Category: Agricultural Sciences

Spider venom neurotoxins from the Philippine tarantula: a new source for biomedical leads

When the words “venom” and “spider” are mentioned, most people shiver with fear and will go to any extent to avoid them. However, this is not the case with spider venom researchers in the Philippines as they explore the novel neuroactivities of the venom of this endemic, medium-sized theraphosid, Phlogiellus bundokalbo. Read More →

Study analyzes the presence of bacteria in vacuum-packed meat

Meat that is out of date has changes in color, strong odor and production of limosity. These characteristics are due to the combination of biological and chemical events caused by the presence of deteriorating bacteria. This study analyzed the behavior of bacteria where they estimated the shelf-life of vacuum-packed beef and stored under cooling. Read More →

Macrofauna as an Alternative for Soil Recovery

Macrofauna is essential for the soil food chain and its analysis is efficient to indicate environmental quality. The research evaluated the macrofauna of the soil of an area under recovery and with different types of vegetation cover and the results showed two plant species as an alternative for the recovery of degraded soils in the Brazilian Cerrado. Read More →

Essential ginger oil has antifungal action

Food products and goods, such as corn kernels, may eventually be contaminated by fungi. In recent research, ginger essential oil was analyzed as a possible alternative to be a synthetic fungicides, by inhibiting the development of fungi in corn kernels. The results showed antifungal efficacy of the essential oil of ginger against the fungus Aspergillus flavus. Read More →

Transport of cattle influences meat quality

Quality meat is the result of several factors such as food, production and also the transport of cattle. For greater economic profitability, transport with a high rate of stocking of the bodies is common, but it results in hematomas in the bovine carcasses. Study analyzed three types of bodies, their stocking rate and the incidence of hematomas in the carcasses of cattle. Read More →

Organic agriculture brings quality of life to producers

Organic agriculture’s main characteristic is the production of food and other products without the use of chemicals. The use of these products, such as pesticides and pesticides, are harmful not only to consumers, but also to those who produce these foods. In search of evidence that shows the quality of life of organic farmers, a review gathered eleven papers on this theme. Read More →

Pomegranate can be used as a natural preservative

Pomegranate has a high concentration of antioxidant compounds, with the possibility of using it as a preservative for meat and meat products. As an alternative to chemical compounds, a research was carried out using extract of the pomegranate peel in the conservation of the Tuscan type sausage. Read More →

Millet can be used as an economic alternative in cattle feed

Millet presents itself as an economically viable alternative to corn and sorghum, as a component of feed for cattle, under confinement. Researchers used the Monte Carlo simulation technique (economic risk analysis) to analyze the economic risks of this substitution. The results demonstrated a better economic viability when the level of substitution of corn grain for millet grain was total. Read More →

The color of soybean seeds influences its quality

The premature ripening of soybeans can produce greenish seeds, directly affecting the quality of the lots. Observing this, researchers from the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) and the University of Passo Fundo (UPF), evaluated the influence of the presence of green soybean seeds on the physiological quality of soybean seed lots. Read More →

Innovative method measures chlorophyll content in millet leaves

Responsible for the green color of plants, chlorophyll is an essential indicator in monitoring plant nutrients during their growth. Traditional methods for measuring chlorophyll, in addition to taking a long time, damage the leaves. Alternatively, a model based on hyperspectral images was developed to detect the chlorophyll content in millet leaves. Read More →