فهرست مطالب محمد محسن زاده

Food security and nutrition are the main themes of national development that new attitudes, necessities and priorities have been revealed at the policy-making level and have become one of the challenges of the 21st century in recent years. The current study is practical and in terms of nature and methodology is descriptive and analytical. For collecting data, (questionnaire, interview, and observation) has been used. The context of study is Heris and Bostanabad Counties in East Azerbaijan city.Three factors were considered in selecting the sample villages in the above-mentioned cities; 1) Geographical distribution in rural areas, 2) Topographic factor and altitude, and 3) Number of rural population and households (villages with more than 50 households), and thus 18 villages from Bostanabad county and 10 villages from Heris county were selected for research. The statistical population consists of heads of rural households. The selected villages have a population of 26,087 people and 7,574 rural households, of which 392 households were selected using the Cochran's formula. In order to analyze the data, sample t-tests, SAW technique, Kendall, Kruskalovalis, etc. were used. The results showed that the status of all food security indicators (access, access, consumption method and stability) in the study area was evaluated favorably and the villages of Jigheh, shirvanehdeh and Charmkhurane-Sofla are in the first to third ranks in terms of food security and food security is high compared to other villages studied. Meanwhile, the villages of Khashndarq, Ein al-Din and Baroug are in the last ranks in terms of food security in the study area and in these villages, food security is low compared to other villages. Also, economic factor (income, employment, production, exploitation, economic diversification, etc.) has been identified as the most important factors in increasing food security in rural areas from the perspective of research respondents.

Microencapsulation is a common method to improve the viability of probiotic bacteria against environmental stresses. In this research, by using double emulsion with Persian gum, emulsion stability, physicochemical properties, microcoating efficiency and microcoating viability were investigated during storage and in a simulated gastrointestinal conditions of the digestive system. Encapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus in double emulsion (W/O/W) with Persian gum improved the survival under storage conditions at 4 °C for 28 days, and only 0.58 log decreased and free bacteria after passage 7 days reached zero. The microcoating efficiency was 88% and the emulsion stability was between 85% and 95.43%. The optical microscope image showed a distinct double emulsion. In the simulating conditions of the stomach, the number of bacteria decreased by 1.97 log for the micro-coated treatment and by 3.9 log for the treatment containing free bacteria, and in the simulating conditions of the intestine, it decreased by 0.45 log for the micro-coated treatment and for the treatment containing free bacteria. 1.3 decreased. The particle size was (525 nm), zeta potential (-44.68 mv) and dispersion index (0.33). The results showed that the use of Persian gum double emulsion improves the survival of Lactobacillus acidophilus against storage conditions and the simulated environment of the digestive system.

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of chitosan edible film containing nanoemulsion of Melissa officinalis L. extract and Bunium persicum essential oil on Listeria monocytogenes inoculated into camel meat. The studied films were prepared using 2% chitosan and 2.5% and 5% of nanoemulsion of Bunium persicum essential oil and 4% of Melissa officinalis L. extract. The antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of coated camel meat during 16 days of storage at 4 °C with a 4-day interval (0, 4, 8, 12, 16) were evaluated. The coated portions were chemically evaluated. Most of the essential oil compounds include: cuminaldehyde (24.37%), γ-Terpinene (19.99%), and P-cymene (9.71%). The MIC of Melissa officinalis L. extract and Bunium persicum essential oil against L. monocytogenes were 1% and 0.25%, respectively. The antioxidant effects of films by DPPH method showed that the addition of essential oils and extracts increases the antioxidant properties of films. The antimicrobial effect of films by disk diffusion method, the largest diameter of growth inhibition zone (17.15 ± 0.16) was related to chitosan film containing 5% Bunium persicum essential oil and 4% Melissa officinalis L. extract. The average count of L. monocytogenes in the control treatment was higher than the other treatments. The results of TBARS showed that the antioxidant properties of films containing Bunium persicum essential oil and Melissa officinalis L. extract was higher than the control sample. The pH level in the samples coated with chitosan film containing 5% Bunium persicum essential oil and 4% Melissa officinalis L. extract was lower than the other treatments. In general, the prepared films have good antimicrobial and antioxidant properties against L. monocytogenes, which increase with the addition of plant compounds.

