Bojana Špirović Trifunović

This study investigated various protection programs to control the European cherry fruit fly, cherry brown rot, and cherry leaf spot on sour cherries. The effects of acetamiprid, spinetoram, dodine, boscalid, and pyraclostrobin, applied alone and in combination with sucrose, were determined using standard EPPO methods. Pesticide residues in the cherry fruit were analyzed using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The highest efficacy in controlling the European cherry fruit fly was achieved by applying acetamiprid twice and spinetoram three times during fruit ripening. Successful protection against brown rot was achieved with a single application of boscalid and pyraclostrobin with the addition of sucrose. Dodine in combination with boscalid and pyraclostrobin showed good efficacy in controlling cherry leaf spot, which increased with the addition of sucrose. Residues of spinetoram, boscalid, and pyraclostrobin were below the limit of quantification, while only acetamiprid and dodine residues were detected in the fruit samples, but these were well below the maximum residue levels. This study demonstrates that several alternative protection programs can successfully protect cherries against the European cherry fruit fly and diseases during the critical stage of fruit ripening, with residue levels below the prescribed maximum levels.

The effects of the various protection programs to control the European cherry fruit fly, cherry brown rot and cherry leaf spot on sour cherry were investigated. The effects of acetamiprid, spinetoram, dodine, boscalid and pyraclostrobin, applied alone and in combination with sucrose, were determined using standard EPPO methods. The residues of the applied pesticides were determined in the cherry fruit using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The highest efficiency in controlling the European cherry fruit fly was achieved by applying acetamiprid twice and spinetoram three times during fruit ripening. Successful protection of cherries against brown rot was achieved with a single application of boscalid and pyraclostrobin with the addition of sucrose. Dodine in combination with boscalid and pyraclostrobin had good efficacy in controlling cherry leaf spot, which increased with the addition of sucrose. The residues of spinetoram, boscalid and pyraclostrobin were below the limit of quantification, while only acetamiprid and dodine residues were detected in the fruit samples, but these were well below the maximum residue levels. This study has shown that there are several alternative protection programs that can be used to successfully protect cherries against the European cherry fruit fly and diseases during the critical stage of fruit ripening, with residue levels below the prescribed maximum levels.

Growing mushrooms means meeting challenges while aiming for sustainability and circularity. Wherever the producer is located, commercial strains are the same originating from several producers. Customized strains adapted to local conditions are urgently needed. Before introducing new species to the strain development pipeline, the chemical characterization and biological activity of wild ones need to be assessed. Accordingly, the mycoceutical potential of five polypore mushroom species from Serbia was evaluated including: secondary metabolite composition, oxidative damage prevention, anti-tyrosinase, and anti-angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). The phenolic pattern was comparable in all samples, but the amounts of specific chemicals varied. Hydroxybenzoic acids were the primary components. All samples had varying quantities of ascorbic acid, carotene, and lycopene, and showed a pronounced inhibition of lipid peroxidation (LPx) and ability to scavenge HO^•. Extracts were more potent tyrosinase inhibitors but unsuccessful when faced with ACE. Fomitopsis pinicola had the strongest anti-tumor efficacy while Ganoderma lucidum demonstrated strong selectivity in anti-tumor effect in comparison to normal cells. The evaluated species provided a solid foundation for commercial development while keeping local ecology in mind.

Wild hemp (Cannabis sativa L. ssp. sativa var. spontanea Vavilov), as a whole plant, especially its seeds are highly valued, with significant place in the production of oil-based paints, in creams as a moisturizer, for cooking, animal and bird feed. This work represents an innovative report focused on the evaluation of the phytochemical composition of wild hemp seeds grown in two different locations in Serbia, using Raman microspectroscopy in combination with multivariate data analysis. Some significant differences were found between the analyzed oil samples in terms of their chemical profile. The Raman spectra of the wild hemp seed samples indicate the predominance of unsaturated (1657 and 1268 cm-1), then saturated fatty acids (1443, 1306 and 1084 cm-1) and fatty acid esters (1745 cm-1) due to the higher intensity of the bands. The relative intensities of these bands and results of main principal components analysis (PCA) may indicate that the seed oil of wild hemp from two different locations differs in the content of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids, as shown by the differences in the relative intensities of 1657 and 1268 cm-1.

