Fulltext search in archive

Concentrations and fluxes of sulphur and nitrogen compounds in bulk precipitation and in throughfall were evaluated and compared for two experimental sites in the Czech Republic: one situated at Rájec (Drahanská upland, 610 m a.s.l.) and the second one at Bílý Kříž (Moravian-Silesian Beskids, 908 m a.s.l.) both with similar stands of young Norway spruce. The three-year study performed during 2006-2008, revealed statistically significant differences in nitrate nitrogen concentrations in bulk precipitations and in ammonium nitrogen concentrations both in bulk precipitation and in throughfall between the two sites. Higher nitrogen compounds concentrations in bulk precipitation were found at Rájec. Differences between the two sites in sulphur concentrations were not found out neither in bulk precipitation nor in throughfall waters. Total sulphur deposition amounted to 8.1, 8.3 and 6.7 kg S.ha^-1 at Rájec and to 14.8, 16.9 and 15.4 kg S.ha^-1 at Beskids for the three years studied, respectively. Total inorganic nitrogen throughfall flux amounted to 12.1, 11.6 and 11.6 at Rájec and 13.8, 18.9 and 15.0 kg.ha^-1 at Bílý Kříž for the years 2006, 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Extensive management (absence of management) of unfertilized permanent grasslands was examined for five years from the aspect of its influence on soil chemical properties of horizon A in a floodplain locality of the Crystalline Complex, in relation to water regime regulation, reclamations and liming. These treatments: without mowing (0), one cut (1) and two cuts (2) per year were used at sites without drainage (WD), with drainage (D) and with drainage water retardation (R). These average values were measured at all sites and for all treatments: content of soil organic carbon C_org 2.3-3.4%, combustible substances CS 12-15%, humic to fulvic acids ratio C_HA/C_FA 0.81-0.94, C/N 8-9, humification rate 0.6-0.7, exchange pH 3.9-5.1. All sites have deteriorated conditions for the activity of soil microorganisms (low pH). Determinations of the contents of organic carbon (C_org by thermal combustion, water soluble and hot water soluble carbon, C_HA and C_FA), CS and total nitrogen indicated decreases as a result of the influence of factors (drainage, liming, mowing) supporting mineralization and the cycle of soil organic matter. Mowing improved humus quality

Concentrations of methylmercury (MeHg) and total mercury (Hg_total) were investigated in green leaves of herbs, deciduous and coniferous trees in 9 sites in Slovakia (the transect Žiar nad Hronom - Vtáčnik, Banská Štiavnica, Rudňany). There was evaluated the relevance of plant uptake and the behaviour of transfer-factors. The MeHg and Hg_total in leaves of plants from the contaminated sites in Rudňany (up to 3.21 and 802 ng Hg/g, respectively) were an order of magnitude larger than those from other sites, reflecting the strong Hg contamination in Rudňany's plants. The MeHg and Hg_total concentrations in leaves (up to 0.285 and 55 ng Hg/g, respectively) from the transect Žiar nad Hronom - Vtáčnik and Banská Štiavnica may be regarded as uncontaminated. The green leaves from Rudňany showed very low transfer-factors (up to 0.09) compared to the transfer-factors from the transect Žiar nad Hronom - Vtáčnik (up to 1.58), and thus indicated the relevance of Hg translocation from soils to leaves on contaminated sites. Generally, much higher MeHg concentrations in leaves of Corylus avellana L., Quercus polycarpa Schur. and Achillea millefolium L. as compared to the other plant species indicate species specific effects that is also confirmed by increased transfer coefficients for relevant leaves (up to 3.48, 2.51 and 0.35, respectively). The transfer-factors can bring up the species specific differences in the Hg uptake by plants.

Formerly arable luvic chernozem set aside for ten years (1997-2006) with different herbaceous cover (grass, legumes and their mixtures) and agronomical practices (mulching and cut/harvesting) was studied. The experimental plot was maintained as black, spontaneous and controlled fallows from 1997 until July 2003 (BD period). In July 2003 the plots were desiccated by glyphosate herbicide and were run as a black fallow until August 2004 (AD). The last period (AG) was characterized by monoculture of Italian ryegrass cut/harvested twice a year until October 2006. The experimental soils were characterized with 18 parameters. Mulched plots in all periods (BD, AD and AG) were evaluated as highly microbial active plots. The black fallow (BD) permanently maintained by glyphosate herbicide was the lowest in biological parameters. The desiccation caused a highly significant increase (P < 0.01) of nitrates in topsoil, but in following period (AG) their significant decrease was detected. Desiccation enhanced carbon immobilization into microbial cells especially on mulched and cut/harvested sites (BD, AD). Due to mulching accumulation of soil organic matter highly significantly increased (P < 0.01). This induced a highly significant (P < 0.01) increase in the basal respiration (AD, AG) as the soil organic matter accumulated in the period BD was intensively mineralized.