In this study, the effect of bilayer edible coating of gelatin-chitosan containing nanoemulsion of Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil on growth control of Aeromonas hydrophila inoculated into rainbow trout fillets over a 12-day period at 4 °C was investigated. The chemical composition of the essential oil was evaluated by GC-MS, its antibacterial properties by disk diffusion, plate well and micro-dilution broth, and its antioxidant properties by DPPH.Treatments included control, gelatin, chitosan, gelatin+essential oil, chitosan+essential oil and gelatin-chitosan+essential oil. After preparation, the treatments were packed in sterile polyethylene bags in laboratory conditions and stored for 12 days at 4 °C and their microbial, chemical and sensorial properties were evaluated every 3 days. The results of GC-MS showed that eucalyptol (24.51%) and camphor (22.02%) are the main components. The MIC and MBC of Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil nanoemulsions were reported to be 0.0625 and 0.125%, respectively. The amount of TVB-N and POV increased during the study period. According to the results of POV and pH measurements, there was a significant difference between all treatments and control treatment (P<0.05). The mean reduction log of bacteria was significantly different between all treatments and the highest antibacterial effect was observed in the gelatin-chitosan coating containing nanoemulsion of Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil. According to the results, Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil has good antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and according to the test results, it was found that chitosan-gelatin coating containing nanoemulsion of  Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil has an effective antimicrobial effect against Aeromonas hydrophila and can protect sensory properties and increase shelf life of rainbow trout fillets as well as useful coating to increase the shelf life of food products.

Since food security is an indicator of health at the household and individual levels and food insecurity can be a predictor of developmental, health, and nutritional problems, it is necessary to determine its related factors in any society. It is one of the phenomena affecting all economic, social, and political dimensions. The concept of food security is very broad and is defined by the interaction of a range of biological, economic, social, agricultural, and physical factors. Understanding the food security situation of each region can make planning more efficient with more promising results. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the zone of food security in the rural areas of the two cities of Heris and Bostanabad. This was an applied research in terms of purpose and a descriptive-analytical research in terms of methodology. In this study, 22 agricultural indices derived from the results of the 2014 General Agricultural Census were used and the outputs were classified into very good, good, medium, poor, and very poor categories. The information was gained through Fuzzy Logic and Shanon Entropy methods. The research findings indicated that out of 293 rural areas studied, 8 (2.73%), 22 (7.51%), 50 (17.06%), 110 (37.54%), and 103 (35.15%) villages were in very good, good, moderate, poor, and very poor conditions, respectively. Overall, from the agricultural perspective, food security was in a dangerous situation in 72.70% of the villages in the study areas and required the officials’ special attention, especially in the area of sustainable development of agricultural sector.

The effect of chicken feet gelatin coatings and green walnut husk extracted on chemical, physical, microbial and sensory properties of rainbow trout fillet was investigated during storage period (12 days) at 5 °C. Chemical analyses (pH, TVB-N, TBA and FFA measurements), physical tests (moisture, color and texture measurements), microbial tests (TVC) and sensory evaluation were carried out periodically every four days. The results showed that by increasing the concentration of walnut green skin extract, the efficiency of the coating increased that the coatings containing 2.5 and 5% gelatin along with 1000 ppm of the extract improved the quality and shelf life of fish fillets compared to other ones. The values ​​of pH, TVB-N content, TBA and FFA in coated samples were significantly lower than the control sample (p<0.05). The coating treatment containing 1000 ppm of the extract also maintained the moisture, texture and color of the fillets and showed a lower microbial load than other treatments. From a sensory point of view, the treatments containing chicken foot gelatin and walnut green skin extract had the highest score at the end of the storage period compared to the control sample. Furthermore, the highest score was obtained for the samples coated by 1000 ppm walnut green skin extract.

Plant essential oils are used as natural preservatives due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Perovskia abrotanoides Kar essential oil (PAEO) nanoemulsion.

The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by gas chromatography apparatus connected to a mass spectrometer. The antioxidant properties PAEO essential oil by DPPH method and its antibacterial effect on Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium and Stylococcus aureus were determined by broth microdilution, agar well diffusion and disk diffusion methods.

