Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) seed cake, a by-product of oil extraction, is increasingly recognized as a valuable source of bioactive lipids [1]. This study aimed to compare the physicochemical, thermal, and antioxidant properties of oils extracted from two Polish milk thistle seed cake samples (MTC1–2) using Soxhlet extraction (SE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE). The two seed cake samples originated from distinct Polish producers, allowing for a comparative assessment of regional variability.

Soxhlet extraction was carried out for 6 hours, while microwave-assisted extraction was performed under 400 W power for 15 minutes with intermittent stirring, both using hexane as the extraction solvent. Oil yields ranged from 4.17% (SE) to 8.53% (MAE), demonstrating the improved efficiency of MAE. Antioxidant activity, determined by DPPH radical scavenging, was approximately 18% for SE and 24% for MAE, indicating better retention of lipid-soluble antioxidants with MAE. Fatty acid profiles confirmed linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6) as predominant (~45%), followed by oleic (~35%), palmitic (~7%), and stearic (~6%), consistent with typical nutritional patterns of milk thistle oil. Thermal behavior, evaluated using DSC, revealed differences in oxidative stability between seed sources; MAE-extracted oil showed longer induction times (122.89 min) compared to SE oil (65.91 min), indicating superior oxidative stability.

In conclusion, MAE is recommended for milk thistle seed cake oil recovery due to its higher yield, better antioxidant retention, and greater oxidative stability, supporting its application in functional food ingredients and the sustainable valorization of oil industry by-products.

Indonesia has significant potential to develop the halal industry due to its majority Muslim population, which constitutes 87.2% of the total population, creating a high demand for halal-compliant products. One major concern in this context is the adulteration of processed meat products, such as sausages, with non-halal meat types. This study aimed to develop a meat type authentication method relevant for halal sausage products by utilizing a lipidomics approach based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–high-resolution mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS) combined with chemometric analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA).

Three types of sausages were prepared using beef, pork, and dog meat, including their binary and ternary combinations. Lipids were extracted using a modified Bligh and Dyer method, followed by filtration and dilution prior to UHPLC-HRMS analysis. Untargeted lipidomics was performed to identify variations in lipid profiles across different meat sources.

The results indicated that lipid categories such as glycerophospholipids exhibited distinct patterns among the sausage types and have the potential to serve as crucial biomarkers for meat type in halal authentication, detecting non-halal meat adulteration. PCA successfully visualized clustering among sausage groups, while PLS-DA identified 15 potential lipid markers in each ionization mode. In pork sausages, PG(16:0/18:2) and PE(6:0/14:1)+H were identified, aligning with previous findings and considered key indicators of non-halal meat presence. In dog meat sausages, notable lipid markers included PC(18:0p/17:1)+H, PC(13:0/21:2)+H, PE(8:0p/11:0)+H, PS(6:0/14:0)+H, PS(10:0/10:0)+H, and PS(8:0e/13:0)+H.

These findings demonstrate that untargeted lipidomics, combined with chemometric analysis, provides a promising approach for authenticating meat types in processed products, thereby supporting halal assurance and protecting consumers from non-halal meat adulteration.

Food adulteration with non-halal components in processed meat products presents significant challenges for halal certification. While conventional DNA- and protein-based methods are compromised by thermal degradation, this study developed an untargeted lipidomics approach using UHPLC-HRMS to authenticate halal meatballs containing pure beef, goat, pork (90% meat and 10% tapioca/salt), and their 1:1 binary mixtures (n=3 per group) processed at 100°C for 30 minutes. Lipid profiling in ESI+/ESI- modes identified glycerophospholipids as the dominant lipid class (72-85% of total lipids), with 800-1,475 lipid ions detected per sample. Chemometric analysis revealed clear separation between halal and non-halal samples, with PCA showing 78.4% variance in ESI+ and PLS-DA achieving excellent classification (R²=0.994, Q²=0.952, 98.7% accuracy). Five lipid markers (LPE(16:0p)+H, LPE(16:1e)+H, LPE(18:1p)+H, PC(10:0p/23:0)+H, PC(8:0/24:1)+H) were identified for single-meat differentiation, while twelve additional markers (including PE(13:0/21:6)+H and PS(6:0/19:0)) distinguished mixed samples, enabling detection of 5% pork adulteration (AUC=0.987). The method demonstrated superior thermal stability versus DNA-based techniques (92.4% lipid vs. 31.2% DNA recovery post-processing, p<0.01), effectively overcoming limitations of conventional authentication methods. These findings establish lipidomics as a robust solution for the halal verification of thermally processed meat products, with identified markers providing specific targets for the regulatory monitoring of pork adulteration in complex meat matrices.

Contamination by Alternaria spp. has become a significant issue driven by climate change, primarily due to its production of mycotoxins with demonstrated toxic effects, demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. The most frequently detected mycotoxins in food are alternariol (AOH), alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), tentoxin (TEN), and tenuazonic acid (TeA). This study aimed to develop a rapid and straightforward analytical pipeline for quantifying these toxins in tomatoes and their derived products, both before and after simulated gastrointestinal digestion.

