diff --git a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/MasterDataParser.java b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/MasterDataParser.java
index 1d0d2bc4990af4a1569a60c7c1ce365be50a9590..58dd1b31517b223581b2959ed845fe455d727324 100644
--- a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/MasterDataParser.java
+++ b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/MasterDataParser.java
@@ -274,11 +274,7 @@ public class MasterDataParser
     private String getAttribute(Element termElement, String attr)
     {
         Node node = termElement.getAttributes().getNamedItem(attr);
-        if (node != null)
-        {
-            return node.getTextContent().trim();
-        }
-        return null;
+        return node != null ? node.getTextContent() : null;
     }
 
     private void parseMaterialTypes(NodeList matTypesNode) throws XPathExpressionException
diff --git a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/ResourceListParser.java b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/ResourceListParser.java
index 813b26fed372d956497ca6f552f457dcd086e669..e07a2fa9586ca1350831d5e9038cc1f5b81e1bbb 100644
--- a/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/ResourceListParser.java
+++ b/datastore_server/source/java/ch/ethz/sis/openbis/generic/server/dss/plugins/sync/harvester/synchronizer/ResourceListParser.java
@@ -333,10 +333,8 @@ public class ResourceListParser
             {
                 return null;
             }
-        } else
-        {
-            return val.trim();
-        }
+        } 
+        return val;
     }
 
     private String extractAttribute(Node xdNode, String attrName) throws IllegalArgumentException