Sugar beet pulp serves as an emerging pectin source with unique functional properties. This study investigated the ferulic acid (FA), a bioactive substance, present in the pectic extracts isolated from sugar beet pulp by a microwave-assisted (MAE) process. Sugar beet pulp (SB, 10 g) was subjected to a pressurized microwave-autoclave (2.67 Bar, 134.8 °C) at three pH levels (2.5, 3.5, and 4.3). Water extraction (WE) was also performed at all pH levels. Other physicochemical properties of SB pectic extracts, including neutral sugar composition using gas chromatography, and FTIR spectroscopies to estimate the degrees of esterification (DE), degree of acetylation (DA), and thermal degradation using a universal TGA analyzer, were also analysed. The results obtained revealed that MAE and lower pH significantly (p < 0.05) improved the pectic yields (% dry basis) (pH 2.5, 19.9±0.05; pH 3.5, 17.10 ± 0.03; pH 4.3, 15.50 ± 0.06) more than WE pectic extracts (pH 2.5, 11.80 ± 0.49; pH 3.5, 11.30 ± 0.12, pH 4.3, 9.10 ± 0.03). Moreover, MAE significantly improved the FA (%)(pH 2.5, 2.71±0.33; pH 3.5, 2.54 ± 0.11; pH 4.3, 2.44 ± 0.17) compared to WE (pH 2.5, 2.29±0.18; pH 3.5, 2.34±0.17; pH 4.3, 2.27±0.77). FTIR spectroscopies of all pectic extracts revealed high DEs (56.68- 64.55 %). Higher proportions of galactose were observed in the MAE SB pectic extracts compared to those of WE extracts, and generally, a high DA is obtained from all pectic substances (14.32±1.24-17.41±0.76%). The thermal degradation of SB pectic extracts resulted in low ash residues (3.54-4.72%). In conclusion, the microwave-assisted technique promotes the extraction of feruloylated pectic substances from sugar beet pulp.

The challenge of food insecurity in rapidly urbanizing regions of Nigeria is compounded by poor waste management, deprived livelihood opportunities, environmental degradation, and unsustainable production and consumption patterns. This study investigates the options and potential of integrating waste-to-food systems—such as urban composting, household biogas, and organic waste reuse—to enhance access to food system sustainability in Calabar Municipality. Through mixed methods, including household surveys, field observations, and stakeholder interviews, the research uses feedback from public engagements and focus group options, policy gaps, and the environmental benefits of adopting circular food-waste strategies. Preliminary findings reveal that over 60% of household waste in Calabar is organic and could be redirected to sustainable urban agriculture and renewable energy, creating avenues for livelihood creation, yet institutional frameworks remain weak. Concepts regarding basic needs, as policy inputs of the Food and Agricultural Organization, should be examined as theyrelate to food availability and the issue of post harvest food losses, and this is relevant to developing countries in the face of climate change challenges. This paper advocates for diverse partnerships from other sectors of the urban space, community-based composting initiatives, and educational campaigns to drive behavioral change. By linking waste management with food production and flexible and green consumption patterns, in line with environmental sustainability imperatives, this study contributes practical insights into achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2, 11, and 12 in urban Africa.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of lactic acid and glyceryl lactate on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal health in piglets. This study included 240 castrated male piglets (initial body weight: 7.50 ± 0.54 kg) assigned to four groups: CON (basal diet), LA (basal diet + 0.5% lactic acid), GL (basal diet + 0.5% glyceryl lactate), and LG (basal diet + 0.5% lactic acid + 0.5% glyceryl lactate). Each group had six replicates of 10 piglets. The trial lasted 28 days. Compared with the control group, the GL and LG groups showed enhanced growth performance and reduced diarrhea rates in piglets. The LA and LG groups showed decreased intestinal chyme pH and increased digestive enzyme activities. Moreover, the GL and LG groups displayed elevated jejunal mRNA levels of the tight junction protein occludin and mucin MUC2, enhanced expression levels of Nrf2 signaling pathway genes, increased activities of the antioxidant enzymes GPX and CAT, and reduced MDA content. Acidifier supplementation also modulated cecal bacterial abundance and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) content. Genera such as Faecalibaculum, Nocardiopsis, Collinsella, CAG269, Allobaculum, and Enterococcus were affected. In conclusion, glyceryl lactate and its combination with lactic acid improved piglet growth performance by enhancing intestinal barrier function, antioxidant capacity, microbial community structure, and SCFA production.

