Sustainable aquaculture from students’ perspectives Dujmić, Elena; Pleadin, Jelka; Liović, Nikolina ...
Croatian journal of food science and technology,
06/2024, Volume:
16, Issue:
1
Journal Article, Paper
Peer reviewed
Open access
Due to its nutritional value and health benefits, regular consumption of fish should be encouraged at all stages of life. Considering the fact that the majority of the world’s marine fish stocks are ...being exploited, aquaculture is the only way to ensure an adequate supply. Aquaculture production should be sustainable and it should integrate environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Students, as a valuable segment of consumers, are future decision-makers in society and can contribute to sustainable development as agents of change. In this study, 224 students from the University of Rijeka (68 males and 156 females) with an average age of 21.5±1.4 years were included. The aim of this study was to obtain information about the most important aspects of sustainable aquaculture from their point of view. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse the sample characteristics, while statistical significance difference between males and females was computed using an independent t-test and Pearson’s chi-square test. The obtained results confirmed that the most important features of sustainable aquaculture were: minimal use of hormones and drugs, no environmental pollution, and production close to nature. Female participants consider more important protection of endangered species (p=0.04) and respect for fish welfare (p=0.01), while male participants are much more aware of supporting rural areas (p=0.04) and low technical level in production (p=0.04). Quality also emerged as an important component in an open-ended question, together with environmental factors. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to enhance students’ interest in eco-labels, since it did not receive very high importance among this student group (3.60 ± 1.20 and 3.82 ± 0.90). In the future, nutrition education provided by institutions could be an important tool in preparing future generations for sustainable society.
To investigate into the T-2 and HT-2 toxin occurrence, 240 samples of unprocessed cereals (maize, wheat, barley, and oats) were sampled from different fields located in three Croatian regions during ...2017-2018. In all samples, sum concentrations of T-2/HT-2 toxin were determined using the ELISA method, while the LC-MS/MS was used as a confirmatory method for both mycotoxins in positive samples (>LOD) and the establishment of T-2 over HT-2 toxin ratios. The results showed oats to be the most contaminated cereal, with T-2/HT-2 toxins detected in 70.0% of samples, followed by barley (40.9%), maize (26.8%) and wheat (19.2%), with the mean T-2/HT-2 ratio ranging from 1:2.7 in maize to 1:4.4 in oats. Sum T-2/HT-2 concentrations in two maize samples were higher than the indicative level recommended by the European Commission, necessitating subsequent investigations into the conditions under which these poorly investigated mycotoxins are produced. Statistically significantly (
< 0.05) higher concentrations of T-2/HT-2 toxin were determined in oats throughout study regions as compared to those found in wheat, but not maize and barley, while the concentrations of these mycotoxins were related to the regional weather in Croatia.
Due to its numerous health benefits, fish consumption should be strongly encouraged. Fish consumption, however, is a complex phenomenon influenced by various factors. The aim of this research is to ...examine the influence of knowledge, product information, and satisfaction with product attributes on fish consumption in a nationally representative sample of people responsible for food purchasing within households in Croatia (n = 977) and Italy (n = 967). Fish consumption was well predicted (R2 = 15%) by the proposed structural model, using the partial least squares structural equation modelling method (PLS-SEM). The obtained results confirm that subjective knowledge (β = 0.277, p < 0.001) and satisfaction with product attributes (β = 0.197, p < 0.001) are predictors of fish consumption. Subjective knowledge was influenced by product information (β = 0.161, p < 0.001), as well as by satisfaction with product attributes (β = 0.282, p < 0.001), while objective knowledge had an influence on product information (β = 0.194, p < 0.001). Although satisfaction with product attributes was the strongest predictor of subjective knowledge in both countries (βCRO = 0.244, βIT = 0.398), it had a greater effect among Italians (p = 0.001), while the impact of product information (βCRO = 0.210, βIT = 0.086) was more pronounced among Croatians (p = 0.010). Since the mediating role of subjective knowledge in all models was confirmed, action focused on enhancing subjective knowledge should be taken to increase fish consumption.
During the last decade, scientists have given increasingly frequent warnings about global warming, linking it to mycotoxin-producing moulds in various geographical regions across the world. In the ...future, more pronounced climate change could alter host resilience and host-pathogen interaction and have a significant impact on the development of toxicogenic moulds and the production of their secondary metabolites, known as mycotoxins. The current climate attracts attention and calls for novel diagnostic tools and notions about the biological features of agricultural cultivars and toxicogenic moulds. Since European climate environments offer steadily rising opportunities for
growth, an increased risk of cereal contamination with highly toxic aflatoxins shall be witnessed in the future. On top of that, the profile (representation) of certain mycotoxigenic
species is changing ever more substantially, while the rise in frequency of
contamination, as a species which is able to produce several toxic mycotoxins, seen in northern and central Europe, is becoming a major concern. In the following paper, a high-quality approach to a preventative strategy is tailored to put a stop to the toxicogenic mould- and mycotoxin-induced contamination of foods and feeds in the foreseeable future.
As filter feeders, bivalves and ascidians can accumulate contaminants present in the environment and pass them on to higher food chain levels as vectors. The consumption of bivalves contaminated with ...the potent neurotoxin domoic acid (DA) can cause amnesic shellfish poisoning in humans. The aim of this study was to determine seasonal differences in occurrence and accumulation of this phycotoxin in European oysters (
Linnaeus, 1758) (
= 46), Queen scallops (
Linnaeus, 1758) (
= 53), and edible ascidians of the
spp. (
= 107), originating from the same harvesting area in the Northern Adriatic Sea. The quantification was performed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) preceded by derivatization with dansyl chloride. DA was found in very low concentrations throughout the year, with a maximum value of 810 μg/kg in Queen scallops. This study reveals differences in the occurrence and accumulation of DA between Queen scallops and the other two investigated species (oysters and ascidians) and the highest concentrations during the colder part of the year. Even though DA was detected in all of them, Queen scallops showed higher DA accumulation compared to the other two (
< 0.001), hence representing a sentinel species suitable for the monitoring of DA level in seafood.
