Grain legumes are important sources of energy and proteins, used in many parts of the world, for both animal and human nutrition. Grain legumes are an important and economic source of significant amounts of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and some minerals. The consumption of grain legumes in human diet is limited due to the presence of certain antinutritional factors (α-galactooligosaccharides, phytic acid, condensed tannins, polyphenols, protease inhibitors, α-amylase inhibitors and lectins) (ALONSO et al. 1998). α-galactooligosaccharides (raffinose family oligosaccharides RFO -raffinose, stachyose, verbascose etc.) are characterised by the presence of α(1-6) links between galactose residues and these linkages are not hydrolysed by the intestinal mucosal enzymes (FRIAS et al. 1994). Most researchers ascribe flatulence to the action of anaerobic intestinal microflora on these oligosaccharides that cannot be degraded by mammalian digestive enzymes (VIDAL-VALVERDE et al. 1993). Beneficial effects associated with the consumption of legumes are related to the slow rate of starch digestion and the high content of resistant starch in legumes (TRUSWEL 1992). WÜRSCH et al. (1986) showed that the rigid plant cell walls (dietary fibre) in legumes inhibit swelling and dispersion of starch during processing but the digestibility of starch can be affected by many other factors, such as starch granule structure and the proportion of amylose and amylopectin (BORNET 1993).A wide range of processing techniques such as germination, dehulling, cooking, roasting, autoclaving, fermentation and extrusion have been used and tested to increase the utilization of legumes.The aim of this paper is to evaluate germination, microwave (MW) treatment and hot-air drying effects on changes in soluble carbohydrates and proteins in germinated pea during these processes. It is possible to use germination of grain legumes as the most effective way of decreasing a high content of α-galactooligosaccharides which undesirably affect the nutritive value and acceptability of legumes. Content of α-galactooligosaccharides was reduced to 38% (Gotik cultivar) and to 45% (Grana cultivar) of the original value after 2 days of germination. The aim of further processing was to dry germinated pea to final moisture content 12-14%. Very interesting results were obtained when microwave heating was used as a preliminary treatment before hot air drying. Microwave treatment reduces the time of drying. The contents of soluble carbohydrates (sucrose, raffinose, stachyose and verbascose), proteins and trypsin inhibitor activity were determined as criteria of microwave heating effects on the chemical composition of germinated pea. Germinated pea was used for the preparation of pea soups and these pea dishes were sensory evaluated.Keywords: germination; microwave; drying; pea; α-galactooligosaccharides 24 Vol. 20, Czech J. Food Sci. MATERIAL AND METHODS Plant MaterialSamples of pea (Pisum sativum ssp. sativum L.) -cultivars Grana and Gotik, year of harvest 2000, localit...

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Knowledge of the fractionation of mercury in soils in the vicinity of abandoned cinnabar mines is essential for assessing the usability of soils for the cultivation of agriculturally important crops. Two different sequential extraction methods and the technique of diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) were applied and compared for fractionation of mercury in soils from mercury‐contaminated sites intended for farming purposes. The mercury found in these soils was primarily in the form of mercury sulfide (58.6–83.9%), followed by 6.7 to 15.4% of organically bound mercury and 2.9 to 23.2% of elemental mercury. Up to 10.3% of labile mercury species were determined by both sequential extraction methods in these soils. However, only 0.01 to 0.13% of mercury was determined as a bioavailable fraction using the DGT technique. Both sequential extraction methods tested for the fractionation analysis of mercury in contaminated soils were in excellent agreement. The content of the mobile (labile) mercury determined by the sequential extraction methods was statistically significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than the content of bioavailable mercury determined by the DGT technique. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:1670–1677. © 2020 SETAC

Mercury and its compounds belong to the most toxic substances in the environment and their exposure represents a significant worldwide health issue. Due to the extensive historical mining and metallurgical activities in the Czech and Slovak Republics, several localities with high metal contamination are located here. For monitoring of mercury contamination in edible mushroom species, two very contaminated localities ("Brdy" in the Czech Republic and "Spišská nová ves" in Slovakia) and eight non-polluted localities were chosen. The highest contents of mercury were found in wild-grown Agaricus bisporus (7.68 ± 0.43 mg.kg-1 DW) and Russula integra (9.52 ± 0.46 mg kg-1 DW). The highest hazard indexes were calculated for these samples, too. The highest bioconcentration factor was calculated for Boletus reticulatus.

Concentrations of mercury and arsenic were monitored in water samples from the Záskalská water reservoir (Czech Republic) and its tributaries. The total mercury concentration in the reservoir ranged between 0.06-0.11 µg L -1 and in tributaries between 0.14-0.20 µg L -1 . The effect of water erosion from abandoned cinnabar mine on mercury concentration in tributaries and reservoir was observed. The arsenic concentrations in water samples were between 0.21-0.54 µg L −1 . The 98±10% of arsenic concentration in the water was determined as potentially bioavailable, whereas only 7-20% of the total mercury concentration in the water was determined as bioavailable using diffusive gradients in thin films technique.