An evaluation of the effects of soil structural heterogeneity on maize (Zea mays L.) root system architecture was carried out on plants grown in boxes containing fine soil and clods. The clods were prepared at two levels of moisture (0.17 and 0.20 g/g) and bulk density (ranges 1.45-1.61 g/ml and 1.63-1.79 g/ml). Soil moisture directly affected the probability of clod penetration by maize roots. Primary roots inside the clods manifested morphological deformations in the form of bends. We observed a significant increase of bends per root length at lower soil moisture (P = 0.02). Root diameter and branching density increased, and lateral root length decreased considerably inside the clods. However, once emerging out of the clods and into free soil, values of all three characteristics remained low. While changes in root diameter were caused mainly by clod moisture (P < 0.05), length of lateral roots was related to bulk density (P < 0.01). Branching density was modified exclusively by an interactive effect of both factors (P < 0.05).

Simple balance of Cd input by different treatments and removal by agricultural crops was investigated in an ongoing precise long-term field experiment with application of sewage sludge (SS), farmyard manure (FYM), and mineral fertilizers (NPK). Potatoes, wheat and barley were grown in a rotation at 4 experimental sites of the Czech Republic with the aim to assess the risk of Cd accumulation in soil and plants under different soil and climate conditions. The results showed significant differences in Cd content of the input materials used, and in Cd inputs to soils under different fertilization managements. Three applications of sewage sludge during 1996-2005 resulted in total addition of 110 g Cd/ha into soil, which was by one order of magnitude higher than Cd addition in FYM or NPK treatments. From the total amount of sludge-borne Cd, only small portion was removed by harvests of crops (approximately 3.5%). Soil conditions significantly affected Cd input-removal balance. The highest Cd removals were obtained on soils with the lowest pH. The highest Cd removal was achieved by potato tubers followed by wheat and barley plants. The results showed that the risk of Cd accumulation in soils is high, especially with repeated sludge applications.

In order to evaluate the accumulation capacity of heavy metals in mosses, the total contents of eight elements (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Cd, Cr) determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES) and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) methods were compared in four types of indigenous mosses (Brachythecium plumosum, Eurhynchium laxirete, Taxiphyllum taxirameum, Haplocladium strictulum), which were collected from different sampling sites in the Chengdu city, China. The study found that heavy metal concentrations showed significant differences in interspecies and intraspecies comparison, while the accumulation capacity of T. taxirameum was higher than others. ANOVA analysis indicated that the atmospheric pollution of heavy metals in Wangjiang Park was relatively more serious than that of Ta Zishan Park and Cultural Park. The data also showed that the concentrations of heavy metals in the Chengdu city were higher compared to some foreign cities. The results are coincident with the previous conclusions that the difference of heavy metal depositions in mosses was not only related to environment, but also to their biological features.

The effect of nitrogen nutrition on phytosterol and amino acid content in aboveground biomass of maize (Zea mays L.) was investigated in a pot experiment. For cultivation of maize plants nitrogen dose (2 or 4 g N/pot) was applied in the form of ammonium nitrate (AN) for control treatments or urea ammonium nitrate solution (UAN). UAN solution was applied according to the CULTAN method (Controlled Uptake Long Term Ammonium Nutrition). The content of amino acids as important nitrogen-containing compounds in plant biomass was affected by nitrogen nutrition. An increase of glutamine and asparagine levels in maize aboveground biomass was observed after UAN solution application. The results of free β-sitosterol analyses by HPLC showed its 94% increasing concentration after UAN application in contrast to AN treatments. Our results confirmed that sterol interconversions are controlled by environmental conditions and they are involved in the regulation of membrane properties in response to changing growth conditions.