In the chemical analysis of PAEO, 21 compounds were identified, of which eucalyptol and camphor and a-pinene were the major constituents. The IC50 of PAEO was 46.44 mg / ml. Among the studied bacteria, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes showed the highest sensitivity (MIC=0.03%) and Staphylococcus aureus showed the lowest sensitivity (MIC=0.2%) to PAEO nanoemulsion. The bacterial growth inhibition zone in disk diffusion method in the studied concentrations, from 7.06±0.60 to 58.43±1.40 mm and in the agar well diffusion method between 6.56±0.60 to 54.93±1.10 mm was variable.

PAEO Nanoemulsion can be used in the food industry despite its phenolic and camphor compounds as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compound.

Due to the importance of genetic diversity especially the necessity to assess the diversity among wild relatives of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the present study was conducted to evaluate the genetic diversity of 52 wheat genotypes (49 wild relatives genotypes of bread wheat along with three Iranian wheat genotypes) using 10 ISSR and two SSR markers. The results showed that a total of 12 studied markers produced 145 polymorphic bands with an average number of 11.4 and 15.5 polymorphic bands and 1.60 and 1.43 effective alleles for ISSR and SSR markers, respectively. The ISSR marker 17899A with the highest effective number of alleles (1.8), Nei’s gene diversity index (0.44) and Shannon’d diversity index (0.63) was the most valuable marker in this study. Cluster analysis method based on simple matching coefficient matrix and farthest neighbor algorithm grouped the studied genotypes into five clusters including 10, 6, 24, 9 and 3 genotypes, respectively, and the discriminant function analysis also determined the accuracy of this grouping to be 100%. The results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) also showed that the four most important principal components accounted for a total of 31.59% of the total variance. Grouping the genotypes using the first and second components with explaining 10.94 and 8.22% of the total variance, respectively, divided the genotypes into five groups, so that three Iranian wheat genotypes were placed into one cluster. In total, the results showed that the markers used in this study with acceptable polymorphism could be introduced as useful and desirable markers for evaluating genetic diversity and differentiation of wheat genotypes and possibly other cereals.

In this study, two canola genotypes, Hyola308 (susceptible to drought) and SLM046 (tolerant to drought) were evaluated for expression of thioredoxin H (TRX H), alternativa oxidase 1 (AOX1), pyruvate dehydrogenase 1 (PDH1), isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and fumarase 1 (FUM1) genes using real-time PCR technique under three conditions: non-drought stress, regular irrigation and methanol solutions sprayafter 72 hours irrigation interruption. PDH gene expression was the highest in SLM046 at zero stress (72 h after irrigation), IDH at 8 h after methanol spray, FUM at 24 h after methanol spray, TRX at 8 h after methanol spray, and AOX at 24 hours after sampling. In Hyola308 genotype, expression of PDH, FUM, TRX, and AOX genes increased 2, 25, 6, 1.4 and 5 folds, respectively after 8 hours of foliar application and IDH gene expression was high at zero hour of sampling. Overall, methanol foliar application increased the expression of the examined genes, which were significantly higher in SLM046 than Hyola308 genotypes.

Recently, the design and production of biodegradable films have received special attention than synthetic packaging due to the reduction of environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Persian gums (1%) and gellan gum (1%) on the physical, mechanical and morphological properties of composite films based on sodium caseinate (10%) as film reinforcing agents. The films were synthesized by solvent evaporation and the effect of each gum on the characteristics of the composite films was evaluated. The results showed that the addition of gums strengthened the composite films. So that the composite films showed mechanical resistance and good barrier properties versus moisture and light. The surface properties and morphology of the films also showed that the gums were well computability to the casein film and formed uniform and stiff films. In addition, composite films had acceptable transparency. Thus, it can be concluded that the use of composite films and the combination of different polysaccharides with protein matrices can improve the properties of the resulting films. On the other hand, by adding antimicrobial and antioxidant agents to biodegradable films, they can be considered as active packaging.

