Iosif Gergen

Univesity of Life Science "King Mihai I" from Timisoara · Department of Food Control and Expertise - CEA

Raw data for Fig 1. (DOCX)

Raw data for Fig 2 and for measuring the degree of correlation between Cd levels and 5mC levels in the hepatopancreas of adult C. aspersus. (DOCX)

Raw data for generating Table 1. (DOCX)

5-methylcytosine (5mC) is a key epigenetic mark which influences gene expression and phenotype. In vertebrates, this epigenetic mark is sensitive to Cd exposure, but there is no information linking such an event with changes in global 5mC levels in terrestrial gastropods despite their importance as excellent ecotoxicological bioindicators of metal...

The purposes of this study were: (1) to assess the antioxidant activity of fifteen medicinal plants using CUPRAC method, and (2) to highlight similarities or differences between results for the antioxidant activity estimated by FRAP and CUPRAC (cupric ion reducing antioxidant capacity) methods. The medicinal herbs have been purchased from the local...

Terrestrial gastropods are known to accumulate high Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb in their soft tissues. Here, we examine the interactions between these heavy metals and metallic macroelement level (Ca, Mg, Na, K) in snail foot and hepatopancreas. Assessing the pattern of these interactions may reveal new information concerning the mechanisms by which land sn...

Land snails are highly tolerant to cadmium exposure and are able to accumulate soil cadmium independently of food ingestion. However, little information exists on the kinetics of cadmium retention in terrestrial gastropods exposed to an increase in the soil cadmium content, over time. There is also little knowledge about how exposure to cadmium-pol...

A QuEChERS in house method for determining the marker residue of eprinomectin (eprinomectin B1a) by HPLC-FLD in bovine tissues and milk provided from treated animals was developed and applied. Briefly: all samples were extracted with acetonitrile using a dispersive SPE purification stage. The ascertained detection limits were 1 ƒÊg kg-1 and the qua...

A greenhouse experiment was conducted with different types of composts in order to investigate the effect of composts on fruit quality characteristics of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum L.) commercial F1 Hybrid (cv. Danubius). The tomato fruit quality was estimated by assessing some quality parameters as: dry matter , titratable acidity, ascorbic a...

There are several organisms able to ferment sugars and produce ethanol and parameters applied during fermentation process directly affect metabolic activity of the organisms. Selecting the proper strain of organism and optimal parameters for fermentation is essential for fermentation performance and ethanol production and yield. From twelve microbi...

The goji fruits (Licyum barbarum) are known through their high mineral content: Ca, Mg, P, Fe, Zn, Cu, P, Se, etc., with a positive incidence of high importance on the human body. Considering these aspects, the present paper is provides information on the possibility of using such fruits as mineral supplements for human food. A series of trace esse...

Sprouted grain flour (sprouted grains) is rich in many active principles (oligosaccharides, vitamins, antioxidants, enzymes, microelements), making it a very valuable raw material for food, pharmaceuticals, diets, etc. The aim of our study was the biochemical characterization of flour obtained from germinated cereals (wheat, barley and oats) carrie...

Manganese is one of the most abundant metal in natural environments and serves as an essential microelement for all living systems. However, the enrichment of soil with manganese resulting from industrial inputs may threaten terrestrial ecosystems. Several studies have demonstrated harmful effects of manganese exposure by cutaneous contact and/or b...

ABSTRACT. The objective of our research was to evaluate the nutritional status expressed through the chlorophyll content in wheat crops, by using the analysis of the digital images taken in the visible spectrum. The study is based on observations of different colors expressed by plants in the visible spectrum, following a different nutritional stat...

Given the serious threats posed to terrestrial ecosystems by industrial contamination, environmental monitoring is a standard procedure used for assessing the current status of an environment or trends in environmental parameters. Measurement of metal concentrations at different trophic levels followed by their statistical analysis using explorator...