Since laser beam may affect plant traits, it was used to enhance accumulation of proline in rapeseed and therefore to improve its tolerance to the salinity stress. This investigation was performed to study the effect of NaCl concentration in irrigated water (0, 100, 200 and 300 mmol NaCl) on proline accumulation of Canola (Brassica napus L.) after laser irradiation (Red, Infra-red and Nd:YAG) at two exposure treatments. In each exposure, seeds were irradiated for three minutes once or twice by the laser set. Free proline content in leaves increased significantly by increasing of NaCl concentration. Also proline content significantly increased with irradiation by laser beam. The Red laser irradiation used once and the Nd:YAG laser used twice had the greatest effect on the proline content whereas the Infrared laser had a low effect. Double application of irradiation induced a significantly higher amount of proline in the leaves compared to only one application. This is the first report on using different lasers irradiation on proline content in a winter rapeseed.

This paper focuses on Eremanthus incanus Less. (Asteraceae), a common species of highland regions in Brazil. The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) inoculation on plant growth (height and diameter) was evaluated. Roots were examined from individuals randomly selected from undisturbed areas of highland vegetation and from an experimental restored site. Results showed that E. incanus presented high AM colonization both in restored and undisturbed sites. Moreover, AM colonization was significantly higher in the inoculated treatment than in the non-inoculated one. The species presented Arum-type colonization and frequent production of vesicles, especially in the restored site. Arbuscular mycorrhizal inoculation stimulated plant growth (height and diameter). Ten AM fungi (AMF) taxa were found in the studied rooting zones: Acaulospora spinosa, A. elegans, A. foveata, Acaulospora sp., Gigaspora margarita, Glomus sp., Dentiscutata biornata, D. cerradensis, Dentiscutata sp. and Racocetra verrucosa. These results revealed that AMF is a common and important component in highland vegetation in Brazil, and should be included in future restoration programs.

Soil samples were collected at alluvial sites of the Litavka River, which flows through the Beroun and Příbram cities in Central Bohemia Region of the Czech Republic in 2005 and 2006. Higher heavy metal content in soils (Cd, Pb, Zn, Cu) is due to composition of the parent rock, emissions from lead processing industry and the leak of toxic material from the steel works sludge ponds in the 1970s and 1980s. The samples were collected from six sites located at different distances from the contamination source (the former sludge ponds) and chemical and biological properties were determined. The ratio of the microbial biomass carbon to oxidisable carbon content dropped down significantly on more heavily contaminated sites. Basal respiration activity did not correlate with the content of heavy metals in soil, but there was certain declining tendency with increasing intensity of soil contamination. Respiration activities significantly correlated with the total carbon, oxidisable carbon and the total nitrogen content. The metabolic quotient showed higher values with increasing contamination. Dehydrogenases and arylsulphatase activities decreased with increasing contamination. Urease activity has also a declining tendency but its relation to different intensity of contamination was not unambiguous. Urease activity has shown a relationship with the content of total nitrogen in soil. No relationship was found between the total sulphur content and arylsulphatase activity. Dehydrogenases, arylsulfatase and urease activities significantly correlated with the microbial biomass carbon.

Haemophilus parasuis is a common epiphyte of the upper respiratory tract of pigs. The factors of H. parasuis pathogenicity that enable some strains to be virulent and consequently cause a clinical disease have not been established yet. Fifteen serovars of H. parasuis have been described at present. Individual serovars differ in virulence, and considerable differences in virulence also exist within each serovar. Virulent strains can particularly participate as microorganisms secondary to pneumonia, cause septicaemia without polyserositis or Glässer's disease characterized by polyserositis, pericarditis, arthritis and meningitis. Clinical symptoms of this disease are highly variable. Therefore, culture detection of causative agent, particularly from the brain, joints and polyserositis is an essential diagnostic tool. The disease caused by H. parasuis can be treated with antibiotics; however, oral or parenteral administration of very high doses of antibiotics is necessary. The level of animal hygiene and animal husbandry are important factors for prevention of this disease. Commercial or autogenous vaccines can be used in the immunoprophylaxis of pre-parturient sows and their progeny after weaning. For the production of autogenous vaccines, it is most effective to use isolates from animals with lesions present in CNS. Isolates recovered from arthritic and systemic sites of infection are less suitable and isolates recovered from lungs are not suitable at all because of their heterogeneity.

The research presented in the paper was aimed at analyzing the economic performance of organic farms in the Czech Republic and at evaluating their operation in variants (i.e. including or excluding subsidies). The research was targeted solely at legal entities due to a limited data base. The performance of organic farms (individual kinds of legal entities) was compared by regions with the agricultural enterprises farming conventionally. The organic farms economic profit was as well assessed in relation to their field of activity. Based on the analysis made, the economic situation is more favourable for the organically farming enterprises. Their economic results are actively influenced by subsidies without which an absolute majority of enterprises would be operating at a loss. (When including subsidies in the yields, 84.9% farms of the sample were profitable. On the other hand, while excluding subsidies, 95.7% of the enterprises were loss-making.) Economic success of the farms is influenced - together with subsidies - by the natural and climatic conditions as well as and by their field of activities. The enterprises farming permanent grassland (solely or in combination with a different culture) prevail. A lower intensity of this farming is reflected in the more favourable economic results.