 Prebiotics are indigestible substances in the upper gastrointestinal tract that have a positive effect on the health host improvement due to the stimulation of growth and activity of a group of beneficial bacteria in the colon (probiotics). Short-chain fructooligosaccharides such as β-glucan fibre, resistant starch, pectin, inulin and many indigestible carbohydrates are examples of prebiotic compounds. Inulin is a storage biological polymer composed of D-fructose molecules with β (1  2) bonds, which at the end has a D-glucose molecule with α (2   1) bond. Inulin configuration and arrangement of fructose monomers causes inulin to be indigestible in the human gastrointestinal tract and Inulin doesnchr('39')t increase blood sugar levels. Also, inulin has beneficial effects on the composition of the intestinal flora, minerals absorption, the combination of blood lipids and the prevention of colon cancer. Inulin stimulates the growth of health beneficial microorganisms while inhibiting enteropathogenic bacteria. The beneficial microorganisms ferment inulin and produce acids including short-chain fatty acids that lower the pH in the colon and inhibit pathogens. The amount of inulin in different plants varies from 1% in bananas to more than 15% in chicory root. Fructan-type inulin is found mainly in a variety of dicotyledonous plants belonging to the genus Astrases, including chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, artichoke, dandelions and dahlia. The present study introduces the most common of salutary prebiotic combinations, especially inulin.

Nowadays, the use of biodegradable packaging based on natural ingredients has attracted much interest from researchers. In this research different concentrations of persian gum (PG) (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1%) with different concentrations of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (1 and 1.5%) were used to optimize biodegradable film production. For optimization of film production, maximum transparency value, contact angle, tensile strength, strain at break and minimum solubility, swelling and water vapor permeability were calculated. The results of the model showed that the effect of carboxymethyl cellulose and persian gum on all responses were significant (P <0.05) and increasing the percentage of carboxymethyl cellulose and persian gum increased solubility, swelling, tensile strength and contact angle and decreased moisture content, water vapor permeability permeability and transparency value. Based on the results of model prediction and comparison with experimental values, carboxymethyl cellulose at 1.5% and persian gum at 0.65% is the best result.

Escherichia coli O157: H7 is one of the most important pathogens causing food poisoning in meat products. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of Lavandula angustifolia and NaCl on growth control of Escherichia coli O157: H7 inoculated into minced beef during storage were investigated. minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Lavender essential oil for Escherichia coli O157: H7 were determined 0.625% and 1.25% by micro broth dilution method, respectively. Lavender essential oil was added to the minced meat in three concentrations (0, 0.5 and 1%) and NaCl in three concentrations (0, 2 and 4%). Subsequently, Escherichia coli O157: H7 was inoculated into minced meat at 105 CFU/gr. Minced meat treatments with Escherichia coli O157: H7 were counted on days (0, 3, 6 and 9) kept at refrigerated temperature (4 °C). The results showed that growth control of Escherichia coli O157: H7 of all treatments was significant (P<0.05) and mean log CFU/gr of bacterial count in 9 days was lower in all groups than control. Comparatively, the effect of NaCl alone was greater than that of essential oil alone. The greatest inhibitory effect was related to the simultaneous use of essential oil and NaCl.

Bioprotective starters, especially lactic acid bacteria, are used in fermentation and biological preservation of the meat products and considered as appropriate substitutes for the chemical preservatives. The aim of this study was to use Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus acidilactici as bioprotective cultures and probiotics for the growth control of important foodborne pathogens and increase of the poultry meat shelf life.

Starter culture of 8.5 × 107 CFU/g, pathogenic bacteria of 105 CFU/g, citric acid concentration of 1% and lactose concentration of 7% were inoculated in chicken breasts. All treatments were stored at 25 °C for 24 h followed by 4°C ±1 for 72 h. Changes in population of the starter cultures, decreases in pathogenic bacteria and changes in pH values were assessed within a period of 72 h.

Results showed that the population of lactic acid bacteria increased in pathogen-containing treatments. Lactobacillus plantarum and Pediococcus acidilactici cultures respectively decreased Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhimurium populations by 1.6 and 1.5 log folds until the Day 3 of fermentation, compared to control samples. Pediococcus acidilactici treatment included the strongest effects on decreasing populations of the pathogenic bacteria (p < 0.05). During fermentation and storage, a constant pH decrease was observed in inoculated samples with lactic acid culture, compared to control samples.

Use of bioprotective starters can play a significant role in safety of meat products and increase of their shelf-life as well as creating desired properties in meats.