Gluten-free bread (GFB) is a food with a high glycemic index. Its frequent consumption can lead to rapid increases in blood glucose, potentially causing metabolic stress and contributing to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. To contrast this tendency, we studied different GFB formulations using a mixture design of experiments, substituting the control mix of flours (MF) with hypoglycemic ingredients like red lentil flour (RLF) and tapioca-resistant starch (RS). The primary aims focused on assessing how the mixture of ingredients affects the techno-functional and textural properties and predicted glycemic index (pGI) of GFB and optimizing the formulation to obtain a technologically acceptable GFB with a lower impact on pGI.
The crumb porosity analysis indicated that increased lentil content in the formulation led to higher pore density. Moreover, the RLF reduced the mean diameter of the pores both in the presence and absence of the resistant starch. In contrast, the circularity and area fraction did not show a specific trend. The texture analysis results confirmed an increase in hardness proportional to the addition of RLF. However, adding RS helps mitigate this effect, improving the softness of the bread. On the contrary, cohesiveness tends to decrease in samples enriched with lentils, especially when RS is also present. Even though GFB samples showed a pGI above 70, a tendency towards a reduction in pGI was observed with an increase in the percentage of RLF. The desirability function suggested two formulations with the best techno-functional and textural parameters. However, the one with the lowest pGI contained 0% RS, 20% RLF, and 80% MF. In conclusion, incorporating different hypoglycemic ingredients offers a promising strategy for producing GF bread with a lower glycemic index and acceptable technological and textural characteristics.

Phenolic compounds recovered from olive mill wastewater (OMWW) represent a promising resource for sustainable antimicrobial applications. While their antioxidant properties are well documented, limited data are available on their antimicrobial activity against spore-forming bacteria such as Bacillus cereus. This study assessed the antimicrobial efficacy of a purified extract of OMWW submitted to a spray-dry process on a support of maltodextrin DE-19 against three B. cereus strains (one field and two reference). Microtiter-based assays were used to evaluate bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on vegetative cells and spores at 20 °C and 30 °C. Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC), and Killing Quotient (KQ) were determined. At 20 °C, vegetative cells were inhibited at 0.095–0.187 mg/mL, with one strain highly susceptible. At 30 °C, MICs ranged from 0.187 to 1.5 mg/mL. Bactericidal activity was observed at 0.75–3 mg/mL. Spore germination was inhibited above 0.75 mg/mL, though no sporicidal effect was detected. In general, the experimental setup using phenolic extracts can present significant challenges due to their chemical complexity and variability. Nonetheless, this phase is essential to define appropriate dosages and mechanisms of action prior to any application in food matrices. Here, the stability of the spray-dry extract allowed for the proper build-up of in vitro tests. The results highlight the potential of OMWW phenolics as natural antimicrobials, particularly effective against vegetative forms of B. cereus.