The study compares the role of agricultural green subsidies in rural development of the Czech Republic before and after joining the European Union (EU) in 2004. We use the perspective of multifunctional agriculture and contribute to the research on the contemporary trends in Czech agriculture by using the data collected through surveys in 2000 and 2006, as well as 2008 comparative statistical support, to ask if there have been significant changes and improvements in farmers' evaluations of these programs. The empirical case study results show some positive changes connected with the participation in the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). In spite of improvements, farmers continue to cite two primary weaknesses and constraints - administrative procedures and shifting program guidelines - that were evident prior to joining the EU. It can be assumed that the environmental subsidies in the Horizontal Rural Development Plan 2004-2006 have had an effect on the stabilization of the livelihoods of rural inhabitants. In general, there is a positive shift of valuation of the CAP among farmers in the Czech Republic.

Recent information campaigns of media and the ongoing substantive discussions of experts have been more and more devoted to the climate change issue and its impacts that could affect our future and threaten the sustainable and balanced development of the planet Earth. However, the categorical apparatus as presented at the above mentioned events is not always used correctly and the same is true about the objective interpretation of the very nature of the processes. Also the explanations of realistic options of governance to mitigate and streamline the effects associated with climate variability in order to achieve the least possible damage of global environment are not always given appropriately. Because of a lack of specific statistical data on climate variability, which are usually at the sole disposal of professional climate scientists, and owing to the attention the public pays to these phenomena only at times of climatic anomalies (floods, extreme heat and drought, etc.), the issue is still on the edge of a broader awareness of people and academic research. This paper is in essence an overview of scientific works, which aims to contribute to the understanding of the issue of climate change by the means of summarizing the main approaches and use of categories, defining their substance and especially clarifying the phenomena in relation to possibilities of global governance.

Food quality and safety belong to the most important factors of building the image of the product, brand, or country of origin at the local, regional or global markets. The main aim of the paper is to compare the food products quality perception in the selected countries of Central Europe: Poland, the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic. Different aspects of the food products quality perception were considered during our research as food hygiene, product safety, taste, brand, quality mark and safety processes in food manufacturing. The methodical approaches of the paper are based on the questionnaire survey, and, consequently, the cluster analysis defining the consumer's perception typology. The computations were processed by using the statistical program SAS. The research results point at the food hygiene as the most important qualitative factor for the respondents in all three countries. On the other hand, the packing as a factor is considered as of either a less importance or an irrelevant one in terms of the product quality perception.

This paper assesses the effects of the performance of the OECD national economies and agricultural sectors on the farm producer support for the years 1986 to 2009. The study is complementary to the large amount of microeconomic research that highlights the importance of support to agricultural industry. Data for the analysis are taken from the OECD Producer and Consumer Support Estimates database and the World Bank World Development Indicators 2010 database. The Producer Support Estimate - PSE (expressed in absolute value, in percent of the total farm revenues and per 1 hectare of agricultural land) was taken as the dependent variable, whereas the selected indicators describing the performance of the economies (e.g. GDP per capita, unemployment, fiscal balance, government debt, government expense and tax revenue, exchange rate, agriculture share in GDP and employment, agricultural raw materials exports and imports) were the independent variables. Utilizing these variables, a simple linear regression analysis was conducted and resulted in many significant associations. In the period analyzed, there was a wide gap between the most and least farm supporting countries in terms of the annual average percentage PSE and the PSE per hectare. Substantial differences between the countries in the variability of the PSE over the time occurred. The empirical results obtained from the regression models reveal, among other, that when the countries were becoming richer, the percentage PSE was generally decreasing. Mixed results were obtained for the relationship between the percentage PSE and unemployment, as in some countries it was negative, while in the others positive. Expansionary fiscal policy exerted opposite effects on the PSE in different countries. Labour productivity in agriculture was inversely correlated with the percentage PSE.

The notion of international relationships is supplemented by other phenomena during the last time. One of them is globalisation, called on by technological, social and cultural changes, which have shortened the economic distance among countries. The improvement of transport and communication technologies has decreased transport costs of goods, people and information. Traditional governmental policies limiting the cross-border transactions were liberalised or removed what in consequence brought about the growth of international trade and foreign direct investments (FDI). Globalisation changes the properties of the world economy and influences the core of the successful economic approaches to development, what increases the need to secure the sustainability of economic development.

