scholarly journals Natural Occurrence of Ochratoxin A in Spices Marketed in the Czech Republic during 2019–2020

Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2984
Author(s):  
Darina Pickova ◽  
Jakub Toman ◽  
Vladimir Ostry ◽  
Frantisek Malir
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
Black Pepper ◽  
Natural Occurrence ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Immunoaffinity Columns ◽  
Pre Treatment ◽  
Detection And Quantification

Spices are a popular ingredient in cuisine worldwide but can pose a health risk as they are prone to fungal infestation and mycotoxin contamination. The purpose of this study was to evaluate ochratoxin A (OTA) in 54 single-kind traditional and less traditional spices, each of which was purchased in six samples of different batches (324 samples in total) at the Czech market during 2019–2020. The HPLC-FLD method with pre-treatment by immunoaffinity columns was employed to determine OTA. The limits of detection and quantification were 0.03 ng g−1 and 0.10 ng g−1, respectively. A total of 101 (31%) samples of 19 spice kinds were positive at concentrations ranging from 0.11–38.46 ng g−1. Only turmeric was contaminated with an OTA level exceeding the European Union limits. However, most spices have no regulation, thus further extensive monitoring of various mycotoxins in various kinds of spices is necessary. Chilli and black pepper are the most studied spices for OTA contamination, however, many other kinds of spice can also be highly contaminated, but studies on them are less common, rare, or have not yet been performed. The uniqueness of this study lies in the wide range of spice types studied for the presence of OTA on the Czech market.

scholarly journals FOREIGN POLICY IMPERATIVES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE VISEGRAD GROUP AND UKRAINE

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 81-89
Author(s):  
Vitalii Koltsov ◽  
Yuliia Lomzhets
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Problems And Solutions ◽  
Modern Economic ◽  
Visegrad Group ◽  
Analytical Separation ◽  
Visegrád Countries

The article is devoted to the analysis of the main stages of creation and development of the Visegrad Group as a regional grouping, which is successfully developing when being a member of NATO and the European Union. This kind of research is especially relevant in connection with the exacerbation of the economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of the research is to analyze the strategic stages of creation and development of various cooperative aspects of the Visegrad countries; such a format of interaction has not lost its relevance after accession to the European Union. Analytical separation of periodization of the stages of formation, identification of problems and solutions faced by the Visegrad group’s countries is important for creating a modern economic and political worldview of cooperation and indentifying the main areas of cooperation in Europe. Based on the use of documents, including protocols and declarations as a result of meetings at various levels within the Visegrad Group, the specific stages of its development and interaction with Ukraine in a wide range of components that are the essence of Euro-Atlantic integration are analyzed and identified. Specific examples illustrate that Ukraine has always been in the field of key interests of the Visegrad Four, getting effective assistance and support in various forms from it. There have been identified not only practical issues of regional cooperation and security, but also some aspects of the value and civilization dimension. The member countries of the Visegrad Group, having initiated the format of cooperation “V4 + Ukraine”, took an active part in the most important processes that Ukraine went through on its way. The assumption is proved that the experience of the Visegrad countries is relevant and useful for Ukraine on the way to the realization of its Euro-Atlantic integration aspirations. Despite the difficulties within the European Union, between Ukraine and some of the signatories of the 1991 Visegrad Declaration, cooperation with Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary is the most effective communication platform for intensifying a broad dialogue between Ukraine and the European Union.

scholarly journals Visegrad Group: History of Creation and Experience of Cooperation with Ukraine in the Context of European Integration

2019 ◽  
pp. 25-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volodymyr Latenko
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Integration ◽  
Regional Cooperation ◽  
Self Determination ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many ◽  
Visegrad Group

The article is devoted to the history of the creation and functioning of the Visegrad Group as a regional entity, which not only did not cease activities after achieving the goal of Atlantic and European integration, but also successfully develops it, already being a member of NATO and the European Union. Based on the use of a broad documentary framework, in particular, protocols and declarations as a result of meetings of various levels within the framework of the Visegrad Group, analyzed and identifies the concrete stages of its development and interaction with Ukraine in a wide range of components that form the essence of Euro-Atlantic integration. On concrete examples, it was illustrated that Ukraine has always been in the field of key interests of the Visegrad Four, received effective help and support from her side in a variety of forms. It is not just about practical issues of regional cooperation and security, but also about the many aspects of the value and civilization dimension. The participating countries of the Visegrad Group, having become the initiators of the “B4 + Ukraine” cooperation format, have never stood apart from the most important processes and transitional stages, through which Ukraine passed on its way to becoming and self-determination. The opinion is upheld, that the experience gained by the member countries of the Visegrad format is relevant and useful for Ukraine and today on the way of implementing its Euro-Atlantic integration aspirations. Despite the existing difficulties both within the European Union and between Ukraine and individual signatory countries of the Visegrad Declaration of 1991, cooperation with Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary is the most effective communication platform for intensifying the broad dialogue between Ukraine and European Union.

scholarly journals Assessment of the social exclusion at the regional level using multi-criteria approach: evidence from the Czech Republic

Equilibrium ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-102
Author(s):  
Roman Vavrek ◽  
Eva Kovářová
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Social ◽  
Wide Range