O1 was isolated from the gut of sea bream (
) and identified with the API biochemical test and MALDI-TOF MS. This strain was further characterised according to the selection criteria for lactic acid ...bacteria as starter cultures for aquatic food production.
O1 showed good antimicrobial activity against pathogenic test microorganisms. Further investigation confirmed it as the producer of the bacteriocin plantaricin. This strain also showed good growth at a wide range of temperatures (from 4 to 45 °C) and a wide range of pH (2-12), even in the presence of 3.5% NaCl. Its viability was also good after lyophilisation and in simulated gastric and small intestinal juice. The strain is a promising probiotic, and our further research will focus on its application in the biopreservation of fresh fish and shellfish.
This study investigated the occurrence of 5 unregulated mycotoxins in a total of 250 traditional dry-cured meat products sampled in 2020 and 2021 in five Croatian regions (eastern, northern, central, ...western, and southern). Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), ochratoxin A (OTA), sterigmatocystin (STC), citrinin (CIT), and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) concentrations were related to the geographical region of the product’s origin and to local weather. The results revealed the contamination of 27% of samples, namely, STC in 4% of samples in concentrations of up to 3.93 µg/kg, OTA in 10% of samples in concentrations of up to 4.81 µg/kg, and CPA in 13% of samples in concentrations of up to 335.5 µg/kg. No AFB1 or CIT contamination was seen. Although no statistically significant differences in concentrations of individual mycotoxins across the production regions were found, differences in mycotoxin occurrence were revealed. The eastern and western regions, with moderate climate, delivered the largest number of contaminated samples, while the southern region, often compared with subtropics, delivered the smallest, so that the determined mycotoxins were probably mainly produced by the Penicillium rather than the Aspergillus species. Due to the interaction of various factors that may affect mycotoxin biosynthesis during production, the detected concentrations cannot be related solely to the weather.
The aim of this study was to identify and compare surface mycobiota of traditional and industrial Croatian dry-fermented sausage
, especially toxicogenic species, and to detect contamination with ...mycotoxins recognized as the most important for meat products. Identification of mould species was performed by sequence analysis of beta- tubulin and calmodulin gene, while the determination of mycotoxins aflatoxin B
(AFB
), ochratoxin A (OTA), and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) was carried out using the LC-MS/MS (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry) method. The results showed a significantly higher number of mould isolates and greater species (including of those mycotoxigenic) diversity in traditional
samples in comparison with the industrial ones.
, as a potential CPA-producer, was the most represented in traditional
(19.0%), followed by
(16.6%), which was the most represented in industrial
samples (23.8%). The results also showed that 69% of the traditional sausage samples were contaminated with either CPA or OTA in concentrations of up to 13.35 µg/kg and 6.95 µg/kg, respectively, while in the industrial samples only OTA was detected (in a single sample in the concentration of 0.42 µg/kg). Mycotoxin AFB
and its producers were not detected in any of the analysed samples (<LOD).
This review examines the 15-year presence of mycotoxins in food from Serbia and Croatia to provide a comprehensive overview of trends. Encompassing the timeframe from 2009 to 2023, this study ...integrates data from both countries and investigates climate change patterns. The results from Serbia focus primarily on maize and milk and show a strong dependence of contamination on weather conditions. However, there is limited data on mycotoxins in cereals other than maize, as well as in other food categories. Conversely, Croatia has a broader spectrum of studies, with significant attention given to milk and maize, along with more research on other cereals, meat, and meat products compared to Serbia. Over the investigated 15-year period, both Serbia and Croatia have experienced notable shifts in climate, including fluctuations in temperature, precipitation, and humidity levels. These changes have significantly influenced agriculture, consequently affecting the occurrence of mycotoxins in various food products. The results summarized in this 15-year review indicate the urgent need for further research and action to address mycotoxins contamination in Serbian and Croatian food supply chains. This urgency is further emphasized by the changing climatic conditions and their potential to exacerbate public health and food safety risks associated with mycotoxins.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of modified clinoptilolite (Minazel Plus
, MZ) as a mycotoxin adsorbent for preventing the negative the effects of ochratoxin A (OTA) on ...performance, pathohistological changes, and OTA residue in the eggs of laying hens.
Forty eight (
= 48) laying hens (27 weeks old) were equally divided into six groups and depending on the type of addition were allocated to the following experimental treatments for 7 weeks: E-I group-1 mg/kg OTA; E-II group 0.25 mg/kg OTA; E-III group 1 mg/kg OTA + 0.2% of MZ; E-IV group 0.25 mg/kg OTA + 0.2% of MZ; MZ group supplemented with 0.2% of the adsorbent; and control (K, without feed additive).
Overall, the addition of 0.2% MZ to laying hen feed mitigated the harmful effects of OTA on target organs and reduced the presence of OTA residue in eggs. The groups that received 0.2% of MZ achieved better production results in terms of body weight, number of eggs, and feed consumption, compared to the other treatments.
The current findings confirm the efficacy of MZ in preventing performance losses in laying hens exposed to OTA, as well as for improving the welfare and health of food producing animals.
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