Whether the US Farm Bill 2008 has any impacts on China's agriculture, is highly related to the China's rural poverty alleviation and it deserves to be explored to see what will happen. According the existing empirical studies in the past, we expect that the US Farm Bill 2008 will exert an influence on the agricultural production and rural poverty in developing countries, especially China. In order to fully capture such an effect, we link two equilibrium models together: the multinational CGE model - GTAP and the China's partial equilibrium model - the China's Agricultural Policy Simulation and Projection Model (CAPSiM). A scenario based on the US Farm Bill 2008 will be constructed and compared with the baseline. A more liberalized scenario is also built for the simulation. The results have shown that the US Farm Bill 2008 has a little positive impact on the China's farmer income, and that the more liberalized the policy is, the more China will benefit.

Agriculture ensures the physical existence of the population and it creates a fund of basic foodstuffs. In addition, it produces non-food commodities as well as being a region forming and political element. It fulfils the function of an internal political stabilising factor and it is a requirement for an overall, balanced, development. The article puts into context: global agriculture; agricultural production within the expanded EU, which is developing under the conditions of the integrated Common Agricultural Policy. It also draws attention to the current trends characteristic of agriculture within the EU. Emphasis is also put on how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is perceived, as well as its consequences for the agrarian production and the position of the EU in the international trade of agricultural products.

Agricultural land market is usually defined as the purchase of agricultural land. In the most of the European countries, the land rental transactions have received the dominant position in the land market. Therefore, the land rental transactions are included into the agricultural land market analysis. The decision processes of market subjects are often influenced by the law. On the one hand, there is the law regulating the value of agricultural land from the various points of view. On the other hand, there are some statutes stipulating the rental legal rules. The objective of this paper is to analyse the influence of the law on the behaviour of market subjects in the agricultural land market.

The study uses the fuzzy Delphi and FANP (fuzzy analysis network process) methods to integrate the views of experts from enterprises and academia regarding the future direction of the agricultural biotechnology industry in Taiwan, in order to extract the critical success factors influencing its transformation. This study compares the differences in the "cross-domain" and "non-cross-domain" critical success factors, and expects that the research results could be a decision-making reference for both the industry and the government. The research results show that the cross-domain critical factor that influence the transformation of the agricultural biotechnology industry in Taiwan are sequentially: a stable source of raw materials, control of the trend of market demand, a new production equipment, the capability in supporting upstream and downstream industries, the integration of the human resources of the upstream, midstream, and downstream industries, and the capability in marketing and promotion. The non-cross-domain critical factors are sequentially: the capacity to establish the system of product technology, the capacity to control intellectual property rights, a perfect educational system, the capacity to carry out risk management of the new product development, the competence in cultivating the capacity of technical and R&D personnel, and laws and regulations.

Twenty formulas of eggplant dip, motabbal al-bathinjan in Arabic (MB), using different percentages of grilled eggplant, tahina (sesame pulp), and yogurt with constant levels of salt and citric acid were prepared and evaluated for the overall acceptability. The formula composed of 84.2% pulp of peeled grilled eggplant and 14% tahina without the addition of yogurt was found the most acceptable. The cold point of the canned MB was found to be in the geometric centre of the can. Canning of MB was conducted using three time/temperature combinations at the centre (80°C/5 min, 85°C/4 min, and 90°C/3 min). It was found that all heat-processes applied resulted in a commercially sterile canned MB with a high sensorial quality, as evidenced by the results of microbiological examinations, incubation tests, and sensory evaluation. Based on Bacillus coagulans, that may grow and cause flat sour spoilage of canned MB, the sterilisation value (F₁₀₀) was estimated of the whole heat-process from the filling till cooling to about 70°C.

Chlorpropham is employed worldwide as an anti-sprout chemical to the harvested potato tubers during storage. A simple and precise analytical technique is developed for routine estimation of the sprout suppressant from a large number of potato samples supplied from commercial stores demanding quick analysis. Chlorpropham is extracted completely from potato tubers by intelligent reflux extraction followed by quantification using GC-FID (Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector) equipment. In this article, the performance of the technique is compared with the lengthy extraction/cleanup process, and the results are validated as per one-way analysis of variance. The recommended technique is found to offer rapid, accurate, and reliable analytical results with ease in handling a large number of samples constituting a wide range of residual chlorpropham levels often found in a complex structural commercial potato stores.

