Plant oils and fats are important and necessary components of the human nutrition. They are energy source and also contain fatty acids - compounds essential for human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate nutritional quality of selected plant oil - olive, rapeseed, pumpkin, flax and sesame; based on fatty acid composition in these oils. Fatty acids (MUFA, PUFA, SFA) were analyzed chromatography using system Agilent 6890 GC, injector multimode, detector FID. The highest content of saturated fatty acids was observed in pumpkinseed oil (19.07%), the lowest content was found in rapeseed oil (7.03%), with low level of palmitic and stearic acids and high level of behenic acid (0.32%) among the evaluated oils. The highest content of linoleic acid was determined in pumpkinseed (46.40%) and sesame oil (40.49%); in these samples was also found lowest content of α-linolenic acid. These oils have important antioxidant properties and are not subject to oxidation. The richest source of linolenic acid was flaxseed oil which, which is therefore more difficult to preserve and process in food industry. In olive oil was confirmed that belongs to the group of oils with a predominantly monosaturated oleic acid (more than 70%) and a small amount of polysaturated fatty acid. The most commonly used rapeseed oil belongs to the group of oils with the medium content of linolenic acid (8.76%); this oil also showed a high content of linoleic acid (20.24%). The group of these essentially fatty acids showed a suitable ratio ∑n3/n6 in the rapessed oil (0.44).

Dirofilaria immitis is a parasite related to pulmonary dirofilariasis in humans, its accidental hosts. We detected an autochthonous case of D. immitis infection in a woman from Slovakia. The emergence and spread of this parasite in Europe indicates a critical need for proper diagnosis of infection.

The aim of study was to determine primary and secondary metabolites in selected varieties of potatoes. Potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) are good source of bioactive compounds, mainly phenols as one of the most important components. The chemical composition with reducing sugar, starch, ascorbic acid, total polyphenol and flavonoid content were analyzed in five potato varieties (Agria, Marabel, Red Anna, Picasso, Princess). Values of dry matter content ranged from 20.34 to 23.64%. In terms of tubers storage, its content above 20% is required. The highest level of starch was detected in variety Princess (16.82%). The lowest reducing sugar content was recorded by variety Marabel (0.08%). Similarly, low values reached varieties Princess (0.12%), Agria (0.14) and Red Anna (0.16%). These would be appropriate to use for food processing and for production of fried potato chips or fries. Variety Red Anna reached the highest amount of vitamin C (73.72 mg.kg-1). The lower levels of this vitamin showed tubers of varieties Picasso (35.02 mg.kg-1) and Princess (36.89 mg.kg-1). The antioxidant activity was measured with radical scavenging assays using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical as well as phosphomolybdenic assay. Potato varieties contained high levels of total polyphenols (0.474 – 1.550 mg GAE per dry weight) and flavonoids (1.407 – 15.933 μg QE per dry weight). The consumption of potatoes can provide nutritional value along with antioxidant potential that can be helpful for proper functioning of the body physiological systems. Statistical evaluation by the single factor analysis of variance detected high significant impact of variety on the content of all the analytical parameters in evaluated varieties of potato tubers.

This scientific work deals with technological and sensory quality examination of a set of nine Slovak potato varieties. Varietal samples were grown and stored at the Potato Research and Breeding Institute in Veľká Lomnica (Slovak Republic). Evaluated varieties: Arwen, Evelin, Malvína, Megan, Rumelia, Spinela, Svella, Timea, Viola. Dry matter and starch content of tubers were evaluated from the group of technological parameters. Sensory evaluation was carried out by using the dine value point descriptor. Varietal evaluation was realized from the harvest of 2011 and 2012.The highest dry matter content of 21.8% was measured at variety Rumelia. The starch content was at the same variety at the level of 15.8%. The highest sensory evaluation with very good dine value achieved varieties Evelin (78.0 points) and Spinela (77.8 points). As the best varieties for storage can be used varieties Rumelia, Arwen and Megan. For heat treatment are most suitable varieties Evelin and Spinela.

Contamination of malting barley grain and malt with micromycetes sampled at various periods post-harvest (3rd, 6th, and 9th month of storage) and types of storage (storage silo and floor warehouse) was investigated. Each of these barley grain samples was malted. This article reports on the changes in the fungal microbiome composition and their overall count in barley grain and malt. From the surface-disinfected barley grain samples collected immediately after harvest, there were eight genera isolated, with a predominance of Alternaria. A small increase of isolated microfungi was detected in barley stored in silo for 3 and 6 months (from 142 isolates to 149) and decreased below the number of isolates in barley before storage (133 isolates). Fungal count during storage gradually decreased up to 9 month in barley stored in floor warehouse (from 142 isolates to 84). The initial total count of microscopic fungi in malt before storage was the highest (112 isolates) with 7 genera detected, compared to malts prepared from barley stored for longer time (54 isolates, 7 genera, 9th month of storage). Alternaria was the most abundant and frequent genus. Quantitative representation of the filamentous microscopic fungi was lower compared to yeasts especially in barley and malt prepared from barley stored at third month of storage in both type of storage. Yeasts were identified from all grain samples and malt samples with mass spectrometry. Most attention was given to the widely distributed fungus Penicillium, 79% of strains produced at least one mycotoxin detected under in vitro assays using the TLC method (97% of them produced griseofulvin, 94% CPA, 79% patulin, 14% roquefortin C, and penitrem A was produced by two screening strains under laboratory conditions). It is therefore important to monitor the microflora throughout the production cycle of “barley to beer”.