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Background and Aim: Monitoring food quality and safety remain a pressing issue. The intermediate results of the study on the residual amounts of heavy and toxic elements in food products are presented herein. The aim of this study was the determination of heavy metals in milk and fermented milk products from basic farms in the Almaty region, Kazakhstan. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 raw milk samples and 80 cottage cheese samples were analyzed. The milk and cottage cheese samples were subjected to mineralization during the analysis to remove organic impurities and determine the heavy metal concentrations using atomic absorption spectrometry. Results: The contents of cadmium, lead, and arsenic in all raw materials and food products did not exceed the maximum permissible concentrations. Conclusion: The dairy samples showed low contents of cadmium, mercury, lead, and arsenic that did not exceed the allowable concentrations for basic farms in the Almaty region.

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The paper presents the overall results and experimental details of the in vitro assessment of the elderberry (Sambucus nigra) extract on the motility, viability and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production of bovine spermatozoa in different time periods (0, 2, 6 and 24 hours). Sambucus nigra is often used for medicinal purposes throughout the world. Modern research reveals that Sambucus nigra extracts may have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, anticancer and antioxidant properties, because of a high content of biologically active components. Spermatozoa motility was assessed using the Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) system. Cell viability was examined using the metabolic activity MTT assay and ROS generation was quantified using luminometry. The CASA analysis revealed that the motility in the experimental groups supplemented with 100, 50 and 1 μg/mL elderberry extract was lower in comparison with other samples. The experiment showed that the elderberry extract had a considerable in vitro effect on the sperm motility, vitality and oxidative profile. The ROS production as well as the CASA assessment proved that the optimal concentration of both extracts was 10 μg/mL in every time with statistically significant results. The MTT test showed a statistically significant increase of mitochondrial at all time periods with 10 μg/mL elderberry extract when compared to the control group. When lower concentrations of the elderberry extract were used (5 and 1 μg/mL), the mitochondrial activity was higher than in the control group but lower than in the group supplemented with 10 μg/mL of the extract. In these groups this indicator increased maximally after 24 h. The findings of the present study indicate that Sambucus nigra extract possesses activity promoting properties on bovine spermatozoa at 10 and 5 μg/mL.

Background and Aim: The quality of food, especially animal-based food, is crucial for human health. However, the quality of milk and other animal products has become an acute cause for concern in Kazakhstan . Technogenic dispersion of heavy metals (HMs) causes adverse effects on living organisms and creates unfavorable conditions for the existence of humans, animals, and plants. The purpose of this study was to analyze the content of several HMs in samples of soil, horse feed (hay, mixed feed, and bran), mare's milk, and manure to assess bioaccumulation and possible adverse effects on the bodies of horses. An additional purpose was to identify areas with acceptable conditions for obtaining environmentally safe horse breeding products in the agricultural zones of the Almaty region, Kazakhstan. Materials and Methods: Samples were obtained from two farms in the Almaty region in 2020 (spring, summer, and autumn). In total, 72 soil samples were analyzed, which were taken from the upper humus horizon to the depth of the arable layer. Eighty-six samples were taken from the feed of horses. Green feed was represented by perennial and annual grasses (alsike clover, Medicago sativa, sweet yellow clover, as well as pea and oat mix). Barley and wheat bran stored in the warehouses of the farm were sampled for the research as feed supplements. The mixed feed comprised components such as maize and sunflower. In addition, 46 samples of mare's milk and 28 samples of horse manure were collected. The HM analysis was performed in the laboratory of the Kazakh-Japanese Innovation Center. The residual amounts of HMs were determined using an absorption spectrometer with a voltammetric analyzer. The content of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and arsenic (As) in all the studied samples of soil, feed, mare's milk, and manure did not exceed the threshold limit values (TLVs), suggesting that the intake of these toxic elements into the human body with food was low. Results: The average Cd concentration was in the range of 0.29-0.31 mg/kg in soil samples and in the range of 0.20-0.27 mg/kg in feed samples. In milk, the Cd concentration varied from 0.01 to 0.02 mg/L and was lower in summer and higher in fall. The total average Cd content in horse manure was 0.1844 mg/kg. The concentration of Pb in soil samples ranged from 1.09 to 1.30 mg/kg with the lowest value in spring and the highest in fall. In the feed, the concentration of Pb varied from 0.14 to 0.76 mg/kg and in milk from 0.03 to 0.15 mg/L. The average concentrations of Hg and As in soil samples averaged 0.022 and 0.019 mg/kg, respectively, and were within the TLVs. Conclusion: In the study areas, the calculated transition rates in the soil–feed–milk–manure system revealed that the greatest transition of HMs was observed for Pb and Cd, and a smaller migration was observed for Hg and As. The tendency of accumulation of trace elements continued in the feed.