We monitored the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in environmental sources and to evaluate the phenotypic and molecular characteristics of the isolates recovered. L. monocytogenes was isolated in 12 (11.2%) of the 107 samples from the wild, farm environment, and vegetation. Most isolates (83.3%) were of serotype 1/2a and the remainder (2) were of serotype 4b. All 12 isolates were susceptible to the whole range of antimicrobials tested. These12 strains were carriers of the virulence genes prfA, hlyA, actA, plcA, plcB, inlA, inlB, inlC, and inlJ. The detection of the inlA gene in 4 (33.3%) of 12 strains using the PCR-RFLP suggests the potential of some of these strains to penetrate into epithelial cells of the intestinal barrier. Macrorestriction analysis also confirmed clonal identity of some environmental isolates with food and human isolates. These results indicate that the external environment is a source of potentially pathogenic strains of L. monocytogenes.

The prevalence, distribution, and antibiotic susceptibility of Staphylococcus aureus was investigated in ready-to-eat (RTE) salads, the environment, and the personnel of a salad producing plant in Greece. Staphylococci were isolated from 27% of the samples. Apart from three isolates which were sensitive to all antibiotics, all the others exhibited resistance from two up to five antibiotics. None of the isolates was resistant to oxacillin. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis showed no genetic relation between the human and salad isolates while one RAPD clone of S. aureus predominated among the salad samples. The results suggest that an effective application of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) is needed along the food production chain to prevent the contamination of RTE foods.

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the packing of chicken meat in a modified atmosphere was qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated. The total number of 72 samples of chicken hindquarters were stored under two different modified atmospheres (70% O₂, 30% CO₂, and 70% argon, 30% CO₂) for 20 days. Analyses were performed on Days 0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20. VOCs in the headspace samples were detected and quantified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) every fourth day of storage. Pentamethylheptane, dimethylsulphide, dimethyl disulphide, dimethyl trisulphide, dimethyl tetrasulphide, hydrogen sulphide and ammonia were detected. Pentamethylheptane and ammonia had similar values for both modified atmospheres (MA). The other compounds were found only in argon MA from the Day 16 of storage with a subsequent increase of values. The measured values for dimethylsulphide were 10.7 and 13.8 mg/l, for dimethyl disulphide they were 1.9 and 10.7 mg/l, dimethyl trisulphide levels were 15.7 and 19.3 mg/l and dimethyl tetrasulphide levels were 93.2 and 418.3 mg/l for Day 16 and 20. The hydrogen sulphide level was detected from 80 to 370 mg/l after the 8^th day of storage. We showed that the argon MA is less suitable for packaging raw chicken parts than the oxygen MA in view of the increased amount of microflora and unpleasant odour as assessed by sensory analysis. Oxygen prolonged the shelf life by about four days in comparison with argon. Sensory evaluation was similar for both atmospheres after air exhaustion. The argon MA did not extend the shelf life as compared to the oxygen MA.

Fluorine is essential in human and/or animal nutrition, thus it is important to know its concentration in a diet. One of the important sources of fluorine for humans is tea, containing relatively high amounts of this trace element. A method for fluoride determination in various kinds of tea using microwave supported sample preparation in a high pressure oxygen atmosphere followed by potentiometry with a fluoride ion-selective electrode were described. The parameters of the microwave device for such combustion procedure were checked and optimised in order to find settings ensuring complete sample combustion and/or absorption of the analyte in the absorption solution. For the ion-selective electrode measurement, the technique of standard addition was chosen. The Nernstian slope of the fluoride ion-selective electrode was measured and calculated in the concentration range in which the potential of samples occurred. Concentrations of fluorides in tea in the range from 24.5 mg/kg to 254.5 mg/kg were found. In order to check the accuracy of the method certified reference materials were used. The precision expressed as the relative standard deviation ranged from 3.7% to 15.9%. The method is fast, accurate and reliable for this kind of analysis.

The production technology of high-quality vodka used in Russia involves filtration through activated charcoal. To approach the quality of renowned Russian vodka, one prominent Czech spirit-producing company installed on its production premises a filtration device including a charcoal column, and launched test runs during which different filtration conditions were tested. Samples collected during the test runs were analysed by GC-FID and GC-MS with the aim to compare their composition; sensory analysis was an integral part of the evaluation. The results documented a positive effect of charcoal filtration on the quality of produced vodka, which was not reduced when higher flow rates were applied.