Nettle is a perennial plant rich in phytochemicals and specialized metabolites (SM), often categorized as a product of great potential and wide usage. Although wild nettle is widespread in nature, its cultivation is necessary in order to achieve known chemical composition of final product. Agro-technical measures during different phases in plants development can considerably impact the synthesis and accumulation of SM, which are directly influenced by numerous biotic, abiotic and anthropogenic factors. Key factors for obtaining a nutritive high quality product of adequate yield include balanced fertilization, plant development stage and harvest period. More evident climatic changes encourage the implementation of modern growing methods. Modern vegetables growing methods include hydroponic cultivation which shows number of advantages: good natural resources management, rationalized water consumption because of nutrient solution recirculation, preventing loss of nutrients from the rhizosphere, control of abiotic factors of nutrient solution and air. During the product market placement with an aim of longer nutritive and organoleptic qualities preservation and durability of the product it is necessary to pack the product with a goal to reduce the contact of fresh nettle with the surrounding atmosphere. Key factors during packaging are selection of adequate packaging material and gases composition in package. Packaging in a modified atmosphere significantly reduces the degradation of nutritional properties of fresh plant material while ensuring the microbiological safe of the packaged product.

Most local breeds of domestic animals were neglected during the twentieth century, primarily because of their lower production competitiveness. Today, local breeds are valued by society as a valuable genetic and cultural heritage, important for the safety of food production, maintaining the distinctiveness of rural areas and biodiversity, without neglecting their current or potential economic importance. Some local breeds that have been brought to the brink of survival in recent decades and society seek to promote, through public funds, the development of sustainable production systems for endangered local breeds. Past experiences in developing sustainable systems for protecting local breeds emphasize the need for a balanced and multilateral focus on all conservation program participants. The proposed scientific research aims at the example of five Croatian local breeds (Istrian cattle, Busha, Littoral-Dinaric and Istrian donkey, Posavina horse) located in different geographical areas to identify genetic, economic and social indicators of local breeds and to identify interactions of established indicators. Pedigree record analysis, genotyping, and certain polymorphic gene loci will be used to evaluate genetic indicators. Production indicators will be evaluated by collecting phenotype descriptors, descriptors of carcass characteristics at the slaughter line and descriptors of meat quality. The analysis of the chemical meat composition and changes in the composition of fatty acids and amino acids during the ‘meat aging’ will determine the effect of the procedure and length of meat ageing on physico-chemical processes in meat. Outcomes will be useful in improving the meat quality of local breeds and increasing their competitiveness. The project envisages establishing the attitudes of social groups. The most important achievement of the proposed project is to determine the interaction of breed, genetic and production indicators with the attitudes of social groups.