, nitrogen and potassium and fertilization statistically affects phosphor, nitrogen, potassium, carbon and salt at least at 95% confidence level.

In this study, the medicinal and aromatic plants sector of the Hatay province was evaluated with the SWOT Analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats), and aimed to offer solutions for the development of the sector based on the opinions of the companies which are operating in the province. According to the research results, the rich natural vegetation of the province and its proximity to raw material resources, were found as the main 'strengths'. Insufficient incentives, lack of coordination, problems in accessing quality raw materials, and adulteration were found as the 'weaknesses'. Increase in demand and high added value potential, and the EXPO 2021 exhibition were found as the 'opportunities'. Security problems in the region due to the ongoing war in Syria were determined as the prominent 'threat'.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) were preferred to grow in aquaponics due to their high and fast productivity growth. However, limited research was conducted on the impact on different inorganic substrates’ growth performance in aquaponics. In this study, lettuce’s growth performance was determined in four different kinds of inorganic substrates in Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) aquaponics by measuring final weight, daily growth rate, stem diameter, plant and root lengths, leaf number per plant and shoot/root ratio. Polyester fiber, rock wool, zeolite, and gravel were used as inorganic substrate materials. A constant flow rate of 0.3 L/min was maintained using with a submersible pump motor. At the end of the study, the African catfish’s feed conversion ratio was estimated to be 0.66, while the specific growth rate (SGR) was 2.3%. Total lettuce yields for polyester fiber, rock wool, zeolite and gravel were obtained as 5.072,22 kg/m2, 4.934,03 kg/m2, 6.067 kg/m2, and 5.382,64 kg/m2 respectively. There were statistically significant differences for daily growth rate between the inorganic substrates that the significantly highest values were recorded in the zeolite. The results revealed that initial plant length and shoot/root ratio were the significant factors on the growth performance for lettuce in aquaponic system tested. The best lettuce yield performance was observed in zeolite substrate but, economically available option was found as gravel for hydroponic troughs.

Purpose: This study aims to reveal the comparative advantage of the selected countries in olive oil industry. These selected countries are the main olive oil producers and mainly located in Mediterranean Seacoast. Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey will be the subject countries in this analysis and compared with each other in terms of their export performance and comparative advantage in olive oil industry globally. Olive oil industry has a volume of around 20 billion Euros every year. Design/methodology/approach: The data for the research was collected from mainly World Bank and trade ministries of subject countries. Revealed Comparative advantage Index (RCA) is used to compare the advantage of these countries in olive oil industry. These indexes found in this analysis will be added to the olive oil RCA indexes of these countries that are found in the previous researches. The obtained data were analyzed through RCA Index formula modeling. Findings:Consuming olive oil is increasing day by day over the world. The research results show that Turkey has comparative advantage in olive industry over Greece. Last few years, Turkey has improved its comparative advantage over Italy. Spain and Italy are the leading countries in olive oil industry in terms of comparative advantage. It has also been found that Turkey has consistently increase its advantage over the last decade. Practical implications: After the comparison of RCA indexes of Spain, Greece, Italy and Turkey, it is found that higher amount of production of olive oil is not enough itself to improve the competitiveness of a country in olive oil market. Branding, packaging and marketing activities that are supported by research and development expenditures are highly important factors for a consistent competitive advantage in olive oil industry. Olive oil consumers are highly motivated on the packaging and label of a product when it comes to olive oil. They usually trust Mediterranean brands comparing to others. Originality/value: The study answers the advantages of selected countries in terms of olive oil performance in global markets. Export performance of olive oil is much likely to improve the competitiveness of a country rather than a country that produces high volume of olive oil. Production itself is not enough to increase competitiveness of a country in olive oil market.

This paper examines factors determining farmers’ adoption decision for improved maize varieties in the maize-common bean intercropping practices in two districts of East Hararghe zone, Eastern Ethiopia. It is based on data collected from 129 farm households using structured questionnaire. Descriptive results revealed that adopters of improved maize varieties had better food and nutrition security status. Furthermore, logit model output indicated that the decision to adopt improved maize varieties is influenced by location (district) dummy, education status of the household head, age of the household head, distance from the main road, and the number of plots owned. Major recommendations include improving the rural road infrastructure, educating and training farmers, organizing experience sharing events among farmers, and raising awareness about the food and nutrition security benefits of sustainable agricultural intensification practices like intercropping improved maize with improved common bean varieties.

In recent years, there have been unexplained colony losses around the world. Due to the decrease in honey bee colonies, many studies have been carried out to investigate potential causes. One of the main causes of losses is also insecticides. Insecticides used against harmful insects in agricultural fields affect not only harmful ones but also beneficial insects such as honey bees directly or indirectly. Honey bee losses are more common, especially where insecticides are used, and the immune systems of bees exposed to insecticides in these areas weaken; foraging behavior, the ability to smell and learn is impaired. In addition, it leaves residues in bee products such as honey, wax, pollen and bee bread. Effective and sustainable solutions are sought worldwide in order to cope with these losses that pose a major ecological threat. This review aims to reveal the current situation by examining the effects of insecticides on honey bee behavior and physiology.

According to the trend of a healthy eating awareness trend, having a potential benefit on human health, some polyphenols like flavonoids, resveratrol, hydroxy-stilbenes, and phenolic acids are in the spotlight. Grapes, and one of the most widespread grape product wine; are among the best sources of these polyphenols. In this study, a highly specific, susceptible, and easy chromatographic method was brought out and validated to determine 18 polyphenols in grape and red wines. For this aim, an HPLC-PDA was used, and the separation was accomplished on an RP-ODS4 column. The method comprised of a mobile gradient phase consisting of A solution (acetic acid in water, pH 2.00) and a mixture of the solution A – acetonitrile (20:80, v/v), at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min, and PDA detection was carried out at 260,280, 320, and 360 nm. According to the results, it can be said that the program indicated good linearity over the range of 1-40 mg L−1 of phenolics with r2>0.99. The recovery of the 18 phenolics ranges from 83.17% to 119.88% at red wines and 88.20% to 117.83% at grape juices. The method is well precise, with the relative standard deviation (RSD) of the average concentration of the phenolic compounds are ranges from 1.22% to 2.02% at red wines and 1.01% to 2.56% at grape juices.

Tea has become an integral part of our culture and everyday life due to taste, together with a refreshing and mildly stimulant effect. The study was carried out to investigate the behaviour pattern and prevalence observed due to regular consumption of tea as a source of caffeine among the university students using a self-reported validated questionnaire. Socio-demographic and data related to tea consumption pattern were collected and analysed statistically. Among 245 study participants, the majority chose a greater proportion of tea (83.7%) followed by coffee (14.7%). The main reasons for tea consumption by university students included keeping alert during the examination period (38.8%), followed by the removal of anxiety and stress. Students (around 61%) mostly consume 2-3 cup of tea per day. According to the study, 12.7% of students had never consumed tea. More than two-thirds (66.9%) of the students reported having a sound sleep, normal BMI and blood pressure, a majority of them were engaged with regular physical exercise. The study also illustrated that most of the students (52.7%) give priority to the quality of the product rather than price, brand and taste while buying packaged tea leaves. Thus, this study provides basics about the prevalence and presents a recommendation for expanding tea consumption market among the university students.