The effect of functional additives (carob flour and sugar beet fiber) on empirical rheological dough performance and bread quality was examined. Also the microbiological quality of bread was investigated during 16 days of storage. The study included 5 samples: control (CON), with preservative calcium propionate (CONP), with carob flour (CON-CAR), with sugar beet fiber (CON-SBF) and with a combination of carob flour and sugar beet fibers (CON-SBF-CAR). Samples with functional additives had a higher water holding capacity (2-10%) and extended dough development time due to the presence of dietary fiber. Dough resistance of these samples was significantly increased, especially in CON-CAR, in which the time of final fermentation is remarkably prolonged (20% in comparison to CON). The addition of the functional ingredients (due to hydration properties of dietary fiber) improved texture and sensory characteristics of bread. In sample CON-SBF crumb firmness was significantly reduced (by 70%) while elasticity was increased by 25% compared to CON. Positive effect of addition of sugar beet fiber was proved by improving the elasticity of the crumb and finer crumb structure (sample CON-SBF) in comparison with the addition of carob flour (sample CON-CAR). In bread sample with carob flour there was no microbiological contamination for 16 days of examination, which confirms the fact that carob flour can be used as a natural preservative.
Green agro waste can be turned into compost, which can then be used as an organic fertilizer, thus reducing the environmental impact of food and feed production. This research is focused on finding a feasible on-farm composting treatment of plant biomass to produce high-quality compost. Three different composting treatments were prepared and followed (with different additives at the start—biochar (BC) and effective microorganisms (EM), no additive (CON); covering and not covering the pile; different start particles size). Samples were analysed for nutrient concentrations, phytotoxicity and bacterial and fungal presence after seven months of composting. In 100 g of dry matter, the average compost contained 2.7 g, 0.38 g and 1.08 g of N, P and K, respectively. All investigated treatments contained more than 2% of total nitrogen in dry mass, so they could be used as a fertilizer. The highest nutrient content was observed in compost of small particle size (˂5 cm) and added biochar (11 kg/t fresh biomass). However, this compost had the least bacteria and fungi due to very high temperatures in the thermophilic phase of this pile. According to the radish germination index, the prepared composts have no phytotoxic properties and are stable and ready to use in plant production. Taking the cress germination test into consideration, they provided a nutrient-rich and biostimulative soil amendment. All three final composts were stable in terms of respiration rate, growth and germination tests. Results have shown that hop biomass after harvest has great potential for composting.
Technology that would result in a high-quality product with minimal environmental impact throughout the on-site composting process of hop biomass after harvest has not yet been developed. It is crucial to introduce composting practices that do not result in a detrimental leachate impact. Three different composting procedures that vary in terms of initial biomass particle size, additives, and pile covering were investigated. Each pile was built from 15 t of fresh hop biomass after harvest (leaves and stems), leachate was collected during the composting season (September to the end of April), and biomass was sampled and analyzed to identify good practices as well as gaps that need to be filled. Leachate quantity differed significantly in terms of the composting procedure and time stamps. There was a strong linear correlation between the amount of precipitation and leachate quantity (0.86), NH4 leached amount (0.87), and total N leached amount (0.92), but not the total P amount. The composting procedure had a significant impact on the quantity of the NH4 leached amount. The majority of the NH4 was lost in the second month of composting. The maturation phase was the most critical for NO3 loss since it had the highest amount of leached NO3 and the greatest variances among the composting protocols. Considering leachate it is recommended that a membrane is used at all times during the maturation phase as well as during any heavy precipitation expected in the thermophilic phase. Whether the cover is also needed for the entire duration of the thermophilic phase (due to emission) is a matter of further research.
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