The objective of this research was to evaluate the chemical composition of grain of 20 winter wheat, rye and triticale varieties grown in Lithuania. The grain of the tested varieties was analysed for crude protein, crude fat, crude ash, crude fibre, and amino acids. The Pearson's correlation coefficient between the components of grain chemical composition (except amino acids) was calculated. The highest concentration of crude protein was determined for the variety 'SW Talentro' (triticale) and the lowest for the rye variety 'Palazzo' (P < 0.05). Among the wheat varieties tested, the 'Mariboss' contained the highest concentration of crude fat (1.56% dry matter) and crude fibre (2.19% dry matter) (P < 0.05). Among the rye varieties tested, the highest and dominant mean content of neutral detergent fibre was determined for the variety 'Matador' (20.59% dry matter) (P < 0.05). The grain of wheat varieties had a high content of acid detergent fibre ('Rigi') and acid detergent lignin ('Mariboss') (P < 0.05). Furthermore, a very strong correlation was determined between individual fibre fractions of grain, that is between hemicellulose and neutral detergent fibre content (r = 0.99) and between acid detergent fibre and cellulose (r = 0.93). A negative correlation was determined between the crude protein and nitrogen-free extract (r = −0.83). The study revealed that the wheat variety 'Zentos', the rye variety 'Dankowskie Amber' and the tirticale variety 'SW Talentro' accumulated a higher amount of amino acids in comparison with the other cereal varieties tested. The results of the study showed that the chemical composition (crude protein, essential amino acids, nitrogenfree extract, neutral detergent fibre) of grain of the triticale varieties was more similar to that of wheat varieties compared with rye varieties.

In this study, the presence of antibiotics ( ANB ) residues was evaluated in poultry meat purchased from German and Lithuanian markets. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of 13 lactic acid bacteria ( LAB ) strains, 2 essential oils ( EO ) ( Thymus vulgaris and Origanum vulgare L.), and their compositions were tested for the purpose of inhibiting antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp. ANB residues were found in 3 out of the 20 analyzed poultry meat samples: sample no. 8 contained enrofloxacin (0.46 μg/kg), sample no. 14 contained both enrofloxacin and doxycycline (0.05 and 16.8 μg/kg, respectively), and sample no. 18 contained enrofloxacin (2.06 μg/kg). The maximum residue limits ( MRLs ) for the sum of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin and for doxycycline in the poultry muscle are 100 μg/kg. Finally, none of the tested poultry meat samples exceeded the suggested MRLs; however, the issue of ANB residues still requires monitoring of the poultry industry in Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, despite the currently established low ANB concentrations. These findings can be explained by the increased use of alternatives to ANB in the poultry industry. Our results showed that an effective alternative to ANB, which can help to reduce the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant salmonella, is a composition containing 1.0% of thyme EO and the following LAB strains: Lactobacillus plantrum LUHS122, Enteroccocus pseudoavium LUHS242, Lactobacillus casei LUHS210, Lactobacillus paracasei LUHS244, Lactobacillus plantarum LUHS135, Lactobacillus coryniformins LUHS71, and Lactobacillus uvarum LUHS245, which can be recommended for poultry industry as components of feed or for the treatment of surfaces, to control the contamination with Salmonella strains. However, it should be mentioned that most of the tested LAB strains were inhibited by thyme EO at the concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0%, except for LUHS122, LUHS210, and LUHS245. Finally, it can be noted that the agents responsible for the inhibitory effect on Salmonella are not the viable LAB strains but rather their metabolites, and further studies are needed to identify which metabolites are the most important.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and organic acids (OAs) supplements on the caecum microbial profiles, productivity and production quality characteristics of broiler chickens (BCs). BC (900 chicks) were attributed to three groups: (i) control; (ii) MCFAs group (BCs fed with feed supplemented with MCFAs); (iii) OAs group (BCs fed with feed supplemented with OAs). Broilers were slaughtered at the end of the trial (42 days old), and the caecum microbial profiles, productivity and production quality characteristics were analysed. Supplementation with OAs resulted in a more appropriate environment in the caecum for beneficial microorganisms than with a diet supplemented with MCFAs. This was supported by data on the presence of higher amounts and an increased species variety of probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) in the caecum of birds. The above-mentioned changes of the caecum microbiota led to significantly higher villus height (p = 0.003) of the OAs broiler group and significantly lower crypt depth (p = 0.037). Notwithstanding the significant increase of acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acids that were established in caecum samples from the MCFAs group, better parameters of broiler production performance (higher body weight and lower mortality) and carcass traits (higher both thigh and shin muscles with skin and bone weight; both shin muscles without skin and bone weight; abdominal fat yield) were found in the OAs-treated group. For chemical, physical and technological characteristics of breast meat samples, increased yellowness and water holding capacity by 14.7% and 2.3%, respectively, were found in MCFAs group samples. A more appropriate environment in the caecum for beneficial microorganisms could be obtained when BCs were fed with OAs supplement, comparing to MCFAs, and these positive changes were associated with higher efficiency of poultry production.

Salmonella enterica is one of the best adapted bacterial pathogens causing infections in a wide variety of vertebrate species. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella in different reptile species and to evaluate their serological variety and patterns of antimicrobial resistance. In total, 97 samples from 25 wild and domesticated reptile species were investigated in Lithuania. Serological variety, as well as phenotypical and genotypical resistance to antimicrobials, were investigated. Fifty isolates of Salmonella were obtained from the ninety-seven tested samples (51.5%; 95% CI 41.2–61.2). A significantly higher prevalence of Salmonella was detected in domesticated individuals (61.3%; 95% CI 50.0–71.5) compared with wild ones (18.2%; 95% CI 7.3–38.5). All isolates belonged to a single species, Salmonella enterica. Results demonstrated that reptiles carry a large variety of Salmonella serovars. Thirty-four isolates (68%) of Salmonella were resistant to at least one antimicrobial drug. The most frequent resistance of the isolates was to streptomycin (26%), cefoxitin, gentamicin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol (16%). Genes encoding resistance to tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, sulphonamides and trimethoprim were detected. No integrons that are associated with horizontal gene transfer were found. Data obtained provided knowledge about the adaptation of Salmonella in reptiles. Healthy individuals, irrespective of their origin, often carry Salmonella, including multi-resistant strains. Due to its large serological diversity, zoonotic potential and antimicrobial resistance, Salmonella in reptiles poses a risk to other animals and humans.