As a consequence of environmental quality changes as well as changes in our population's lifestyle, there is rapidly increasing variability and many so-called lifestyle disorders, allergies, and food intolerances (also known as non-allergic food hypersensitivity). Unhealthy eating practices, an inappropriate food composition with an excessive energy intake, a high intake of saturated fats, simple sugars, and salt, as well as an inadequate intake of fibre, vitamins, and substances with preventive effects (such as antioxidants), are some of the factors causing this detrimental phenomenon. Enhanced consumption of plant foods rich in valuable secondary metabolites such as phenolic acids and flavonoids with the benefit on human health, food research focused on these components, and production of foods with declared higher content of biologically active and prophylactic substances are some ways how to change and improve this situation. A unique class of hydroxylated phenolic compounds with an aromatic ring structure are called flavonoids. One unique subclass of flavonoids is quercetin. This phytochemical naturally takes place in fruits, vegetables, herbs, and other plants. Quercetin and its several derivates are considered to be promising substances with significant antidiabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, which could also act preventively against cardiovascular disease, cancer, or Alzheimer's disease.

The influence of the addition of four legume flours, chickpea, broad bean, common bean and red lentil (in amounts of 5%, 10% and 15% to a wheat-rye composite flour (50:50:0-control flour), in ratios of 50:45:5; 50:40:10; 50:35:15) was studied by analyzing the rheological properties of dough in order to further exploit the functionality of legume flours in bakery products. The rheological properties of dough were monitored using a Mixolab 2. A Rheofermentometer F4 was used to check the dough fermentation, and a Volscan was used for evaluating the baking trials. The addition of different legume flours in the mixtures resulted in different viscoelastic properties of the dough. The results showed a weakening of the protein network depending on the amount of legume flour added and on the specific legume flour. On the contrary, all samples with a higher proportion of legume flour showed an increased resistance to starch retrogradation. All flours had the ability to produce a sufficient volume of fermenting gases, with the exception of flours with a higher addition of broad bean flour, and the baking test confirmed a lower bread volume for bread with this addition. The results of the sensory evaluation indicated that legume flour additions resulted in breads with an acceptable sensory quality, in the case of additions of 5% at the same level as the bread controls, or even better. The aromas and flavors of the added non-cereal ingredients improved the sensory profile of wheat-rye bread. Breads with additions of chickpea, common bean and broad bean had a considerable proportion of darker colors in comparison to the control bread and bread with red lentil.

Bee bread is product with long history used mainly in folk medicine. Nowadays, bee bread is growing in commercial interest due to its high nutritional properties. The objective of this study was to determine biological activity of ethanolic extract of bee bread obtained from selected region of Ukraine - Poltava oblast, Kirovohrad oblast, Vinnica oblast, Kyiv oblast, Dnepropetrovsk oblast. The antioxidant activity was measured with the radical scavenging assays using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical as well as phosphomolybdenum assay. Total polyphenol content was determined with Folin-Ciocalteau reagent and total flavonoid content by aluminium-chloride method. Secondary was also evaluated antimicrobial activity in bee bread samples with disc diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentrations. Antioxidant activity expressed as mg TEAC per g of dry weight (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity) was the highest in bee bread from Poltava oblast in DPPH and also phosphomolybdenum method. Samples of bee bread contained high levels of total polyphenols (12.36 - 18.24 mg GAE - gallic acid equivalent per g of dry weight) and flavonoids (13.56 - 18.24 μg QE - quercetin equivalent per g of dry weight) with the best values of bee bread from Poltava oblast. An elevated level of antioxidant potential in the bee bread determines its biological properties, which conditioned of the biological active substances. The best antibacterial activity of bee bred with disc diffusion method was found against Bacillus thuringiensis CCM 19. The antibacterial activity inhibited by the bee bread extract in the present study indicate that best minimal inhibition concentration was against bacteria Escherichia coli CCM 3988 and Salmonella enterica subs. enterica CCM 3807.

Heavy metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in soils and plants of four different ecosystems (forest, grassland, agro and urban ecosystem) at different distances from the source of the pollution were analyzed in order to assess and compare soil contamination in the various ecosystems and determine the potential accumulation of plants depending on the place they inhabit. Correlation relationships among heavy metals in soils differ depending on the ecosystem, and between soil and plant, the heavy metals showed significant correlation for Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn. Contamination factor (C_f), degree of contamination (C_d) and pollution load index (PLI) were used in order to determine the level of environmental contamination of the study area. All studied ecosystems were rated as moderately contaminated (except agroecosystem, which was found as low contamination ecosystem) according to C_d and extremely polluted according to PLI. The highest pollution in both cases was found in urban ecosystem, and Cd, Cu and Fe were determined as the biggest pollutants.