The term bioindicator defines organisms that respond to a pollutant load with changes in vital functions or accumulate pollutants (Arndt et al. 1987). The use of bioindicator organisms may allow researchers to evaluate the effects of mixtures of pollutants on ecosystems in time and space, depending on the selected species and approach (Hellawell 19...

Zinc is an essential trace element widespread in soil, water, flora and fauna. In the food chain, soil is the main source of zinc. The objective of the work is to summarize the nutritional and toxicity data about the spread of Zn in soils and food from vegetal or animal origin. Zinc toxicity in the plant kingdom was rarely detected (at concentratio...

Background The aim of the paper is to assess by the principal components analysis (PCA) the heavy metal contamination of soil and vegetables widely used as food for people who live in areas contaminated by heavy metals (HMs) due to long-lasting mining activities. This chemometric technique allowed us to select the best model for determining the ris...

Biplot of PC1 and PC2 for soil data in PCA2-soil model. (ZnS, CuS, CdS and PbS are variables used in PCA1-soil model that symbolized total content of Zn, Cu, Cd and Pb in soil samples; R, M and Ref symbolized soils samples from contaminated respectively reference areas and numbers 1 to 9 attached to previous symbols refer to soils samples associate...

Experimental site location.

Biplot of PC1 and PC2 for vegetable data grouped on location, used PCA1-plant model. (FeP, MnP, ZnP, CuP, NiP, CdP and PbP are variables used in PCA1-plant model that symbolized total contents of Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb in vegetable samples, reported to fresh matter; R, M and Ref symbolized vegetables samples from contaminated respectively re...

Biplot of PC1 and PC2 for vegetables data grouped on vegetables species, used PCA3-plant model supplemented with agrochemical parameters pH and clay content.

Copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) can pose serious threats to environmental health because they tend to bioaccumulate in terrestrial ecosystems. We investigated under field conditions the transfer of these heavy metals in a soil-plant-snail food chain in Banat area, Romania. The main goal of this paper was to assess the Roman snai...

Background: The goal of our study was to evaluate the effects of different medicinal herbs rich in polyphenol (Lemon balm, Sage, St. John's wort and Small-flowered Willowherb) used as dietary supplements on bioaccumulation of some essential metals (Fe, Mn, Zn and Cu) in different chicken meats (liver, legs and breast). Results: In different type...

Quantification of the floristic matrix is important both for animal's nutrition and for the biodiversity monitoring of plants species under the influences of substance flow. Our researches have the main aim to study the possibilities offered by Infrared Spectroscopy in rapid, unpolluted and non-destructive analysis of floristic matrix modification...

This paper presents original studies about the influence of mineral and/or organic fertilization on the minerals contents (P, Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni and Pb) in leguminous plants from permanent grassland situated in a hill area of Banat County. Determination of minerals in grassland is very important both for the nutritional or toxic effe...

Background: The aim of this study is to measure the levels of heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd and Pb) found in common vegetables (parsley, carrot, onion, lettuce, cucumber and green beans) grown in contaminated mining areas compared with those grown in reference clear area and to determine their potential detrimental effects via calculation o...

THQ, male and female for investigated vegetables.

In a permanent grassland agro-ecosystem the floristic composition varied depending on substances flow, soil nutrients availability and climatic conditions (Rotar, 1997; Moisuc et al., 2001). On the floristic composition of forages will depended its quality and the satisfaction of nutritive necessities of animal’s, in relationship with the final qua...

Chelators are used in chemical analysis, in medical aplications, as water softeners, as decontamination agents on radioactive surfaces and they are ingredients in many commercial products such as shampoos and food preservatives. Such a synthetic chelator is EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid). It is considered one of the tools that promises to c...

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of thermal processing and storage period on the antioxidant properties and color quality of strawberry, sweet and sour cherry low sugar jam. It was observed that thermal processing of fruits led to statistical significant alterations for all monitored parameters. Most important losses due to the...

