Smoked sprats are delicious and nutritionally valuable product. Besides protein, it contains high amount of unsaturated fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins. Nowadays, human interest for fish product consumption is increasing. It leads to the demand for increased shelf life of the smoked sprats. One way to prolong the shelf life is to use some pre-treatment prior to smoking. The aim of study was to analyse the effect of pre-treatment on smoked Baltic sprat quality and microbiological parameters. Various compositions of brine using salts (NaCl, CaCl₂) and acetic acid in different proportions were used for fresh sprat pre-treatment. Pre-treatment had the influence on physical parameters; pre-treated samples had higher salt and lower moisture content, and lower pH, which allowed prolonging the shelf life of smoked sprats. The highest pH was in the control sample 6.6, and it allowed growth of yeasts, moulds, Pseudomonas spp., and mesophilic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms. The results demonstrated that after two-week storage of the smoked sprats the growth of moulds (1×10² CFU g⁻¹) was observed only for smoked sprats without pre-treatment (control sample), indicating the positive effect of pre-treatment. Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfingens, Listeria monocytogenes, and Escherichia coli were not detected in any of the analysed samples. After pre-treatment in brine, containing combination of NaCl and CaCl₂, smoked fish had darker colour compared to control sample or sample with sodium chloride only. Any of applied pre-treatments, except brine containing NaCl, made firmer texture of the smoked fish.

The sprouts of various seeds have garnered considerable regard amid consumers due to its verdure, crispiness, and germination potential, offering a cost-effective and straightforward process. The moist and warm conditions are very conducive to germination, fostering the growth of microorganisms and thereby raising food safety concerns. The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of ozone on Enterobacteriaceae counts by subjecting wheat (Triticum aestivum) grains, alfalfa (Medicago sativa), radish (Raphanus sativus) and broccoli (Brassica oleracea) seeds to ozone gas treatment. Additionally, the grain and seeds were rinsed with ozonised water during germination. Three different treatment methods were employed for seeds and grains. In the first method, samples were exposed to ozone gas at 20 ppm for 10 minutes, with subsequent rinsing every 12 hours during germination until the rinse water appeared visually clean, at a concentration of 2.0 mg LE−1 of ozone. The second method involved rinsing with ozonised water at a concentration of 2.0 mg LE−1 for durations of 20, 40, and 60 minutes. The third method — treated with ozone gas at 50 ppm and the exposure time of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 h. Untreated samples were used as controls. Evaluation of the samples revealed that Enterobacteriaceae was virtually undetectable in dry seeds. However, after 72 hours of germination in both the control and ozone-treated sprouts and following 7 days of storage at 4±2 °C, Enterobacteriaceae were found at an average of 7 to 8.1 log CFU gE−1 in all samples, irrespective of the treatment method. Additionally, mould was observed only in wheat and radish sprouts during the assessment period. The study showed that there was no significant reduction in the number of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms, moulds and Enterobacteriaceae then treated with ozone gas.

The present study was focused on organic small tea plantations of Sittong (a village in Darjeeling) mainly due to their sudden rise in the Indian tea industry with a striking tactic i.e., organic tea cultivation. This cumulative survey and laboratorial experiments-based research focuses on the agricultural conversion in Sittong where farmers started to shift from vegetable and grain cultivation to small tea gardens. Soil physicochemical (pH and electric conductivity; organic carbon; organic matter; and available nitrogen content) and microbiological (determination of microbial cell mass and isolation of consortia; antibiotic and antifungal susceptibility test) characteristics were considered to assess the viability of this shifting agriculture practice and cross-verify the reflections of organic farming practices. The survey revealed that farmers have cultivated and rehabilitated the land in an acceptable manner before planting; they carried out the soil nutrient management practices organically. Survey also revealed economic perspectives including prices of their harvested tea leaves. Further, the moisture content analysis revealed its adequacy in the tea garden soils. Organic matter, organic carbon and available nitrogen were measured that reflected very high results compared to the optimum values suggested by the Tea Board of India. Microbial analysis results, as a cross-verifying tool, affirmed their organic farming practice by revealing microbes’ susceptible nature towards antibiotics and antifungals. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that the small tea growers in Sittong-3 are well-positioned to produce a high-quality of organic tea. Sittong was found to have potential to promote the rural areas of Darjeeling into an ideal place for small-scale organic tea cultivation, while also serving as an inspiration for small tea growers across the country.

In the food industry, there is always a demand for food products which are colourful, have an attractive appearance, and also have nutritional and health-enhancing properties to attract the attention of consumers. Synthetic pigments are widely used in the global market, however, they can cause many side effects such as hyperallergenicity, carcinogenicity and other toxicological problems. Recent studies have revealed that microorganisms are an abundant source of natural colours that allow the industrial production of safe, environmentally friendly biodegradable pigments. The aim of the work was to isolate pigmented microorganisms from environmental samples, select fermentation conditions, isolate pigments from microorganisms and check their antimicrobial activity. Pigments have been isolated from various sources such as soil, food waste, flour, etc. Growth parameters of pigment-producing microorganisms such as growth temperature, pH, and tryptone and NaCl concentration in the medium were optimised to evaluate pigment production. After fermentation, five types of pigments were isolated by cell lysis with an ultrasonic bath and solvent extraction. The antimicrobial activity of the extracted pigments was investigated. During the study, the optimal conditions for the growth of microorganisms were determined: temperature of 30 °C, pH of 7, concentration of 3% tryptone and 6% NaCl in the culture medium. Glycerol was found as an additional carbon source, which had a positive effect on pigments production. The results of the antibacterial effect of the extracted pigments showed that P. aeruginosa was the most sensitive to the effect of the pigments. The pink-red pigment showed the highest antimicrobial activity against the tested pathogenic bacteria.