DEVELOPMENT OF FRESH AND MINIMALLY PROCESSED BANANA INFLORESCENCE

Banana inflorescence though a high valued vegetable, but its difficulty in extraction of flowers for cooking, restricts its consumption and popularity. Therefore, in order to get a solution from this problematic condition the experiment was conducted with an aim to develop banana inflorescence which would be fresh as well as minimally processed so they can be used instantly. In the present experiment ‘Kanthali’ variety for banana inflorescence was used. The bracts were separated and banana flowers were carefully removed and thereafter they were treated with various chemicals like calcium chloride, citric acid, calcium hypochlorite and even their combinations were also used. The dipping time of the banana inflorescence in the treatments was of around 10 minutes, then after keeping the treated materials under a fan in the laboratory for few minutes they were prepacked and storage was carried in refrigerated condition of 7+20 C temperature and 80-85% relative humidity. The treatments were replicated 3 times and observations for different attributes were carried at different days of storage. From the experiment it was concluded that banana inflorescence treated with combination of calcium hypochlorite, calcium chloride and citric acid was found most superior in retaining various physical and chemical properties and was with least microbial damage throughout the storage period.

Ministry of the Environment announces a Guide on Renovation and Repair of Buildings with Moisture and Microbial Damage – from theory to practice

In 2015, the Ministry of the Environment in Finland renewed the legislation and the National Building Code of Finland. It released completely new legislation concerning repair design. This was due to widely known issues relating to the indoor air quality of private and public buildings. In the autumn of 2019, the Ministry of the Environment in Finland published a guide concerning the repairs of moisture and microbial damage. It is available in Finnish and Swedish. This guide is a follow-up of the Environmental Guide “Building Moisture and Indoor Air Quality Assessment”, published 2016. It completes the series of guides for the execution of a project repairing indoor air quality issues, from a condition assessment to the completion of repairs and the implementation of the building. These guides lead through common practices and how these issues shall be dealt with in Finland.

MODERN METHODS OF BIOCONTROL OF PHYTOPATHOGENS OF VEGETABLE RAW MATERIALS

Приведен обзор применяемых в настоящее время способов биологического контроля заболеваний растительного сырья. Несмотря на быстрый рост научных исследований в области продления сроков хранения растительного сырья, предотвращение его потерь от микробиальной порчи по-прежнему является актуальной задачей. Отмечено, что химические методы контроля заболеваний растений являются токсичными и представляют угрозу для здоровья потребителя; в настоящее время ведется поиск альтернативных, более безопасных и экологичных способов контроля заболеваний продуктов растениеводства. Показано, что таковыми являются методы биологического контроля микробиальной порчи. Рассмотрены биопрепараты, пригодные для борьбы с фитопатогенами растений, а также новые перспективные штаммы бактерий, которые могут быть применены для борьбы с микробиальной порчей. Сделан вывод о перспективности разработок технологий биологического контроля микробиальной порчи продукции растениеводства. The review of the ways of biological monitoring of diseases of vegetable raw materials applied now is provided. Despite the fast growth of scientific research in the area of extending the shelf life of plant raw materials, preventing losses from microbial damage is still an urgent task. It is noted that chemical control methods of diseases of plants are toxiferous and pose a threat for health of the consumer; now searching of the alternate, safer and eco-friendly ways of monitoring of diseases of products of crop production is conducted. It is shown that those are methods of biological monitoring of microbial damage. The biological products suitable for fight against phytopathogens of plants and also new perspective strains of bacteria which can be applied to fight against microbial damage are considered. The conclusion is drawn on prospects of developments of technologies of biological monitoring of microbial damage of production of crop production.

Replication for Chauvet Cave

As radiocarbon dates were announced, the wall paintings and engravings in Chauvet Cave, France, were hailed as fine art far earlier than any recognised before: here was the ‘Dawn of art’ (Figure 1; Chauvet et al. 1996). Soon after discovery, in 1994, the cave was closed to protect the images from chemical and microbial damage. In 2014, it was added to the World Heritage List. Then, in April 2015, replicas of the most striking imagery were opened at a purpose-built site, the Caverne du Pont d'Arc.

Microbial Degradation of Cca-Treated Cooling Tower Timbers

Transmission electron microscopy of decaying CCA-treated Pinus radiata timbers from an industrial water cooling tower showed the presence of a thick biofilm covering some areas of the wood. The biofilm contained various morphologically distinct forms of microorganisms embedded in a slime. The study provided evidence of the activity of soft rot fungi and tunnelling and erosion bacteria in wood cells covered by the biofilm. The extent of microbial damage to wood cells varied, with combined fungal and bacterial attack having the most damaging impact.