Fusarium graminearum is one of the main zearalenone producing source Fusarium species that can contaminate cereals such as corn. Considering the health risks of contamination with trichothecenessource fungi in cereals, in this study, contamination with zearalenone-producing Fusarium in corn samples collected from industrial and non-industrial farms in Razavi Khorasan Province was evaluated. In order to develop a simple method for detection of zearalenone, after cultur-ing these samples using pour plate technique, the isolates were purified through single-spore technique. All the Fusarium graminearum were identified by through PCR method using genus specific Tri5-F/R and Pks4-F/R as primers. 5 Of the 8 identified Fusarium graminearum isolates wich were tested with Tri5-F/R set of primers scored positive, and an amplicon with a size of 380 bp was obtained out of them which reveals their ability to produce trichothecenes. From these isolates, an amplicon of the size 280 bp was obtained after they scored positive with Pks4-F/R set of primers; which by itself shows the existence of Fusarium graminearum with the ability to produce zearalenone .These data indicate that, the developed PCR trend is a powerful, specific and sensitive tool to detect potential zearalenone contamination in food or feed production. Paying attention to the presence of toxigenic fungi on these corn samples, it is necessary to design some complementary investigation, decide health regulations and supervise their execution. Finally attention of public health and nutrition experts is essential too.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterial pathogen causing Listeriosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of methyl cellulose edible coatings containing Carum copticum L. essential oil and turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) extract to control the growth of L. monocytogenes inoculated in chicken portions storaged at 4°C. For this purpose, chicken meat samples were coated with different concentrations of 0.3, 0.45 and 0.65% of essential oil and concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5% of turmeric extract. In the control group, sterile distilled water was used instead of the solution. The samples were coated by dipping method. All specimens were then stored in the refrigerator and counted for L. monocytogenes on days 0, 4 and 8. In the present study, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Carum copticum essential oil was 0.064%. The results of this study showed that there is a significant difference between L. monocytogenes population in coated and non-coated chicken samples (p<0.001). Statistical analysis showed that the mean log of the number of bacteria in all groups from day 1 to 8 showed a decreasing trend. In total, according to the results, it can be concluded that methyl cellulose coating containing Carum copticum EO with turmeric extract can be used to control the growth of L. monocytogenes in chicken meat.

In order to study some morphological and physiological traits of susceptible (Hayola308) and tolerant (SLM046) genotypes of canola to drought stress, an experiment was conducted in CRD design with factorial split in time arrangement. The applied factors were genotype (susceptible and tolerant) and irrigation condition (non-stress and stress). The stress was applied at before flowering time and the traits were measured at 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours after it in both condition. The result showed a reduction in dry weight of root in Hayola308 genotype, and a significant increase in root to shoot length ratio, fresh weight of root and malondialdehyde level (MDA) in SLM046 genotype. The 48 hours after drought stress, the fresh weight of shoot in SLM046 genotype was higher than Hayola308 genotype. Relative water content (RWC) in SLM046 and Hayola308 at 24 hours after stress were 88.59% and 38.52%, respectively. In Hayola308 genotype, hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content in stress condition was higher than non-stress ones. There was not a significant difference among studied treatments for electrolyte leakage. In general, the increase of root length, root to shoot length ratio, RWC, fresh weight of root and the difference between fresh and dry weight of root and shoot and no change in dry weight of root and H2O2 content in SLM046 genotype indicated that this genotype had traits which could assign tolerance to drought stress.

Unhygienic poultry feedstuffs can lead to nutrient losses and detrimental effect on poultry production and public health.
This study was to investigate the fungal contamination of poultry feed and its ingredients in broiler farms in Torbat Heydarieh, Khorasan Razavi province, Iran.
A total of 240 poultry feed samples comprising three different feeds were collected and examined using dilution plating technique. Preparations of all samples from successive dilutions were prepared; and then 0.1 ml of each dilution was cultured on the surface of Potato Dextrose Agar supplemented with Chloramphenicol and was incubated at 27 °C for 7 days. Fungal colony counting was performed based on CFU/gr. The fungi were identified by gross and microscopic features. Statistical analysis of the data were done using SPSS software version 21.
In examined samples, fungal contamination was detected in 205 samples (85/14 %) out of 240 samples. The corn (32/5%) was most contaminated feed, followed by soybean (29/16%) and finished feed (23/75%). The predominant fungi isolated were Fusarium spp. (41/3 %), Penicillium spp. (37/9%), Cladosporium spp. (21.3 %), Paecilomyces spp. (17.1%), Aspergillus fumigatus (13/3 %), Aspergillus niger (12.9%) and Yeast spp. (12.9 %). Frequency of toxin -forming fungi was significantly higher than the non- toxin -forming fungi (P The findings of this research showed the high prevalence of fungal contamination as well as high frequency of toxin -forming fungi. Therefore, the feed raw materials are important vehicles for introduction of fungal organisms into poultry feed and fungal growth reduces the nutritional value of feeds. It should be considered to plan a program in order to control, limit and delete of the fungi from feeds.

