Marija Bodroža-Solarov
University in Novi Sad
Serbia
Title: Food safety aspects of alterative crops in organic farming system
Biography
Biography: Marija Bodroža-Solarov
Abstract
Environmental protection and sustainable agriculture are contemporary fields of integral rural and agricultural development. Availability of natural resources, severely threatened by global climatic changes as evident fact, points toward the necessity for environmental-friendly organic production and management of product eco-quality. The major aspect of significance of this research is an affirmation of cultures (Triticum aestivum ssp. Spelta, Amaranthus sp., Fagopyrum sp.) predestined by nature for cultivation in organic farming. In the frame of genetic divergence research, populations of these species collected and investigated regarding various aspects of quality with emphasis to phytopathology and health safety issues.
Since there is an increasing demand on the world market for alternative crops suitable for organic production, spelt wheat is a highly attractive farming option. Alternaria species are widespread and infect a great variety of economically important crops. Certain species are known producers of mycotoxins. This study was to assess the protective effect of hulls covering the spelt kernels on Alternaria toxins. The obtained results indicate the significantly higher concentrations of Alternaria toxins in hulls than in dehulled kernels, which implicate the possible protective effect of spelt wheat hulls.
Grain storage technology of these cultures grown in organic systems will be viewed through the application of alternative bio-ecological protective methods against storage pests which include natural inert dusts and extracts of aromatic and medicinal herbs. Natural zeolites and diatomaceous earth (inert dusts) are possible alternatives to chemical control of pests in stored grains and are officially approved for use in the storage of crops from certified organic production system. The application of inert dusts is one possibility for efficient insect control in stored products which simultaneously shows the ability to improve some aspects of wheat technological quality.