This study explored the effects of a new polydextrose addition on the sensory score, textural parameters, and microstructure of steamed bread, as well as the pasting, thermal, and thermal–mechanical properties of high-gluten wheat flours. Compared with the control sample, 3–10% polydextrose addition significantly increased the hardness, adhesiveness, gumminess, and chewiness of steamed bread, but other textural parameters like springiness, cohesiveness, and resilence remained basically the same. Additionally, 3–10% polydextrose addition significantly reduced the specific volume and width/height ratio of steamed bread but increased the brightness index, yellowish color, and color difference, improved the internal structure, and maintained the other sensory parameters and total score. Polydextrose addition decreased the peak, trough, final, breakdown, and setback viscosity of the pasting of wheat flour suspension solutions but increased the pasting temperature. Polydextrose addition significantly reduced the enthalpy of gelatinization and the aging rate of flour paste but increased the peak temperature of gelatinization. Polydextrose addition increased the crystalline regions of starch, the interaction between protein and starch, and the β-sheet percentage of wheat dough without yeast and that of steamed bread. Amorphous regions of starch were increased in dough through the addition of polydextrose but decreased in steamed bread. In addition, 3–10% polydextrose addition decreased the number of random coils, α-helixes, and β-turns in the dough, but 3–7% polydextrose addition maintained or increased these conformations in steamed bread, while 10% polydextrose decreased them. In steamed bread, as a hydrogel, 5–7% polydextrose addition resulted in the formation of a continuous three-dimensional network structure with certain adhesiveness and elasticity, with increases in the porosity and gas-holding capacity of the product. Moreover,10% polydextrose addition further increased the viscosity, softness, and looseness of the steamed bread, with smaller and more numerous holes and indistinct boundaries between starch granules. These results indicate that 3–10% polydextrose addition increases the softness and looseness of steamed bread by improving the gluten network structure.

Cakes are convenient semi-dry food foams that have air pockets enclosed in a protein and starch network. It is produced with soft wheat flour and fat, sugar, eggs, milk, baking powders, emulsifiers, etc. Bambara groundnuts (Vigna subterranean) is a potential food security crop in the South Eastern part of Nigeria. It is highly nutritious but has a beany flavor. Thus, the mineral, vitamin and sensory profiles of the cakes prepared from pretreated Bambara groundnut flour were evaluated. Cake samples were produced from Bambara groundnuts pre-treated with water (Sample BGW) and sodium bicarbonates (Sample BGSB) separately to reduce its beany flavor. Wheat flour (Sample WF) cake served as the control. The mineral, vitamin and sensory profiles of the cake samples were determined using standard methods. The pretreatment of the Bambara groundnuts reduced the mineral and vitamin contents of the pretreated cake samples (BGSB and BGW) when compared to the control cake. The overall acceptability of the control cake samples wasnot significantly (P>0.05) different from the pretreated cake samples. The samples BGSB and BGW showed considerable mineral (3.67-3.46mg/100g Zn, 3.83-3.61mg/100g Fe, 48.47- 44.84mg/100g Ca, 109.37-106.77mg/100g Na, 269.63-268.5mg/100g K, 178.29-175.72mg/100g) and vitamin (4.72-3.85mg/100g Vit.C, 4.56-4.18mg/100g Vit.A, 1.09-1.05mg/100g Vit.B1, 0.94-0.71mg/100g Vit.B2) contents when compared to the control cake sample (WF). This suggest that the samples BGSB and BGW could be used as a vital source of micronutrients in cake production. However, the sample BGW had the highest Vitamin B2 (0.94mg/100g) content while the sample BGSB had highest Calcium (48.47mg/100g) content. Therefore, pre-treated Bambara groundnut flour could be used as an alternative to wheat flour in cake making since the overall acceptability was enhanced and the beany flavor was reduced.

The wine industry, a major player in the global agri-food sector, generates millions of tonnes of grape pomace annually as a by-product. Although rich in polyphenols, fiber, and antioxidants with proven health benefits, most pomace remains underutilized, often being discarded or repurposed as low-value compost or animal feed. This study highlights the untapped potential of grape pomace flour by analyzing its bioactive profile, emphasizing its viability for high-value applications in nutraceuticals, functional foods, and pharmaceuticals.

Six samples from two Portuguese grape varieties (Arinto and Touriga Nacional) were sourced from three wineries (Carmim, Cerrado da Porta, Mingorra) and analyzed. Total phenolic content (114.94–128.31 mg GAE/100 g) and flavonoids (452.74–2,214.27 mg quercetin equivalents/100 g) were quantified spectrophotometrically, demonstrating potent antioxidant activity (FRAP: 110.56–543.00 µmol FeSO₄/100 g; DPPH: 586.93–698.71 µmol Trolox/100 g). Dietary fiber stood out (45.29–64.97%), surpassing many conventional sources, while HPLC analysis confirmed B-vitamins and calculated macronutrient profiles.