Introduction The lavender essential oil is traditionally believed to be antibacterial, antifungal, carminative (smooth muscle relaxing), sedative, antidepressive and effective for burns and insect. Lavender oil (primarily L. angustifolia) has also been found to be active against many species of bacteria and fungi. However, a few reports are available on the effect of lavender essential oil on poultry performance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of lavender essential oil on performance, blood metabolites and apparent nutrient digestibility in male broiler chicks.
Materials and Methods A 42-day trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of adding different levels of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil to diet on performance, blood parameters and ileal nutrient digestibility. The feeding program consisted of starter (1-10 d), grower (11-24 d) and finisher (25-42d) diets. There were 5 treatments group: control; virginiamycin 10% (50 ppm); and three levels of lavender essential oil (350, 525 and 700 ppm). Body weight, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were recorded at the end of starter, grower and finisher periods. On d 28, blood samples were gathered from wing vein of 1 chick in each experimental unit. Blood samples were centrifuged (15 min, 3000 rpm) to separate sera, and then cholesterol, TG, HDL, LDL and VLDL were determined. Then one chick from each pen was killed by ketamine injection and ileal digesta was collected.
Results and Discussion At 42 days of age, Chickens receiving diet containing virginiamycin showed the highest feed intake. Birds fed diets containing 525 and 700 ppm lavender essential oil numerically had more feed intake than birds fed control diet, but this difference was not significant. Broilers fed diet containing virginiamycin showed the highest weight gain and the control diet showed lowest weight gain at the end of the experiment. The lowest level of serum cholesterol was observed in 350 ppm lavender essential oil treatment. Essential oil treatments also caused lower serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) than virginiamycin and control treatments. There were no significant differences among treatments for feed conversion ratio, blood triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL), very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and ileal digestibility of dry matter, ether extract, crud protein, ash and organic matter of diets. Positive effects of essential oils on feed intake have been reported previously. Improved growth performance could be attributed to the presence of essential oil in the diet, which encourages secretions of endogenous digestive enzymes, which then enhance nutrient digestion and gut passage rate in chickens. It seems that phytogenic feed additives improved apparent ileal digestibility of nutrients at 21, 35, and 42 d of age. In contrast, there are studies where the effects on animal performance were not significant. However, in our experiment lavender essential oil caused a numerical increase in digestibility and its effect was not significant, but the improved weight gain in this experiment may be due to lavender essential oil effect on villus surface area and gut microflora. Also dietary supplementation of a mix of essential oils at 300 g/t, significantly increased villus width and surface area, indicative of improved nutrient absorption and performance. The effects of lavender essential oil on the intestinal microflora were not evaluated in this study; however, others have shown that essential oil have the capacity, when fed to broilers, to reduce the growth of E. coli and C. perfringens and increase the numbers of Lactobacillus spp. Similarly, the inclusion of thyme, marjoram, and rosemary in broiler diets reduced the numbers of cecal C. perfringens by >1 log. The contributory factors causing these differences reported in other studies could be attributed to the differences in the inclusion levels of essential oil, sources of herbs used to form blend of essential oil, basal diet composition, or the microbial environment in which the birds were reared. It has been suggested that birds fed essential oil have reduced concentrations of serum cholesterol and that the hypocholesterolemic effect of essential oil is due to compounds in essential oil that have the ability to inhibit hepatic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase activity, a key regulatory enzyme in cholesterolsynthesis.
Conclusion According to the results of this experiment, lavender essential oil had lower effects on performance than antibiotic, but adding lavender to diets could have beneficial effects on weight gain and serum cholesterol levels in broiler chickens. However, more evidence is needed to clarify whether lavender essential oil can match the effects of antibiotics as feed additives in poultry diets.

