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An 84-day feeding trial was carried out onfingerling (4.44 ± 0.06 g) rainbow trout (Oncorhynchusmykiss, Walbaum, 1792) to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with a commercial prebiotic GroBiotic^®-A (G-A) on the growth, feed efficiency, haematology and immunlogical parameters. Ttreatments containing various inclusions of G-A (0 %, 0.5 %, 1.0 %, 1.5 %, 2.0 %, 2.5 %, and 3.0 %) were added to a commercial fish dietand were fed twice daily at 2-6 % of body weight. The highest weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and average daily gain (ADG) were obtained in fish fed the diet containing 2.5 % G-A followed by 3.0 % inclusion (P<0.05). The highest feed efficiency (FE), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net protein utilization (NPU) were also recorded in the 2.5 % G-A inclusion (P<0.05). Survival was significantly higher (P<0.05) in fish fed with 2 % and 2.5 % G-Asupplement (P<0.05). Although higher Hb, haematocrit, RBC, WBC, MCH, MCHC, MCV, lymphocytes, and neutrophils were observed at all  G-A supplemented diets, the differences among themwerenot significant (P>0.05). On the other hand,significantly higher differencee (P<0.05) in lysozyme and immunoglobulin (IgM) concentrations wereobserved in 2.5% G-A inclusion. The results of this study indicated that 2.5 % G-A inclusionhad a better performance on growth and haematoimmunological parameters in rainbow trout fingerling.

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One of the best-known rice-infecting microorganisms is Aspergillus flavus, which produces toxic metabolites known as Aflatoxins (AFs). This study was designed to detect potential simultaneous biosynthesis of the four main AFs (AFB₁, AFB₂, AFG₁, and AFG₂) in rice-infecting strains of A. flavus. The AF prevalence was studied in 109 strains of A. flavus, which were collected from stored Indian rice grains from 300 locations in the Middle Euphrates region of Iraq from 2015 to 2016. The potential AFs were extracted and quantified simultaneously using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a photodiode array detector. The results revealed that 29% (n= 32) of strains were non-aflatoxigenic, while the remaining 71% (n= 77) were confirmed to be aflatoxigenic, with variable ability to produce mono-, bi-, and tri-AFs. AFB₁, AFG₂, AFG₁, and AFB₂ were produced by 49 (45%), 44 (40%), 20 (18%), and 17 (16%) strains, respectively, at various concentrations. The concentration of AFB₁ was the highest among the A. flavus strains, with a mean value of 3,561.9 µg kg^-1. In conclusion, the most abundant AF synthesized by the rice-infecting A. flavus strains was AFB₁. Contamination with AFs continues to pose potential health risks to animals as well as humans. These results clearly indicate that the improper storage conditions of rice in Iraq were favourable for the growth of A. flavus and contamination with AFs. National-level studies are mandatory to avoid foodborne intoxications. Strict regulations should be devised and imposed to prevent synthesis of AFs on rice grains.
 

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This study evaluated the physicochemical properties of Prosopis juliflora pods and the preparation of its protein isolate. Changes in functional properties were observed when pH levels were adjusted to 5, 7, 8, and 10, with significant differences (P≤ 0.05) in functional characteristics and antioxidant and antibacterial activities. A high solubility value was achieved at pH 5.10 and lipid binding at pH 10, while the lowest value for both properties was found at pH 7. The highest foaming capacity was observed at pH 5 after 5 minutes of whipping, but decreased after 1 minute at pH 8. The emulsifying capacity was greatest at pH 10 and lowest at pH 7. The DPPH radical scavenging activity was high at pH 5, but decreased at pH 8 and also protein isolate showed inhibition activity against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus. However, the highest inhibition was against Bacillus bacteria at 0.5% protein isolate concentration, while the protein digestibility was higher. The isolated protein had no noticeable cytotoxic effect on human blood cells. Besides, FTIR test was used to determine the structure of the protein.