The authors present data concerning the distribution of copper in the soil and vegetables (carrots and parsley) in two areas of Caras-Severin County (Ruschiţa and Moldova Nouă) known as historical anthropic pollution areas, and in two unpolluted areas (Borlova and Golet), considered reference (control) areas. Results of soil, carrot, and parsley sa...

This paper presents original studies about the occurrence of some trace metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, Pb and Cd) in different vegetables (pepper, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, green beans, cauliflower, cabbage, dill-leaves, parsley-leaves and roots, celery-leaves and roots, onion, garlic and potatoes) and fruits (sweet and sour cherries, ap...

EDTA is a chelating agent used deliberately in various fields (pulp and paper industry,detergents industry, food industry, medicine, biomedical labs) in order to sequester metal ions whichhave harmful effects in many processes as well as in obtaining of many products. Taking as starting pointthe EDTA property to form metal-EDTA complexes we decided...

Due to their interesting physico-chemical properties (i.e. cation-exchange capacity,adsorption, catalysis and dehydration), natural zeolites are useful in very different fields: agriculture,animal husbandry, chemical and pharmaceutical industry, environmental protection (water, air and soildepollution). Ion-exchange capacity of zeolites consists in...

The aim of this study was to perform a NIR calibration model for crude protein prediction of forages harvested in June 2009 from hill permanent grassland (Gradinari, Caras-Severin District) organized in ten experimental trials fertilized organic, mineral, and organo-mineral. The soil was Calcic Luvisol and the annual average temperature around 10.4...

The aim of this paper was to analyze the influence of microelements source and composition on the antioxidant activity of medicinal herbs. The microelements administered through salts, at NRC (Nutrient Requirements Council) level (A) increased significantly TACFRAP (total antioxidant capacity by FRAP method) for all groups of medicinal plants (a, b...

Codex Alimentarius Standard, EU Legislation and National Standards state honey authenticity. Authenticity in respect of production (to prevent adulteration) and authenticity in respect of geographical and botanical origin are the two main aspects of general honey authenticity. Quality of honey depends on the plant source, the chemical composition o...

The total phenolic content and related total antioxidant capacity of 33 medicinal plants were analyzed. The total phenols were measured by Folin-Ciocalteau assay. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was estimated by Ferric Reducing/Antioxidant Power (FRAP), CUPRAC and DPPH assay. The total phenolic content of medicinal plant infusions ranged from...

The microelements content of 33 medicinal plants was analyzed. The analysed microelements were: Iron, copper, zinc, manganese, cobalt, chromium, nickel, cadmium and lead. Mineral contents were determinate by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS) with high resolution continuum source ContrAA 300 spectrometer. The contents in microelements for...

Differences in color of red wines from Vilis vinifera L. cv. Merlot and Pinot Noir grapes (vintage 2005, winemaking center Recas) were examined during the course of aging in bottle for a period of two years. The parameters evaluated in our study included chromatic parameters (color intensity and tonality), color structure (color due to monomeric an...

The aim of this paper was to emphasize the application modality of a mathematical model to evaluate the risk of environment contamination correlating spectrometric analysis data of soil and bees honey samples, able to evaluate and predict the pollution level of a geographical area only based on the heavy metals content analysis of bees products. Th...

Codex Alimentarius Standard, EU Legislation and National Standards state honey authenticity. Authenticity in respect of production (to prevent adulteration) and authenticity in respect of geographical and botanical origin are the two main aspects of general honey authenticity. Quality of honey depends on the plant source, the chemical composition o...

In this study, a total of eleven medicinal herbs (Rhamnus frangula, Echinaceae herba, Phoeniculus, Malva silvestris, Crataegus monogyna, Taraxacum officinale, Plantago major, Artemisia absinthium, Epilobium montanum, Chelidonium majus, Melissae Folium) from the local market were analyzed for total antioxidant and scavenging capacities. Total antiox...