S-metolachlor is one of the most frequently used herbicides worldwide. However, toxicity studies of this herbicide to aquatic organisms are scarce. In the present study, two experiments were conducted to test the effects of S-metolachlor on common carp, one of the most economically important fish species, with a distribution throughout the world: (1) 96 h acute semi-static toxicity test, aiming to determine LC₅₀; (2) a subchronic semi-static test that lasted 28 days, in which juvenile carp were exposed to 3%, 8%, and 25% of previously determined LC₅₀—0.5 mg·L⁻¹, 1.4 mg·L⁻¹, and 4.1 mg·L⁻¹, respectively. Several biomarkers were employed to assess fish responses to toxicants. Blood biochemistry analysis and nuclear alterations of erythrocytes did not show any difference among experimental groups. Semi-quantitative histopathological analysis revealed mild alterations in the gills and liver, where oedema of secondary epithelium of gills and leukocyte infiltration in liver were significantly higher in fish exposed to 1.4 mg·L⁻¹ and 4.1 mg·L⁻¹. Histopathological indices in liver, as well as the total histopathological index, also showed significantly higher scores in the same groups. Bioconcentration factors of S-metolachlor ranged from 3.2 to 9.4, depending on the experimental group.

Growing mushrooms is meeting challenges while aiming for sustainability and circularity. Wherever the producer is located, commercial strains are the same originating from several producers. Following the harvest, enormous quantities of spent mushroom substrate containing spores are disposed presenting a type of foreign material pressure on the ecosystem in the form of the loss of genetic diversity in wild mushroom populations. This challenge can be mitigated by bioprospecting local strains and using them to generate commercial inoculum. Accordingly, the mycoceutical potential of five polypore mushroom species from Serbia was evaluated: secondary metabolite composition, oxidative damage prevention, anti-tyrosinase, and anti-angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) properties. The phenolic pattern was comparable in all samples, but the amounts of specific chemicals varied. Hydroxybenzoic acids were the primary components. All samples had varying quantities of ascorbic acid, carotene, and lycopene, and showed a pronounced inhibition of lipid peroxidation (LPx) and ability to scavenge HO•. Extracts were more potent tyrosinase inhibitors but unsuccessful when faced with ACE. Fomitopsis pinicola had the strongest anti-tumor efficacy while Ganoderma lucidum demonstrated strong selectivity in anti-tumor effect in comparison to healthy cells. The evaluated species provided a solid foundation for commercial development while keeping the local ecology in mind.

The aim of this study was to compile a detailed phytochemical profile and assess the antioxidant properties of bee-collected pollen (PBP) obtained from corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas L.) plants. To achieve this, a lipid fraction was prepared for quantifying fatty acids using GC-FID. Extractable and alkaline-hydrolysable PBP fractions (obtained from a defatted sample) were used to determine the qualitative and quantitative profiles of phenolic compounds, phenylamides and alkaloids using UHPLC/Q-ToF-MS. Additionally, various spectrophotometric assays (TAC, FRP, CUPRAC, DPPH^⦁) were conducted to evaluate the antioxidant properties. Phenolic compounds were more present in the extractable fraction than in the alkaline-hydrolysable fraction. Luteolin was the predominant compound in the extractable fraction, followed by tricetin and various derivatives of kaempferol. This study presents one of the first reports on the quantification of tricetin aglycone outside the Myrtaceae plant family. The alkaline-hydrolysable fraction exhibited a different phenolic profile, with a significantly lower amount of phenolics. Kaempferol/derivatives, specific compounds like ferulic and 5-carboxyvanillic acids, and (epi)catechin 3-O-gallate were the predominant compounds in this fraction. Regarding phenylamides, the extractable fraction demonstrated a diverse range of these bioactive compounds, with a notable abundance of different spermine derivatives. In contrast, the hydrolysable fraction contained six spermine derivatives and one spermidine derivative. The examined fractions also revealed the presence of seventeen different alkaloids, belonging to the benzylisoquinoline, berberine and isoquinoline classes. The fatty-acid profile confirmed the prevalence of unsaturated fatty acids. Furthermore, both fractions exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with the extractable fraction showing particularly high activity. Among the assays conducted, the CUPRAC assay highlighted the exceptional ability of PBP’s bioactive compounds to reduce cupric ions.