Evaluation of meat color by a computer vision system (CVS) is a promising implement to dominate the difficulties when the meat is directly evaluated. In this study, 60 Longissimus dorsi from different carcasses of sheep were provided and cut into samples in 5 mm thickness. Immediately under standard shooting conditions, photographing was carried out by CVS. At the same time, the color of meat was measured with Hunterlab colorimeter. The first photo was taken on samples on a freshly cut surface just arrived at the laboratory and the others on 3rd, 5th,7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th days after slaughtering. Then, seven trained sensory panels were asked to evaluate the color of the photos that were taken during 13 days and graded them in order of preference. In general sensory panel preferred samples with high lightness, a relatively high redness, and yellowness until 7 days after slaughtering.

Inulin is a low digestable or indigestible fiber which is found in various plants. Inulin amount ranging from 1% in Banana to more than 15% in Chicory roots changing. It has a positive impact on the composition of the intestinal flora, mineral absorption, blood lipid composition and prevents colon cancer. Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is one of the most important sources of inulin. The aim of the present study was extraction of inulin from artichoke root and optimization of extraction conditions to achieve the highest extraction efficiency. For this purpose, the artichoke roots were collected from the research stead of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources in september 2015 and inulin extraction with using of warm water solvent and response surface methodology (RSM)and central composite design (CCD) was performed. Response surface methodology in comparison to voluminous methods such as full factorial is preferred. In this technique for optimization of inulin extraction process, three variables extraction time (35-65 min), extraction temperature (55-95 °C) and the ratio of water to the roots (3:1 to 9:1)as independent variables were considered and their effect on the extraction efficiency of inulin were examined. After performing experiments, linear, 2FI and quadratic models on the inulin extraction yield were evaluated, also lack of fit test, coefficient of determination (R2)and Adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adjusted) for investigation the adequacy of the model were calculated. Study of the lack of fit test as well as R2 and ​​R2adjusted values were showed the suitability of quadratic model. This model was used to find the best condition of extraction process with maximum efficiency. Results showed that the optimum condition for extraction of inulin with highest extraction yield (8.01%) related to temperature (95 °C), time (35.67 min) and ratio of water to root (9:1) with desirability of (92%).