Research background: Social services are the main social tool used for the prevention and solution of social exclusion and its risk. Services of social prevention are focused on the well-being of the whole society and they prevent it from the influence of a wide range of socio-economic phenomena related to social exclusion, understood in multidimensional terms. Purpose of the article: The purpose of the paper is to evaluate districts of the Czech Republic with respect to selected socio-economic factors that lead or can lead to social exclusion, when the emphasis is placed on the exclusion of children and youth, and to identify the causes of differences existing among these districts within the period of years 2011?2016. Methods: The paper focuses on multi-criterial assessment of districts of the Czech Republic using 23 indicators covering main aspects of social exclusion, which are processed with the Technique of Order Preference Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS technique) in combination with the Coefficient of Variance method used to determine the indicators? weight. The results obtained using these methods are completed by the Moran?s index, Shapiro-Wilk test, Mann-Whitney test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Kendall Rank Coefficient and Levene?s test. Findings & value added: A small number of districts with very negative assessment, with the presence of social exclusion and its higher risk, respectively, are identified. Differences among regions are constant and could not be assigned to randomness or disposable changes in the structure of indicators. Higher number of children born to unmarried mothers can be considered a typical aspect of the districts with higher risk of the social exclusion. The methods applied in the research, whose results and findings are presented in the paper, can be inspiring to further studies focusing on the social exclusion in its multidimensionality. The research is framed with the European Union discourse of social exclusion, thus the presented findings also open space for the comparisons and discussions of the factors associated with the social exclusion in other European Union Member States.

Foreign policy priorities of the Czech parliamentary parties (following the 2017 elections)

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 144-159
Author(s):  
Ella Zadorozhnyuk
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Presidential Elections ◽  
Hard Core ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Eu

The analysis of sections on the foreign policy of the official programme documents of the Czech parliamentary parties is given. A wide range of preferences has been revealed – from adherence to «a hard core» in the European Union, to calls for reforming the EU and for a referendum on the withdrawal from it. It is noted that the Czech voters are quite pragmatic about the foreign policy orientation of the Czech Republic. This was indicated, in particular, by the results of the presidential elections held in January 2018. The right to occupy the highest state post was granted to Miloš Zeman, who adheres to the concept of the multi-vector foreign policy of the Czech state.

Occurrence of Ochratoxin A Contamination and Detection of Ochratoxigenic Aspergillus Species in Retail Samples of Dried Fruits and Nuts

2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (4) ◽  
pp. 836-842 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEFFREY D. PALUMBO ◽  
TERESA L. O'KEEFFE ◽  
YVONNE S. HO ◽  
CARLO J. SANTILLAN
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Ochratoxin A ◽  
The United States ◽  
Aspergillus Species ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Dried Fruits ◽  
Tree Nuts ◽  
Low Levels ◽  
Contamination Levels ◽  
Potential Contaminant

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by several species of Aspergillus and Penicillium and is a potential contaminant of a wide variety of food products. To determine the incidence of OTA contamination in dried fruits and tree nuts, retail packaged and bulk raisins, dates, figs, prunes, almonds, pistachios, and walnuts were collected from small and large supermarkets in seven areas of the United States between 2012 and 2014. Of the 665 samples analyzed, OTA was detected in 48 raisin samples, 4 fig samples, 4 pistachio samples, and 1 date sample. OTA contamination levels ranged from 0.28 to 15.34 ng/g in dried fruits and 1.87 to 890 ng/g in pistachios; two raisin samples and one pistachio sample exceeded the European Union regulatory limit of 10 ng/g. PCR detection of potential OTA-producing Aspergillus species revealed the presence of A. niger, A. welwitschiae, and A. carbonarius in 20, 7, and 7 of the 57 OTA-contaminated samples, respectively. However, OTA-producing A. carbonarius was isolated from only one raisin sample, and no other OTA-producing Aspergillus species were found. These results suggest that raisins are more frequently contaminated with low levels of OTA than are other dried fruits and nuts and that Aspergillus species are the likely source of that contamination.

scholarly journals The Fiscal Compact and the European Constitutions: ‘Europe Speaking German’

2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
LB ◽  
JHR
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Czech Republic ◽  
Monetary Union ◽  
Euro Area ◽  
Economic And Monetary Union ◽  
Economic Policies ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Fiscal Compact

In between the writing of this editorial and the publication of this issue of EuConst, the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union, in everyday parlance the ‘Fiscal Compact’, will have been signed by the representatives of the governments of the contracting parties — the member states of the European Union minus the United Kingdom and the Czech Republic. The Fiscal Compact is intended to foster budgetary discipline, to strengthen the coordination of economic policies and to improve the governance of the euro area.

The MycoGlobe project: a European Union funded successful experiment in enhancing cooperation and coordination amongst mycotoxin researchers worldwide

2008 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 493-500
Author(s):  
D. Bhatnagar ◽  
G. Perrone ◽  
A. Visconti
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Food Safety ◽  
Food Quality ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Toxigenic Fungi ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Food Quality And Safety

In 2004, the European Commission approved the specific support action 'Integration of Mycotoxin and Toxigenic Fungi Research for Food Safety in the Global System' (MycoGlobe, contract FOOD-CT-2004-007174) within the Sixth Framework Programme, Food Quality and Safety. The aim of the MycoGlobe project (http://mycoglobe.ispa.cnr.it) was to implement the outcomes of a wide range of European research projects in the area of mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi by supporting, stimulating and facilitating cooperation between countries in the European Union and other countries that have bilateral scientific and technological cooperation agreement with the European Union (such as USA, Australia and South America). Through a series of conferences and interactions between scientists worldwide, MycoGlobe was a very successful project. The scientific significance of the MycoGlobe project consisted in the spread of knowledge of advanced research tools in genomics and sophisticated and rapid detection systems for mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi; and evaluation of research policy and procedures to achieve best practice for enhancement of food quality and safety by elimination of mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi from commodities. The socio-economic significance of the project was the setting up of a global collaborative network for research and technology transfer in the field of mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi, particularly for the benefit of the developing countries. A relevant outcome of the project was also the launching of the International Society for Mycotoxicology (http://www.mycotoxsociety. org) to promote research on mycotoxins and toxigenic fungi, thereby leading to prevention and reduction in exposure to mycotoxins, enhanced food safety and a greater public awareness of this area.

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