Mefentrifluconazole is a new fungicidal active substance from the isopropanol-azoles, a new sub-class of triazoles. It inhibits sterols biosynthesis and is a very selective fungicide. It is a systemic fungicide with protective, curative, and eradicative activity. Its spectrum includes important pathogens of cereals (Septoria spp., Puccinia spp., Ramularia collocygni, Rhynchosporium secalis). Unlike most triazoles, withdrawn from use in the last 2-3 years, mainly due to reprotoxic and carcinogenic effects, mefentrifluconazole is neither carcinogenic, nor genotoxic or reprotoxic. In adition, it is not acutely toxic, is not irritant to skin or eyes and does not cause specific toxicity to target organs after single or repeated exposure. In contact with the skin, it can cause sensitization, and this is the only toxicological property on the basis of which it is classified and labeled. Acute and chronic dietary exposure of all population groups to this active substance is low, with a large margin of safety. Mefentrifluconazole is not acutely toxic to bees and earthworms. It is very toxic acutely and chronically for aquatic organisms, fish, invertebrates, and algae, while it is toxic for sediment organisms and aquatic macrophytes. The favourable toxicological properties of mefentrifluconazole, and good efficacy in control of important pathogens, recommend this active substance as a good substitute for withdrawn triazoles.

The cereal grains, which represent the cultivated grasses fruits, supply almost half of the total caloric requirements for humans and provide more nourishment compared with any other class of the food. Out of many cereals used for food, maize, rice, and wheat are the most important food resources for humans, representing 94% of the total cereals consumption. According to the data of the Republic Institute of Statistics for the year 2018, the harvested areas of corn amount to 906,753 hectares. The production of about 7 million tons was achieved with an average yield of 7.7 t/ha according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Serbia. Serbia is still among the ten largest exporters of wheat and corn in the world for the period of 2014/15–2017/18. More precisely, it ranks seventh in the export of corn. Utilization of maize products for food animal nutrition (1000 t) is 491,48, and for industrial processing (1000 t) 278,862 expressed as the total consumption (1000 t) is 769,910. Therefore, a total of 103 samples of maize products were analyzed for the presence of toxins, i.e., tropane alkaloids (TAs). The samples were collected from the retail stores in the Republic of Serbia in 2021 and analyzed for the presence of atropine and scopolamine (33 corn grits, 39 polenta, and 31 semolina samples). Therefore, the Recommendation 2015/976/EU on the monitoring of TAs in food was adopted by the EU Commission to obtain more occurrence data on TAs in food. The monitoring extent, however, is restricted because reliable analytical methods and appropriate sensitivity are limited. There was a limit of 1 g/kg for each atropine and scopolamine in cereals containing millet, sorghum, buckwheat, or their derivatives. All the samples were analyzed by the LC-MS/MS. The LOQ was set at 1.0 μg/kg. Out of the total 103 tested samples, 32 samples (31.1%) were contaminated with atropine and scopolamine in concentrations above the LOQ. The highest concentrations of the studied TAs were observed in a semolina sample-atropine: 58.80 μg/kg, scopolamine: 10.20 μg/kg. The obtained results indicate that the TAs concentrations are above the LOQ which can be considered potential human and animal health hazards.