Water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) conservation in Serbia is under an in situ program, but additional efforts are needed to ensure the development of this animal’s genetic resources biodiversity. This research aims to describe challenges and possible strategies for sustainable water buffalo milk production. In this study, the physicochemical characteristics of buffalo milk and buffalo dairy products (cheese, butter, and kajmak) were determined. Furthermore, amino and fatty acids composition and the related health lipid indices (atherogenic and thrombogenic) were assessed. The findings support the fact that buffalo milk is a reliable source of high-quality nutrients (dry matter: 16.10%, fat: 6.02%, protein: 4.61%). Leucine, lysine, and valine content were found to be high in buffalo milk and cheese. A substantial quantity of non-essential glutamic and aspartic amino acids was observed in milk, as well as glutamic acid and tyrosine in cheese. It was established that milk protein of buffalo cheese had a favorable proportion of essential and non-essential amino acids (61.76%/38.24%). The results revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) in fatty acid profiles among the three dairy products for saturated short-chain, n-3, and n-6 fatty acids. Conversely, no significant difference (p < 0.05) was observed in monounsaturated fatty acids content. Kajmak showed the most favorable anti-atherogenic and anti-thrombogenic properties due to lower saturated and higher polyunsaturated fatty acid content. These results confirmed that buffalo milk could be successfully used in producing high-quality traditional dairy products with added value and beneficial characteristics from the aspect of a healthy diet. Furthermore, it could actively contribute to the promotion of sustainable production of buffaloes and strengthen the agricultural production of rural areas and their heritage.

The purpose of this paper was to investigate effect of ripening time on physicochemical, textural and microbiological properties of Njegusˇka (dry fermented sausage) during ripening and to conduct sensory and free fatty acid characterization of final product. Ripening time significantly (p \ 0.05) affected all physicochemical parameters. Moisture content dropped below national regulation limit (35%) after 12 days, which indicates that production process could be shortened for 4 days. Total weight loss was 36.34%. Due to its final pH (5.54), Nje-gusˇka can be classified as low-acid sausage which microbial safety mostly relies on its low water activity (\ 0.80). Final TBARS value was 0.27 mg MDA/kg. Levels of tyramine (36.9 mg/kg) and putrescine (16.7 mg/kg) were the highest among all biogenic amines while levels of remaining amines were under 5 mg/kg. Hardness, gumminess and chewiness significantly (p \ 0.05) increased during processing to reach final values of 65.59 N, 33.60 N and 19.12 N, respectively. Ripening time had significant effect on color (L * , a * and b * ) of surface, meat and fat parts which were all measured separately. Total viable count, lactic acid bacteria and Micrococcaceae counts increased from 5.11 log cfu/g, 3.90 log cfu/g and 2.41 log cfu/g to 7.96 log cfu/g, 7.04 log cfu/g and 4.86 log cfu/g, respectively. Results of sensory characterization showed high scores for smoky flavor, consistency, fattiness, fat/meat cohesiveness and saltiness while lactic acid odor and overall acidity were rated low.

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During the year 2012 a study was conducted on the hygiene of the production of broiler carcasses at three abattoirs in the Republic of Serbia. A total of 150 samples of broiler neck skin were examined and 17 salmonella isolates were recorded. Isolates were, by using the corresponding monovalent and polyvalent sera, determined according to type as Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Infantis (S. Infantis 6, 7, r, 1, 5). In the case of the disease in humans, 5 Salmonella samples of identical serovars were isolated. After that, 22 samples were tested for antibiotic resistance by the disk diffusion test. Isolates showed resistance to ampicillin and nalidixic acid (95.5%), tetracycline (91%), cefotaxime/clavulanic acid (68.2%), but not to ciprofl oxacin, gentamicin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. The degree of genetic similarity of isolates from diseased humans and broiler carcasses was determined at a molecular level. Cluster analysis revealed the presence of 7 profi les, while all isolates have 92% genetic similarity. Although there are differences in the antimicrobial resistance of isolates originating from diseased humans and neck skin of tested broilers, can not be excluded an epidemiological link, because in the dominant genotype SINFXB0001, established in 8 isolates from diseased humans (3 isolates), and the neck skin of broilers (5 isolates), a genetic similarity of 100% was recorded. Based on these results, the presence of S. Infantis on broiler carcasses can be considered a hazard to human health.

Introduction. Heat treatment of food provides appropriate shelf life and safety, as well as adequate sensory properties and better digestibility, but excessive thermal processing leads to the loss of nutritive value. In practice, sterilised meat products are usually overheated, which leads to a loss of nutritive value. Therefore, it is necessary to find the optimum between the preservative effect of heat treatment and maintenance of the nutritive value of food. Control of the sterilisation efficiency is based on the F o value, an indicator of the lethal effect of heat treatment, while the cooking (C o ) value indicates a reduction of the nutritive value of heat treated products.Materials and Methods. During pâté sterilisation processes, two working heat treatment regimes were used: the regime used in regular, commercial production and an optimised regime. Heat treatment measurements were carried out using six thermocouple probes placed in the geothermal centres of six chosen cans. For each heat treatment, schematic diagrams were produced. F o values were determined using Ellab software, and C o values by the graphic method in a semi-logarithmic Thermal Death Time diagram. Results and Conclusions.During pâté sterilisation, where the effective time was 55 minutes (regular regime) at 114 °C and 3.2 bar pressure, an average F o value of 7.90±0.43 was achieved. By reducing the effective sterilisation time to 45 minutes (optimised regime), an average F o value of 3.81±0.5 was achieved. Both regimes were sufficient to ensure product safety (F o >3). The average C o value for the regular sterilisation regime was 109.83±1.33 minutes, while for the optimised regime, it was 88.67±4.27 minutes, i.e., an average reduction of 19.26%. This corresponds to a proportionally higher nutritional value of the product treated using the optimised regime. Data on the F o and