This study quantifies the environmental impact of milk production of Italian Mediterranean buffaloes and points out the farm characteristics that mainly affect their environmental performance. Life cycle assessment was applied in a sample of 6 farms. The functional unit was 1 kg of normalized buffalo milk (LBN), with a reference milk fat and protein content of 8.3 and 4.73%, respectively. The system boundaries included the agricultural phase of the buffalo milk chain from cradle to farm gate. An economic criterion was adopted to allocate the impacts on milk production. Impact categories investigated were global warming (GW), abiotic depletion (AD), photochemical ozone formation (PO), acidification (AC), and eutrophication (EU). The contribution to the total results of the following farm activities were investigated: (1) on-farm energy consumption, (2) manure management, (3) manure application, (4) on-farm feed production (comprising production and application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides), (5) purchased feed production, (6) enteric fermentation, and (7) transport of purchased feeds, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides from producers to farms. Global warming associated with 1 kg of LBN resulted in 5.07 kg of CO₂ Eq [coefficient of variation (CV)=21.9%], AD was 3.5 × 10(-3) kg of Sb Eq (CV=51.7%), PO was 6.8 × 10(-4) kg of C₂H₄ Eq (CV=28.8%), AC was 6.5 × 10(-2) kg of SO₂ Eq (CV=30.3%), and EU was 3.3 × 10(-2) kg of PO₄(3-) Eq (CV=36.5%). The contribution of enteric fermentation and manure application to GW is 37 and 20%, respectively; on-farm consumption, on-farm feed production, and purchased feed production are the main contributors to AD; about 70% of PO is due to enteric fermentation; manure management and manure application are responsible for 55 and 25% of AC and 25 and 55% of EU, respectively. Methane and N₂O are responsible for 44 and 43% of GW, respectively. Crude oil consumption is responsible for about 72% of AD; contribution of CH4 to PO is 77%; NH₃ is the main contributor to AC (92%); NO₃(-) and NH₃ are responsible for 55 and 41% of EU, respectively; contribution of P to EU is only 3.2%. The main characteristics explaining the significant variability of life cycle assessment are milk productivity and amount of purchased feed per kilogram of LBN. Improvement of LBN production per buffalo cow is the main strategy for reducing GW and PO; improvement of the efficiency of feed use is the strategy proposed for mitigating AD, PO, AC, and EU.

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Ethyl acetate extracts of the phytopathogenic fungi Diplodia maydis and Sclerotium rolfsii presented antibacterial activity against multidrug resistant bacteria isolated from patients in the University Hospital (HUOP-Unioeste, Brazil).

Os ambientes de serviços de saúde podem alojar uma grande diversidade de micro-organismos, formando um fator importante na ocorrência de infecções associadas à Assistência à Saúde, portanto, os antissépticos e/ou desinfetantes são produtos com extenso espectro de atividade antimicrobiana com atribuição de inativar os micro-organismos. O álcool é um composto muito utilizado pelas instituições de saúde e pela população, como antisséptico e desinfetante, por possuir baixa toxicidade, efeito microbicida rápido e efetivo, além de ser facilmente aplicado. Este trabalho buscou avaliar a atividade antimicrobiana das formulações de álcool em gel produzidas por uma indústria de cosméticos da Região Oeste do Paraná. Foram realizadas as verificações da atividade antimicrobiana do álcool em gel de seis diferentes lotes empregando a Técnica do Gotejamento descrito por Grove e Randal (1955), frente às cepas das bactérias: Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa e Salmonella sp. Verificou-se que a utilização de álcool em gel a 70% como antisséptico foi mais eficaz para combater patógenos como S. aureus e E. coli. Já para bactérias tais como P.

uso (matérias-primas e produtos acabados) e o monitoramento microbiológico ambiental indicou adequação à legislação pertinente, indicando que, provavelmente a indústria avaliada pelo presente estudo tem aplicado as Boas Práticas de Fabricação.