This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial effects of chopped garlic in ground beef and raw meatball (çig köfte), which is a traditional food product eaten raw. Fresh minced ground beef and raw meatball batter prepared with traditional methods were separated into groups. Chopped and crushed garlic was added to each batch in order to reach various concentrations from 0% to 10%. The ground beef samples were stored at refrigerator and ambient temperatures. The raw meatball samples were only stored at room temperature. All samples were analyzed in order to determine the microbial counts at the 2(nd), 6(th), 12(th), and 24(th) hours of storage. Garlic addition decreased the microbial growth in some ground beef samples kept either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. However, microbial growth increased in some ground beef samples kept in similar conditions. The difference was found in samples kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours in terms of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and coliform bacteria when garlic used at 10%. The effects of garlic on the microbial growth of both coliforms and Staphylococcus/Micrococcus in the samples kept at room temperature were increased. The yeast and mold counts in ground beef samples kept in any condition were not affected by garlic addition. However, the addition of garlic to the raw meatball mix decreased the microbial count, in terms of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and yeast and mold counts, when the garlic was added at 5% or 10% (P < .05). The addition of 10% garlic to raw meatball caused a permanent decrease in yeast and mold count, unlike in ground beef. The results of this study indicate that the chopped garlic has a slowing-down effect on microbiological growth in ground meat depending on the garlic concentration, but this effect was not at an expected level even at the highest concentration, because potential antimicrobial agents in chopped garlic were probably insufficiently extracted.

This study was conducted to compare the pharmacokinetic profiles of conventional Liposomal amphotericin B showed markedly higher peak plasma concentrations (approximately ninefold greater) and higher area under the plasma concentration curve values (approximately 14-fold higher) compared to conventional formulation. It is concluded that AmBisome ® reached higher plasma concentration and lower distribution volume and had a longer half-life compared to Fungizone ® , and therefore, AmBisome ® is reported to be an appropriate and effective choice for the treatment of systemic mycotic infections in dogs.

Ochratoxin A, is a well-known nephrotoxic, hepatotoxic and carcinogenic mycotoxin, produced by some species of mould genera such as Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. under various environmental conditions, such as moisture and temperature. The main sources of Ochratoxin A intake for humans are cereals and cereal derived products, when they are consumed in large quantities, as in the case of breakfast cereals and cereal based baby foods principally consumed by babies. In this study, a total of 150 samples (50 infant formulas, 50 follow-on formulas, and 50 cereal based supplementary foods for infants and children) were obtained randomly from various supermarkets and pharmacies in Istanbul, and 52 out of 150 (34.7%) analysed samples were contaminated with Ochratoxin A. None of the examined baby food samples were above the Turkish Food Codex maximum limit of Ochratoxin A in baby, infant, and young children foods (0.5 μg kg -1 ). These results reinforce the idea of strict and routine quality controls and good hygiene practices have to be performed in every step of production to minimize the potential risk of Ochratoxin A contamination.