The findings reveal grape pomace as a sustainable, nutrient-dense ingredient. In food production, it could enrich baked goods, snacks, or supplements, leveraging its fiber for gut health and its polyphenols for oxidative stress reduction. Cosmetic applications include anti-aging serums, harnessing their free radical-scavenging properties. Pharmaceutical uses extend to anti-inflammatory formulations or controlled-release delivery systems, with emerging research supporting its role in mitigating metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline.

By transforming waste into value-added products, this approach aligns with circular economy principles, reducing environmental impact while creating new revenue streams for wineries. Further research should optimize extraction methods and evaluate bioavailability to maximize commercial adoption.

The excessive consumption of refined sugar and unhealthy fats in traditional mayonnaise recipes has raised nutritional concerns and interest in healthier alternatives. This study investigated the effects of replacing conventional soya bean oil and refined sucrose with canola oil and date paste in mayonnaise production, focusing on fatty acid composition and sensory properties. Six samples were developed: a control sample (CM0) with soya bean oil and sucrose and five further samples (CM1–CM5) with canola oil and increasing proportions of date paste (5–25%): 5% (CM1), 10% (CM2), 15% (CM3), 20% (CM4), and 25% (CM5). Standard analytical methods were used to determine the fatty acid composition and conduct sensory evaluation. The fatty acid analysis revealed that canola-based mayonnaise had a healthier lipid profile, with a notable increase in oleic acid (C18:1) from 5.33% in CM0 to 9.26% in CM5, linoleic acid (C18:2) from 40.23% to 43.47%, and α-linolenic acid (C18:3) from 10.04% to 14.59%, indicating an increased content of beneficial monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. The saturated fatty acid content remained relatively low, with a moderate increase in lauric acid (from 15.08% to 17.03%) and stearic acid (from 6.99% to 11.62%) in all samples. Sensory evaluation showed that samples CM1 to CM3 were well accepted, with CM2 (10% date paste) receiving the highest ratings for overall acceptability (8.47), flavour (8.53), and texture (8.80), while CM0 received the best ratings for appearance (8.53). Samples CM4 and CM5, which contained a higher proportion of date paste, had significantly lower flavour and acceptability scores (p ≤ 0.05), indicating a threshold above which sweetness negatively affects sensory properties. Replacing conventional ingredients with canola oil and date paste improved the fatty acid profile and maintained the desirable sensory properties up to a level of 15 % date paste. This recipe offers a novel and nutritionally enhanced mayonnaise alternative that meets the demand for heart-healthy, environmentally friendly, and functional foods.

Listeria monocytogenes is a major foodborne pathogen, responsible for the highest mortality rates due to contaminated food and for frequent product recalls, contributing to significant economic losses and food waste. Persistent Listeria strains, which can survive for extended periods in food processing environments (FPEs), are particularly challenging to control. However, the specific traits that enable this persistence remain poorly understood. The GenoPhenoTraits4Persistence project aims to reduce food contamination with Listeria by identifying the genetic and phenotypic traits associated with persistence. A unique collection of 1000 L. monocytogenes isolates, already sequenced through Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), will serve as the basis for comparing persistent and sporadic strains. These comparisons will include tolerance to environmental stresses commonly found in FPEs (low temperatures, acidity, salt, disinfectants, phages, and desiccation), as well as the formation of persister cells—a potential mechanism for survival under stress. Importantly, this project introduces metabolomic profiling as a novel strategy to discover biomarkers for persistence, an approach not previously applied in this context. The integration of genomics, stress phenotyping, and metabolomics represents a disruptive and innovative methodology in Listeria research. Led by a multidisciplinary team, this project will significantly advance our understanding of Listeria persistence and support the development of targeted control strategies. The outcomes will contribute to improving food safety and reducing food waste, aligning with national and international priorities in food quality and safety and with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

This project was supported by National Funds from FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (PTDC/BAA-AGR/4194/2021).