Insight into the hidden bacterial diversity of Lake Balaton, Hungary.

In the present study, the prokaryotic community structure of the water of Lake Balaton was investigated at the littoral region of three different points (Tihany, Balatonmáriafürdo and Keszthely) by cultivation independent methods [next-generation sequencing (NGS), specific PCRs and microscopy cell counting] to check the hidden microbial diversity of the lake. The taxon-specific PCRs did not show pathogenic bacteria but at Keszthely and Máriafürdo sites extended spectrum beta-lactamase-producing microorganisms could be detected. The bacterial as well as archaeal diversity of the water was high even when many taxa are still uncultivable. Based on NGS, the bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria, while the most frequent Archaea belonged to Woesearchaeia (Nanoarchaeota). The ratio of the detected taxa differed among the samples. Three different types of phototrophic groups appeared: Cyanobacteria (oxygenic phototrophic organisms), Chloroflexi (anaerobic, organotrophic bacteria) and the aerobic, anoxic photoheterotrophic group (AAPs). Members of Firmicutes appeared only with low abundance, and Enterobacteriales (order within Proteobacteria) were present also only in low numbers in all samples.

Human utilization of triticale: technological and nutritional aspects.

In spite of the fact that triticale is not subject of the EU intervention, its acreage shows a continuously growing trend. Albeit, both parental species (sp. Triticum, sp. Secale) are used for human food, the utilization of triticale as human food is still uncertain. The main focus of this paper was to study and compare technological and nutritional values of triticale and its parental species. Triticale (cultivars and experimental lines) along with one wheat and one rye varieties were used in the tests. Most of the grain and flour technological properties (Kernel diameter, Test Weight, flour yield, gluten content, Zeleny volume) of the triticale entries positioned in between the parental wheat and rye attributes. However, thousand kernel weight (TKW) of triticale cultivar GK Szemes and grain hardness of cv. GK Idus surpassed all other entries. The study revealed that--having considerable variation--triticale grains are very rich in beneficial elements such us Ca, Mg, P, Cu and Zn. Dietary fiber (DF) content of triticales were between the rye and wheat controls (10-15%). Total arabinoxylan content (TOTAX) of triticales were much closer to rye (6%), and in some genotypes considerably expanded it (6,5-7%). Health conscious consumers trend to use increasingly novel, valuable grain sources and products in their daily based diets. The inappropriate nature of triticale per se flours for baking industry seems to hinder the human utilization. Blends exploiting favorable attributes of triticale may be a suitable way to use this valuable crop in milling products and in larger food industrial scale.

Application of water framework directive in Hungary: development of biological classification systems.

The classification according to the Water Framework Directive (WFD) includes numerous challenges in contrast with the previously applied water qualification standards. The most important element of the ecological status, the biological one, is based on five groups of living organisms: phytoplankton, phytobenthon, macrophytes, macro-invertebrates and fish. The results of a three-year research project financed by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW) and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HAS) are reported in this work. The objective of the project was the elaboration of a proposal for biological classification according to the WFD for the related groups of living organisms. In the course of the project the biological characteristics to be measured were selected for each of the above listed groups which served as the basic data for Biological Quality Elements (BQEs). In the BQEs we estimated the type-specific reference values for most of the Hungarian surface water types. Then we created the structure of the qualification system for these groups, including specification of class boundaries between the five classes for the Environmental Quality Ratio (EQR) values on the basis of expert estimation. A Non-Taxonomic Periphyton Index (NTPI, not included in the WFD) was also developed and tested for qualification. The elaborated classification systems were tested on the basis of existing scarce data for numerous Hungarian water types.

Phylogeny of six naviculoid diatoms based on 18S rDNA sequences.

18S rDNA sequences of six Naviculaceae species [Amphora montana, Gomphonema parvulum, Eolimna minima (syn. Navicula minima), Eolimna subminuscula (syn. Navicula subminuscula), Navicula veneta and Phaeodactylum tricornutum] were determined in order to assess the monophyly of this important group of diatoms, to date not included in 18S rDNA databases, and also that of the recently described genus Eolimna. Phylogenetic trees were constructed using other known diatom 18S rDNA sequences, and best tree topologies obtained were tested against alternative trees for their reliability. The analyses do not reject the monophyly of Naviculaceae and strongly support the separation of the genus Eolimna from Navicula sensu lato. The two species of Eolimna, however, do not appear to be each other's closest relatives among the species investigated: rather, E. subminuscula shows affinities to A. montana, and E. minima to P. tricornutum. A. montana, a species which it has been proposed should be transferred into a separate taxon from the other five species, was found to have grouped well within them in all analyses.