Chicken is the only avian species in which polyclonal antibodies, like IgG is transported from the hen to the egg yolk in a similar manner as the transport of mammalian IgG from the mother to the fetus. Immunoglobulin Y in the chicken is transported to the egg and accumulates in the egg yolk in large quantities. IgY is an egg yolk antibody that has been used widely for treatment and prevention of infections in humans and animal. IgY is used for passive protection of the pathogen infections such as Escherichia coli, bovine and human rotavirus, bovine coronavirus, salmonella, staphylococcus and Pseudomonas. IgY is a promising candidate as an alternative to antibiotics. Eschericha coli strains of serotype O157: H7 belongs to a family of pathogenic E. coli called enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) strains responsible for hemorrhagic colitis, bloody or non-bloody diarrhea, and hemolytic uremic syndrome in humans. This strain of E. coli pathogenises by adhering to host intestinal epithelium and forming bacterial colonies. The purpose of this study was to produce and purify immunoglobulin Y against E. coli O157:H7 and develop specific polyclonal anti E. coli antibody in the egg yolk.
Sixteen-week-old laying hens (Mashhad, Iran) were kept in individual cages with food and water ad libitum. Immunization of hens was performed by intramuscularly injecting killed E. coli O157: H7 with an equal volume of Freund’s complete adjuvant into two sides of chest area (Sigma, USA) for the first immunization. Two booster immunizations followed up using complete and incomplete Freund’s adjuvants in two weeks interval. Freund’s adjuvant without antigen was injected to the control group. Two weeks after the last injection, the eggs were collected daily for eight weeks, marked and stored at 4 ºC. In order to IgY purification, eggs were collected. Purification of IgY from egg yolk was based on Polson and using PEG6000. Finally, the presence of antibody IgY was confirmed using SDS-PAGE. Purification of IgY was carried out by polyethylene glycol precipitation method using PEG 6000 powder (Merck, Germany) based on method of Polson. The purified IgY against E. coli was separated using 10% SDS-PAGE. In order to investigate the effect of the specific anti-E. Coli antibody, mice (Razi, Institute of Iran) were randomly distributed into five experimental groups (6mice/group). The mice were kept in conventional animal facilities and received water and food ad libitum. All animal care and procedures were in accordance with institutional policies for animal health and well-being. Experimental groups were including group 1 (mice received IgY orally in drinking water 72 hours before intraperitoneal injection of bacteria and then injected intraperitoneally with 0.5 ml of bacteria E. coli O157: H7), group 2 (mice received IgY orally in drinking water 72 hours before the injection and then injected intraperitoneally with 0.5 ml of deionized water), group 3 (0.5 ml of E. coli O157: H7 incubated with 0.5 ml of the specific anti-E. coli IgY and then 0.5 ml of the incubated solution injected to mice intraperitoneally), group 4 (mice injected with 0.5 ml of IgY) and group 5 (mice received 0.5 ml of E. coli O157: H7).
We obtained specific egg yolk antibody against E. coli O157: H7 by immunizing hens with the killed E. coli O157: H7 antigen. The results showed that the IgY was successfully purified from egg yolk. SDS-PAGE analysis showed presence of protein bands 27kDa and 67 kDa of IgY, which correspond to IgY light and heavy chains. Effects of IgY on mice showed that mice received IgY orally in drinking water 72 hours before intraperitoneal injection were protected against bacteria. Also, when specific anti-E. coli IgY was incubated with E.coli O157: H7 for 24 hours and then it was injected to mice led to mice protected against bacteria. The results of our study were agreement with the results of Chae et al (2007). We indicated mice immunized with specific anti-E. coli IgY could be protected against E. coli O157: H7. This phenomenon could be due to specific binding activity of IgY with bacteria that led to the inhibition of bacterial growth E. coli O157: H7.
The effectiveness of IgY in suppressing the activity of E. coli O157:H7 was indicated in our study. This could be inferred from the results of the current study that IgY in the egg yolk could prevent greater economic losses due to human and animal health from pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7. These finding indicated that egg from immunized hens are potentially useful source of passive immunity.

Foodborne bacterial pathogens play an important role in food infections/intoxications in human population. With ever increasing the number of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, there is an attempt to use the antimicrobial properties of herbs. Peganum harmala is a medicinal plant of Iraniantraditional medicine which was used as an antiseptic in the past. Amongthe foodborne bacterial pathogens, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes are considered as the most important and hazardous pathogens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial effect of methanolic extract of Peganum harmala against these bacteria in vitro. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC) of methanolic extract of Peganum harmala was determined against three foodborne bacterial pathogens by micro-dilution method in Muller-Hinton broth. According to the results, MIC for E. coli O157:H7 and S. Typhimurium was 1.56 mg/ml. In the case of L. monocytogenes, it was estimated at 0.78 mg/ml. Moreover, results revealed that MBC for these organisms was similar to MIC concentrations. Regarding the results, Peganum harmala can be used as an ingredient in the formula of the disinfectants applied in the food systems.

The objective of this study was to determine the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance among Staphylococcus aureus and to estimate the presence of methicillin-resistance in S. aureus (MRSA) isolates obtained by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods. For this purposes، 100 Iranian white and feta cheese samples collected from different suppliers were initially evaluated for the occurrence of S. aureus by culturing methods. The obtained isolates were subjected to disc diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility tests and a PCR method to detect the mecA gene. Out of the 100 cheese samples examined، 25 (25%) samples were contaminated with S. aureus with a mean of 5. 74 ± 5. 67 log cfu/g. Out of the 25 isolates، 23 (92%) were found to be resistant to at least one antibiotic or more، tested by a disk diffusion method. The highest rate of antibiotic resistance was observed to penicillin G (92%) followed by ampicillin (73%) and cloxacillin (68%). None of the isolates was resistant to gentamycin and vancomycin. Eight (34. 78%) of the 23 S. aureus isolates were genotypically confirmed as MRSA. The results indicate that the presence of antimicrobial resistant strains of S. aureus in Iranian cheese samples constitute a potential risk for human health. This calls for better control of the spread of antimicrobial resistant strains as well as cheese contamination sources.