AGRO - KNOWLEDGE JOURNAL

Ricotta - A by-product or cheese of the new generations

Draženko Budimir — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200

This work aims to present the research results obtained on the nutritional values of the ricotta cheese by-products in the production of the Trappist cheese. The production of albumin cheese is possible thanks to the specific properties of whey proteins which are not sensitive to the action of acid or rennet enzymes, so they remain unchanged during the coagulation of milk, and after separating the curd, they almost completely turn into whey. This paper presents the nutritional benefits of ricotta made from the whey remaining after the production of the Trappist cheese. The content of the total dry matter in ricotta was 27.9% and fat amounted to 15.00%. The milk fat content in the dry matter was 55.17%, the protein content obtained by the tests was 8%, and the ash content of 0.62% was obtained. The energy value of whey was 181 kcal or 752 kJ.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis and phylogenetic tree construction of maternal lines in the Lipizzan horses

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The Lipizzan horse breed comprises 62 mare family lines. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), especially the D-loop region, plays a vital role in tracing maternal lineage and studying the origin of these family lines. The primary aim of this study is to construct phylogenetic trees using the Neighbour-Joining and Median-Joining methods, thereby analysing the genetic diversity and evolutionary relationships among these mare family lines. This study included 13 horses from Serbia that belong to different mare family lines including Thais (Rebecca-Thais) (n=2), Drava-Dubovina (Djebrin) (n=2), Wera (Theodorosta) (n=4), Batosta (Africa) (n=3), and Zora (n=2). The D-loop region was sequenced, and the sequences were subjected to bioinformatics analyses. Multiple alignments of all obtained sequences and those downloaded from the GenBank were performed with the reference mtDNA sequence downloaded from the GenBank using the MEGA 11 software, and phylogenetic trees were constructed using the PopART 1.7 and iTOL v6 online tools for visualization. Results of this study indicate that the Zora family line, though not officially recognized as a Lipizzan mare family line by the LIF (Lipizzan International Federation), forms a cluster with classical Lipizzan mare lines, including Monteaura, Betalka, Wera, and Allegra. The Neighbour-Joining tree provided a hierarchical representation of genetic distances, while the Median-Joining network revealed multiple evolutionary pathways, illustrating intraspecific genetic variability.

DPPH radical-scavenging activity of the Brkulja wheatgrass juice and its bioactive compound correlation

Relja Suručić, Vojo Radić, Duška Delić — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The antioxidant potential of wheatgrass juice derived from the ancient Brkulja wheat variety was investigated to assess its functional and nutraceutical value. As a heritage landrace, the Brkulja wheat showed genetic resilience and great antioxidant and nutritional values making it a promising source of bioactive compounds. Wheatgrass was harvested at the early jointing stage, and the extracted juice was analysed for total phenolic content, flavonoid concentration, and antioxidant activity using DPPH radical scavenging assay. Results demonstrated that the Brkulja wheatgrass juice possesses strong antioxidant capacity with an IC50 value of 0.75 μg/mL. The DPPH inhibition percentages ranged from 88.83% at the highest concentration to 23.75% at the lowest concentration, showing direct relationship between juice concentration and inhibition percentage. The total phenolic content ranged from 25.8 to 42.5 mg GAE/g, while flavonoid concentration ranged from 9.7 to 18.3 mg QE/g, both showing strong positive correlations with DPPH inhibition (r > 0.9). These findings support the use of the Brkulja wheatgrass juice as a natural antioxidant source and emphasize the importance of preserving ancient wheat varieties for health-promoting applications.

The impact of soil amendments on the moisture content, soil strength, and yield of okra on a loamy sand soil in southwest Nigeria

Kabiru Shittu, Omotayo B. Adeboye, Funke Victoria Oladiran — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 00:00:00 +0200

The consequences of improper tillage and soil management are reflected through the decrease in soil health and reduction in crop yield. The objective of this study was to provide information about appropriate tillage practices and soil amendments that can not only improve the soil quality but also lead to optimal okra production in a sustainable way. A two-year study was conducted in the wet season of 2021 and 2022 at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ejigbo Campus, Ejigbo, Osun State, Nigeria. Three options for land preparation were involved, including the following treatments: i. slashing with the aid of cutlass, ii. spraying manually with glyphosate, and iii. conventional tillage. Three different types of nutrient management packages were applied. The moisture content in the soil was determined gravimetrically and soil penetration was measured by pushing a stainless-steel cone-tipped penetrometer (12.8-mm diameter, 30◦ cone) into the soil at a steady rate. The soil strength means of 1.65 and 1.98 MPa were recorded for an amended plot (AM) and non-amended (NA) treatment plots respectively, resulting in 16.7% decrease in soil strength when compared with NA experimental plots. Also, the mean soil strength in the first cropping season for the twelve treatments in 2021 (1.59 MPa) was significantly greater than that in the second cropping season of 2022 (1.30 MPa). This resulted in 18.2% reduction in average soil strength in the second cropping season between 0 to 30 cm soil depths. TRP (1.45 tons/ha) on one of the AM plots had the highest yield and was significantly greater than SPO (0.15 tons/ha) and SLO (0.13 tons/ha) on the NA plots by 867 and 1015% respectively at the 0.05 probability level. In comparison to a non-amended soil environment, soil amendment frequently results in healthier physical properties of soil that support a more favourable soil environment for plant growth.