Food fraud is a concern for the producers of high-quality food products as it causes brand damage and loss of profit. Tea (Camellia sinensis L.) is one of the major agricultural products of Sri Lanka and accounts for more than 300 million of kilograms per year, roughly 2% of the national GDP. Trace metals and stable isotope ratios in tea samples originating from various regions in Sri Lanka were determined by using X-ray fluorescence analysis and isotope-ratio mass spectrometry to explore the possibility of classifying the tea according to its origin. In total, 13 elements (Mg, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb and Sr) were determined in 58 tea samples originating from four production districts in Sri Lanka (Hantana, Thalawakelle, Passara and Ratnapura). Two multivariate analysis techniques, namely principal component analysis and canonical discriminant analysis, were applied to explore the differences in elemental contents among the tea produced in these regions and to find a method for compositional classification. This study, although limited by the number of samples available, clearly shows that the differentiation and classification of tea samples according to the four regions of origin is possible by using the elemental contents and applying canonical discriminant analysis.

Bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating disease of many economically-important crops. Management of R. solanacearum is difficult using a single method hence incorporation of a biological component in an integrated programme would be a promising approach. In the present study biocontrol potential of bacteriophages in controlling bacterial wilt of tomato (variety Thilina) was investigated. Bacteriophages were isolated from soil collected from vegetable fields or locations rich with organic matter and a mixture of six different phages were used in the study. Their effectiveness in controlling bacterial wilt caused by two isolates of R. solanacearum (isolate 6 and AB3) was investigated under planthouse conditions. Bacteriophage mixtures at a concentration of 2.86x10 6 pfu/ml were applied to the rhizosphere as a soil drench by several methods. The phage isolates had different lytic patterns on host R. solanacearum isolates and varied in their plaque morphology. Percentage wilt incidence by isolate 6 was reduced by 10%, due to application of the phage mixture immediately before the inoculation of the pathogen or when applied three times as a soil drench. Wilt incidence by isolate AB3 was reduced by 20% due to the application of the phage mixture by the two methods. Survival of the bacteriophage in soil treated with pahges ranged from 0.2 x 10 3 -3.5 x 10 4 pfu/g of soil, after 15 days of the last application of phages.

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The pro-apoptotic effect of new 2-thioxo-4-thiazolidinone derivative Les-3331 on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines ..