Head of the Department
Rezica Sudar, Ph.D., Scientific (Research) Advisor
Tel.: +385 31 51 55 78
Fax. +385 31 51 55 79
rezica.sudar@poljinos.hr
Scientific staff:
|
Zorica Jurković, Ph.D., |
Marija Viljevac, B.Sc. |
|
Hrvoje Lepeduš, Ph.D., Scientific (Research) Advisor |
Stanislav Kuharski, B.Sc., |
The Agrochemical Laboratory was founded at the beginning of 1993, when 3 laboratories, originally from different departments of The Agricultural Institute Osijek, merged: Department for Feeding, Technics and Stock-Breeding Technology, Department for Breeding and Genetics of Cereals and Department for Agrotechnics. Department for Stock-Feeding and Stock-Feed Technology were founded in 1958. The Head of Department was prof. D.Sc. Mijo Nuskern and he was also the professor of Domestic Animals Feeding at Agricultural Faculty in Osijek. He has founded the Chemical Laboratory and has introduced modern analytical methods for quality assessment of feed and fodder, giving the significant contribution to the scientifically based feeding of domestic animals. The Chemical Laboratory was a certified laboratory for the analyses and super analyses of stock-feed. The Department was a carrier of development of stock-feed industry, conservation of voluminous stock-feed and mechanization in livestock production for the region. The staff employed at the time and/or still employed include D.Sc. Antun Novoselović, (1971-1999 - director of The Institute), prof. D.Sc. Mirjana Skvorcov, prof. D.Sc. Ivan Knežević, D.Sc. Zorica Jurković, M.sc. Marica Galonja, Stanislav Kuharski, B.Sc., Krunoslav Kralj, B.Sc. and Franjo Tolušić. During the war in Croatia, the majority of the equipment was destroyed and the functioning of the Institute’s laboratories was interrupted (1991-1993)
In the beginning, The Agrochemical Laboratory was established for quality assessment of seed and stock-feed based on physical, chemical and biochemical analyses. Taking over the laboratory equipment for rheological examination of cereals from the Department for Breeding and Genetics of Cereals, lead by D.Sc. Dubravka Hackenberger have made it possible to extend the Laboratory’s activities in the new direction. During the last decade, the activities in the Laboratory were extended from standard to highly specific methods important in seed-quality oriented breeding programs of The Agricultural Institute Osijek. During that period the Laboratory was equipped with the new scientific instruments, which were donated by the Bavarian government and/or financed by Croatian Ministry of Science and Technology. Today’s Laboratory is equipped with modern and computerized instruments which are capable of performing different analyses for scientific and professional purposes. Trained, experienced and skilled personnel ensure reliable analyses results.
Current staff list consists of: D.Sc. - two Senior Scientific Associate, M.Sc. - two Assistant, three B.Sc., two laboratory technicians and one laboratory worker.
Scientific research is partially financed by The Agricultural Institute Osijek, and partially by Ministry of Science and Technology, as a part of "Evaluation of Field Crops Quality (0073009)" scientific project. The aim of the project is to assess reliable information for identification, differentiation and detection of qualitative and quantitative traits important in field crop breeding programs, using biochemical and molecular biology techniques. The activities are focused on optimization of seed storage proteins extraction and separation, using electrophoresis and High pressure liquid chromatography - HPLC for wheat, barley, soybean, sunflower, maize and alfalfa genotypes differentiation. ALF express sequencer is used for genetic diversity evaluation on the DNA level. The employees of The Agrochemical Laboratory are also collaborating with other departments of The Agricultural Institute Osijek and with other research institutions, as co-workers or advisors (scientific consultant) in the realization of scientific projects supported by Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The scientific and research activities of the Laboratory include:
- Examination of quality of wheat cultivars and lines (protein content, moisture determination, ash content, sedimentation test, falling number, wet gluten content and
gluten index), dough rheological properties (farinograph and extensograph) and bread baking test. Evaluation of wheat genetic variability (glutenin and gliadin subunits) using
electrophoresis and liquid chromatography;
- Determination of protein and starch content in barley and genetic variability evaluation (hordeins) using electrophoresis and liquid chromatography;
- Determination of maize protein, starch, crude fibres, fat and ash content and nutritive value of maize. Evaluation of genetic diversity of the Institute’s maize inbred lines and
their relations to public lines using microsatellite markers. Determination of sugar composition and quantity in sweet corn lines and hybrids during different stages of
maturity using liquid chromatography;
- Determination of protein and oil content in soybean cultivars by near infrared transmission (NIT). Quality and stability of oil extracted from soybean cultivars,
determined using HPLC analysis of triacylglycerols composition and quantity;
- Sunflower cultivars quality evaluation using standard methods for total oil content determination (Soxhlet and nuclear magnetic resonance - NMR);
- Determination of chemical composition and nutritive value of forage crops (grasses, alfalfa, stock pea);
- Cereals, flour, oil crops and forage crops quality evaluation for producers, food processors and others who require laboratory services.
Research results during the last decade have been published as more than 100 scientific papers in Croatian and international journals and have also been presented in international and Croatian scientific and professional meetings. The majority of scientific papers are indexed in relevant scientific databases (CC, CAB, Agricola, etc.). Two Ph.D. and two M.Sc. theses in the field of biotechnical sciences were successfully completed. The Agrochemical Laboratory is the certified laboratory for stock-feed physical and chemical evaluation of quality. The laboratory has met the basic criteria and it is still a part of inter-laboratory testing of physical and chemical methods for wheat and flour quality evaluation, conducted by the "National Office of Measures", Budapest, Hungary. Newly built laboratory makes it possible to further improve research and scientific work and to establish the "system of quality" according to HRN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2000 standard, i.e. for laboratory certification procedure.
More important references:Jukić, V., Jurković, Z., Sudar, R., Krizmanić, M., Bilandžić, M. (1996): Composition and correlation among the fatty acids in sunflower seed oil of various inbred lines. Sjemenarstvo 13 (5/6)317-323.
Sudar, R., Vratarić, M., Jurković, Z., Sudarić, A. (1997): Fatty acids of soybean oil different OS cultivars. Eurosoya, 11, 10-15.
Jurković, Z., Sudar, R., Drezner, G. (1998.): HMW subjedinice glutenina OS kultivara pšenice i njihova veza s pekarskom kakvoćom. Poljoprivreda. 4 (1), 59-66.
Jurković, Z., Sudar, R., Drezner, G., Horvat, D. (2000.): The HMW Glutenin Subunit Composition of OS Wheat Cultivars and their Relationship with Bread-Making Quality. Cereal Research Communication 28 (3), 271-277.
Horvat, D., Jurković, Z., Sudar, R., Pavlinić, D., Šimić, G. (2002): The relative Amounts of HMW Glutenin subunits of OS Wheat Cultivars in Relation to Bread-Making Quality. Cereal Research Communications 30 (3-4), 415-422,
Magdić, D., Horvat, D., Jurković, Z., Sudar, R., Kurtanjek, Ž. (2002): Chemometric Analysis of High Molecular Weight Glutenin Proportions and Image Data of Bread Crumb Structure from Croatian Wheat Cultivars. Food Technology and Biotechnology 40 (4), 331-341.
Jurković, Z., Horvat, D., Sudar, R., Pavlinić, D., Šimić, G. (2002): The High Weight Glutenin
Subunits (HMW) of Wheat Cultivars in Relation to Bread-making Quality. Proceedings of ICC Conference 2002, May 26-29, 2002, Budapest.
Sudar, R., Jurković, Z., Vratarić, M., Sudarić, A., Duvnjak, T. (2003): Triacylglycerols Composition of Oil in OS Soybean Cultivars. European Food Research and Technology 217, 115-119.
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