In our researches we studied the cell suspension growth at Momordica charantia L., in subcultures on Murashige-Skoog medium, under two combinations of growth regulators influence (AIA+Kin and BA+Kin), to select cell lines with high antioxidants content. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total phenol content analysis showed that the cell line...

Lycopene, the predominant carotenoid in tomatoes, exhibits the highest antioxidant activity and singlet oxygen quenching ability of all dietary carotenoids. Processing of tomatoes increases the biovailability of lycopene. This study evaluates the lycopene contents of fresh tomatoes and various commonly consumed tomato products (tomato paste, tomato...

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The main objective of this study is to present our researches regarding the determination of total polyphenols content of seventeen medicinal plants from Romania using NIR Spectroscopy. For this it were performed correlations between the values obtained for total polyphenols content (mM/g) using a chemical method with Folin Ciocalteau reagent and t...

Were investigated in this paper the nitrogen content in soil, in leaf and in tomato fruit after NPK fertilization. The experience was done in a cambic cernosium soil, with low acidity reaction and the high natural fertility potential favorable vegetables cultivation. The study was performed on control soil samples (without fertilizers) and soil sam...

It was analyzed the water content of three pollen samples from three different sources, using the classical chemical method (Karl Fischer). It is very important for this method to select the proper work conditions because pollen has a complex composition. For Karl Fischer’s method we selected the most adequate solvents, temperature and particle siz...

Virtually all metals can produce toxicity when ingested in sufficient quantities, but there are several which are especially important because either they are so pervasive, or produce toxicity at such low concentrations. When speaking of heavy metals we generally mean, lead, mercury, iron, copper, manganese, cadmium, arsenic, nickel, aluminium, sil...

In this paper we present the results of measurement of natural radioactivity of some food produce such as: milk, meat, fish, bread, potatoes, fruits, and eggs produced in the Sibiu County area. We measured α-and β-global activities, Ra – 226 radioactivity and K – 40 radioactivity of some foods from agricultural production of the years 2000-2005.

The aim of the present work was to determine the total antioxidant capacity and polyphenols content for 10 types of beer from Romanian market. Total antioxidant capacity was analyzed using two methods: FRAP and DPPH. Total polyphenols content was determinated using Folin Ciocalteu reagent. The highest FRAP and DPPH values were identified for Stejar...

The paper presents a series of vegetables (spinach, lettuce, parsley-leaves) which were used as indicators in determining the degree of pollution with heavy metals. We determined the heavy metals in vegetables in a polluted and an unpolluted area in Banat.

Soy bean (Glicine max) was tested as a "santinel species" from cobalt, because of the remarkable plant selectivity at this hard metal. This paper evaluates the contribution of soil qualities and the acumulation of chemical elements in soy beans plants by means of active method of biomonitoring.

Soy bean (Glicine max) was tested as a "santinel species" from cobalt, because of the remarkable plant selectivity at this hard metal. Tills paper evaluates the contribution of soil qualities and the acnmiilation of chemical elements in soy beans plants by means of active method of biomonitoring.

This paper presents the modifications of phosphorus compounds in bread caused by the germinated cereals flours addition in different percentages. These changes were the result of enzymatic modifications in phytic acid under phytase action. The germinated cereals which were analyzed (wheat, barley and rye) have a certain activity of phytase. This ac...

In this work it is considered the obtaining of chlorophyll in crystalline form, from fir needles (Abies alba) and from pine needles (Finns sylvestris), quantitative colorimelric determination of chlorophyll, chromatographically separation of "a" chlorophyll from "b" chlorophyll and the possible utilization in medical purpose. The chlorophyll conten...

This work describes the moisture analysis of bee's pollen samples from tree different sources of Timiş county using the halogen drying, a new variation of infrared drying. Pollen is a complex bee product that contains sugar, aminoacids, lipids, water, minerals and that is heat sensitive. The determination of water content (or moisture) by drying me...

This work describes the moisture analysis of bee pollen samples from tree different sources of Timis county using the halogen drying, a new variation of infrared drying. Pollen is a complex bee product that contains sugar, aminoacids, lipids, water, minerals and that is heat sensitive. The determination of water content (or moisture) by drying meth...