A blank tomato purée was prepared from locally sourced tomatoes following Italian regulatory standards for this product. Samples were subjected to in vitro digestion, using the standardized INFOGEST protocol, an internationally recognized static model that simulates the human oral, gastric, and duodenal phases. At the end of the digestion process, samples were centrifuged to separate the soluble supernatant from the insoluble pellet. The supernatant represents the potentially bioavailable fraction, whereas the pellet represents the non-absorbed fraction destined for transit through the lower gut. Both fractions were then freeze-dried to preserve them for analysis, extracted with acetonitrile:H₂O:methanol (45:45:10, v/v/v) solution, and purified using an SPE-cartridge.

Preliminary data suggest that AOH, AME, and TEN remain unaltered in the soluble duodenal fraction post-digestion. In contrast, the efficient extraction of TeA required acidification (pH = 4.5–4.7), indicating that it has limited solubility under physiological conditions (pH = 7). Furthermore, analysis by means of HPLC-MS demonstrated the capability to detect these Alternaria toxins in both the original food matrix and the final digested fluids, at the parts-per-billion (ppb) level.

By analysing the samples before and after the INFOGEST process, it was possible to monitor mycotoxins throughout the simulated gastrointestinal process and measure their bioaccessibility. The chemical heterogeneity of these compounds and their occurrence in diverse food matrices necessitates further research to improve and standardize toxin extraction methods.

The food industry produces a large volume of waste resulting from the production, preparation and consumption of food. The use and proper disposal of this waste has become a concern in recent years, such as the industrialization of cashew, Anacardium occidentale L, a fruit found in northeastern Brazil, which has great potential for use, as well as tubers and grains, thus enabling the supply of new foods, which have bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties. The methodology used to make the flours follows a process of forced air drying, using a mixture of flours to make the cookies. Given this alternative, the waste was processed into flour, guaranteeing a nutritional contribution to the food products supplied. Therefore, the general objective was to develop vegan cookies using vegetable flours from agro-industrial waste such as cashew nuts, beans and tuberculosis. For the results obtained in the basic formulation, we highlight the physicochemical and phytochemical determination of the products: pH:3.70, acidity: 26.80mLsol.normal/100g, ash:1.13g/100g and humidity 4% and the bioactive compounds already identified, which confer functionality to the food, total phenols 2.8mgEAG/100g and vitamin C:72mg/100g. The possibility of acceptance of the vegan, gluten-free and lactose-free cookie was tested by sensory analysis, with a significant percentage of acceptance. It is concluded that the product developed has promising commercial potential, in line with the principles of the circular economy by promoting the sustainable use of waste that would otherwise be discarded in the environment. The product demonstrates functional characteristics that qualify it as a healthy food alternative, contributing to nutritional diversification and more conscious consumption practices. This demonstrates not only the technical and market viability of the product, but also its commitment to sustainability and the promotion of human health.

Algae are an interesting source of bioactive compounds, and their polymeric carbohydrate fraction can be broken down to their monomers. In addition, Rugulopteryx okamurae is an invasive alga that it is difficult to remove from coasts. The objective of this work is to validate an analytical method and develop an environmentally friendly technique to quantify algal monosaccharides. Gas chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (QTOF) has been used to identify monosaccharides, using derivatization with oximes and sylilation. The internal standard was inositol. Pretreatment consisted of milling the algae and make a pretreatment using ethanol to eliminate pigments and phenolic compounds. The solvent used in this green extraction was water, and the extraction technique was ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). The first optimization concerned the mass–solvent ratio, testing between 1:15 and 1:30; 1:15 was selected as optimum. UAE has been optimized by experimental design, evaluating power and time in ranges of 20-70% power and 30-120 min by a factorial design. The maximum was established at 70% power and 30 minutes. The method is selective, sensitive and accurate. Rugulopteryx okamurae has mainly manitol, and other monosaccharides are galactose and glucose. Ulva ohnoi possess xylose, ramnose, galactose and glucose. A green and GRAS method was developed to extract monosaccharide from invasive algae.

Seafood is source of proteins, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals in the human diet. Notwithstanding these nutritional advantages, seafood may acquire organic lipophilic nonpolar contaminants, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals, from the aquatic environment, hence presenting potential dangers to consumers. In 2019, the most significant oil spill incident occurred on the Brazilian coast, resulting in the poisoning of marine ecosystems and their inhabitants. Consequently, officials and academics worked to evaluate the contamination levels and associated dangers in seafood from the impacted region. This study sought to assess the contamination levels and bioaccessibility of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in oysters from both natural environments and marine farms situated in the Delta of the Parnaiba River, Piauí state. PAH extraction adhered to the EPA-3545A standard, while bioaccessible fractions were obtained utilizing the liquid–liquid extraction method of the EPA-3510C protocol. The identification and quantification of PAHs adhered to the EPA-8270D procedure. The in vitro digestion simulation was conducted using the INFOGEST 2.0 standard protocol. The average concentration of the 39 assessed PAHs was consistent among the samples. The average quantities of PAHs ranged from 0.26 to 47.22 µg kg−1, with the most significant level detected in oysters from the natural environment. Naphthalene, acenaphthene, anthracene, fluorene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene were identified in the bioaccessible fraction, with respective bioaccessibility values of 11.53%, 19.33%, 7.78%, 48.2%, 11.95%, and 14.41%. Naphthalene was the most prevalent of the measured PAHs. The bioaccessible percentage of the cultivated oyster samples exhibited the lowest potency equivalent amounts of BaP (1.39 µg kg-1) in contrast to oysters from the wild environment (4.0 µg kg-1). The samples did not exceed the maximum limit of 18.0 µg kg-1 set by the National Agency for Sanitary Vigilance and Safety for mollusks, as per the BaP. The oyster from regions impacted by the oil spill is deemed safe for consumption.