Extracting and dosing total alkaloids from Atropa belladonna and Lupinus sp. is critical due to their physiological effect on neurological and muscle system. In the case of Atropa belladonna, quantifying tropanic alkaloids is done using a colorimetric method based on Vitali-Marin reaction, first described by Alpert and Wilson. Nephelometric and gra...

The paper presents the preparation of anionic surfactants by the reaction of abietic acid with aliphatic amines (isobutilene di-izobutilene) and ethanolamine (mono, trietanolamine) in acetone as solvent. These derivates were purified and characterized via IR and MS spectra. Studies of biological activities of the prepared compounds were evaluated.

The effect of chronic biparental preconceptional alcoholization followed by alcohol consumption during the preimplantation period on the maternal and fetal homeostasis of some alkaline and alkaline-earth metals was studied in albino rats. Female and male rats consumed 20% ethanol (v/v) for 50-60 days before mating (group E). Further on pregnant fem...

The late fetal effect of ethanol administered during the preimplantation period (in acute experiment) was investigated. Ethanol was injected i.v. (33.16% v/v in a.d., 4.80 ml/kg b.w.) to pregnant female rats on day 2 and 4 of pregnancy. Some effects concerning biochemical and morphological homeostasis on at-term fetuses (day 20 of pregnancy) were s...

The nickel(II) tetrathiomolybdato complexes [NiL2MoS4] (where L = ethylenediamine, ortho-phenanthroline and 2,2′-bipyridyl) and tetrathioarsenato complexes [Ni3en6(AsS4)2] and [Ni3phen5(AsS4)2] have been prepared. Their infrared and electronic spectra as well as magnetic moments suggest that Ni(II) has a distorted octahedral configuration and MS4 g...

The objective of the present study was to determine the mercury bioaccumulation level in various organs of a cyprinid fish, namely the silver crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio), after a 21 days chronic mercuric chloride exposure. We used a mercury sublethal dose of 0.25 ppm from a ClHg 2 stock solution. Mercury concentration in the tissue sam...

Were characterized in relation to the chromatic properties the young and aged in bottle for 2, 6, 9 and 12 months, the red wines Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir from grapes harvested in 2005 year. During the ageing, the color intensity decreases from 8.20 to 7.89 for Cabernet Sauvignon and from 6.51 to 6.34 for Pinot Noir wine. In the ageing cour...

Microelements , in inorganic form or bind in different combinations (Sel Plex and Fritta), action on humans and animals health, bioproductive performances and meat quality. It were analysed the microelements content for eleven medicinal plants (herbs). The analysed microelements were: Zinc, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Lead and Nickel. Mineral contents...

This study reports the heavy metals contents of eight bee pollen purchased from eight different locations of Romania. The quantified metals for each sample were: Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb and Cr. Heavy metals contents were determinated by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS) with high-resolution continuum source ContrAA 300 spectrometer. Multi...

The aim of this study was to perform a NIR calibration model for crude protein content determination of forages using first derivative of 294 spectra and chemical Kjeldahl values. The forages samples were harvested in June from hill permanent grassland (Grădinari, Caraș-Severin District), fertilized with sheep manure and/or mineral fertilizers. The...

A total of 18 vegetables: bell pepper (red and green); pepper (red and green), sallow thorn (Hyppophae rhammnoides) celery (leaves and root), cabbage (white, red, curly and Bruxelles), broccoli, cauliflower, radish, dill (leaves), parsley (leaves and roots); carrots were analyzed for antioxidant activities using FRAP method, DPPH method, total poly...

It were analyzed the total metals contents for tomatoes cultivated in protected conditions and in field. Ten metals concentrations were quantified for each sample. The analysed minerals are: Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe, Ni and Pb. Mineral contents were determinated by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (F-AAS) with high-resolution continuum sou...