Adaptogens are bioactive compounds that enhance the body's resilience to physical, chemical, and biological stressors, supporting homeostasis and overall well-being. Their beneficial effects are mediated through modulation of key stress-response pathways, including regulation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, attenuation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., TNF-α, IL-6), activation of antioxidant defense systems (e.g., Nrf2 pathway), and preservation of mitochondrial function. While traditionally associated with plants such as Panax ginseng, Eleutherococcus senticosus, Rhaponticum carthamoides, Rhodiola rosea or Schisandra chinensis, compounds with adaptogenic properties are increasingly recognized in a broader range of plant sources, being byproducts of the agri-food industry. This systematic review examines Spanish agri-food byproducts, including grape peel, olive tree leaves, citrus peels, apple peel, cacao residues, and tomato and beetroot pulp, as promising sources of adaptogenic compounds for functional food development. The review focuses on key bioactives such as resveratrol, hesperidin, theobromine, quercetin, oleuropein, betalains, and lycopene, summarizing their occurrence, bioactivity profiles, and potential roles in modulating neuroinflammation, metabolic disorders, arthritis, and stress-related conditions such as adrenal fatigue. The ;iterature was critically evaluated to identify both compositional data and evidence of adaptogenic effects or bioactivity-related adaptogenic effects in vitro and in vivo. The findings highlight the potential of these byproducts to contribute to the formulation of functional foods and beverages for the support of cognitive health, metabolic balance, and inflammatory control, while advancing circular economy practices within the Spanish agri-food sector.

Introduction: Microwave technology has emerged as a partial alternative to fossil fuels for processing particulate materials. When combined with fluidized bed systems, it offers opportunities to optimize processes in the food industry, contributing to sustainability and improved product quality.
Methods: A pilot-scale fluidized bed dryer equipped with two magnetrons was used to study drying behavior in soybeans and pumpkin seeds. Samples were soaked in tap water (1:8 w/w) for 9 hours at room temperature. Initial moisture content was 62.4% for soybeans and 68.7% (w.b.) for pumpkin seeds. Air convection was generated using a 4 HP blower, with heating via four electric resistors set at 50 °C. Air velocities were 4.0 and 3.4 m/s, equal to twice the minimum fluidization velocity for each product. Thermographic images (Testo® 875i, Germany) were taken every 5 minutes. Drying rate and moisture content curves were constructed over time.
Results: For soybeans, weight loss after 30 minutes was 32.2% without microwaves, 42.5% at 350 W, and 34.5% at 750 W. Microwave application at low power enhanced weight loss, though no further improvement was seen at higher power.
For pumpkin seeds, weight loss reached 42.0% without microwaves, 45.8% at 350 W, and 48.2% at 750 W. Here, microwave power positively influenced drying efficiency, suggesting better energy coupling and surface moisture removal with increasing power.
Conclusions: Weight loss behavior varied depending on the product matrix. Overall, microwave-assisted fluidized bed drying improved moisture removal compared to conventional drying, particularly at moderate power levels.

Ikejime is a technique used to kill fish by inserting a spike into the brain, which can be performed manually or mechanically. This technique originated in Japan and aims to reduce stress and prevent uncontrolled muscle contractions after the catch, thereby preserving the quality of the meat and prolonging its freshness. This not only preserves the original flavour and texture of the fish, but also creates a rich “umami” taste. In this study, the proximate composition, amino acid profile and fatty acid composition with the degree of their oxidation were compared in farmed sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) killed by cold water asphyxiation after capture and the samples bled during capture using the Ikejime technique. No significant difference was found between the samples in proximate and fatty acid composition. Lipid oxidation, measured by the tiobarbituric acid test, showed similar results with no significant difference: 0.62 ± 0.01 µmol malondialdehyde (MA)/100g in the sea bass killed by cold water asphyxiation, and 0.76 ± 0.01 µmol MA/100g in the sea bass killed by Ikejime. The lower levels of ASP, HIS, GABA, MET and LYS found in Ikejime-treated sea bass indicate lower stress and delayed proteolysis, which enhances the oxidative and microbial stability of fish killed by this technique. While the immediate umami flavour can be milder, the flavour improves with a short period of maturation, making Ikejime fish ideal for high-quality, well-matured seafood products.