Dasiphora fruticosa (basionym Potentilla fruticosa) is a shrub, known in traditional medicine for centuries. Due to the wide range of pharmacological effects, interest and applications of D. fruticosa extracts are continually increasing; however, reports on optimization of extraction conditions are scarce. Herein, a multi-step high-pressure extraction process with increasing polarity solvents was developed to isolate valuable fractions from D. fruticosa leaves. Supercritical CO₂ extraction recovered 2.46 g/100 g of lipophilic fraction, rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Further, pressurized liquid extractions (PLE) with acetone, ethanol, and water were applied to obtain antioxidant-rich higher polarity extracts. Under optimized PLE conditions, the cumulative polar fraction yield was 29.98 g/100 g. Ethanol fraction showed the highest yield (15.3 g/100 g), TPC values (148.4 mg GAE/g), ABTS^•+, and DPPH^• scavenging capacity (161.1 and 151.8 mg TE/g, respectively). PLE was more efficient than conventional solid–liquid extraction in terms of extraction time, extract yields, and in vitro antioxidant capacity. Phytochemical characterization of PLE extracts by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS revealed the presence of hyperoside, ellagic acid, among other health beneficial phenolic substances. Τhis study highlights the potential of high-pressure extraction techniques to isolate antioxidant-rich fractions from D. fruticosa leaves with multipurpose applications, including the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

The article presents the optimization of supercritical CO₂ extraction (SFE-CO₂) parameters using response surface methodology (RSM) with central composite design (CCD) in order to produce single variety hop (cv. Ella) extracts with high yield and strong in vitro antioxidant properties. Optimized SFE-CO₂ (37 MPa, 43 °C, 80 min) yielded 26.3 g/100 g pellets of lipophilic fraction. This extract was rich in biologically active α- and β-bitter acids (522.8 and 345.0 mg/g extract, respectively), and exerted 1481 mg TE/g extract in vitro oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Up to ~3-fold higher extraction yield, antioxidant recovery (389.8 mg TE/g pellets) and exhaustive bitter acid extraction (228.4 mg/g pellets) were achieved under the significantly shorter time compared to the commercially used one-stage SFE-CO₂ at 10–15 MPa and 40 °C. Total carotenoid and chlorophyll content was negligible, amounting to <0.04% of the total extract mass. Fruity, herbal, spicy and woody odor of extracts could be attributed to the major identified volatiles, namely β-pinene, β-myrcene, β-humulene, α-humulene, α-selinene and methyl-4-decenoate. Rich in valuable bioactive constituents and flavor compounds, cv. Ella hop SFE-CO₂ extracts could find multipurpose applications in food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetics industries.

Arthospira platensis is a filamentous cyanobacterium considered an important source of phycobiliproteins (PBP), a class of water-soluble pigments with a wide range of applications. Although several extraction and purification techniques of PBP have been reported, there is still a need for strategies that achieve a balance between simplicity, cost-effectiveness, and scalability. To address this need, this study systematically evaluated conventional extraction methods—homogenisation, freeze–thaw cycles, and maceration. Maceration showed the best balance between yield purity and recovery among the tested techniques, and under optimal conditions (three cycles, 2 h/cycle, 0.1 M phosphate buffer), 55.9 mg/g of biomass of phycocyanin (PC) and 24.9 mg/g of biomass of allophycocyanin (APC) with notable antioxidant capacity (Folin-Ciocalteu’s and ABTS^●+ assays) were yielded. Among the tested purification techniques, ammonium sulphate fractionation achieved a purity of 2.3 with recoveries of 92.9% and 79.9% for PC and APC, respectively, while purification with 0.5% activated carbon resulted in an extract purity of 2.5 and recoveries of 90.9% (PC) and 87.2% (APC). The suggested procedures could be considered a fast and cost-effective way to obtain cosmetic-grade PBP, thus offering an accessible solution for industries prioritising sustainable and economically viable production pipelines.

Background: Fermented foods vary significantly by food substrate and regional consumption patterns. Although they are consumed worldwide, their intake and potential health benefits remain understudied. Europe, in particular, lacks specific consumption recommendations for most fermented foods. Objective: This project, which is under the framework of the Promoting Innovation Of Fermented Foods (PIMENTO) Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action (CA20128), aims to develop a validated tool to quantitatively estimate fermented food intake across 4 European regions. Methods: The Fermented Food Frequency Questionnaire (3FQ) was designed to quantify fermented food intake in terms of frequency and quantity. Fermented foods were categorized into broad groups (eg, dairy, plant-based, meat, beverages) based on product classifications, ensuring that the foods included were genuinely fermented through ingredient analysis according to the International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics consensus for fermented foods as a guide. For each main fermented food group, subcategories were determined after detailed discussions by a scientific expert panel that provided country-specific examples. For example, for hard cheeses, Parmigiano was chosen in the Italian version, and Graviera in the Greek version. The questionnaire was developed in English (universal version) and then translated into multiple languages using the back-translation method. Each version was pilot-tested for clarity, and data for the prospective validation were gathered. This included two key steps: (1) assessing repeatability by having participants retake the questionnaire after 6 weeks and (2) confirming accuracy by comparing 3FQ results against 24-hour dietary recalls from a subsample of participants. Statistical analyses will be used to confirm agreement between the methods. Representative sample calculations were performed for 4 groups by biological sex and age group (between 18 and 49.9 years and 50+ years). To ensure representative sample obtainment, participants aged 18+ years were recruited via the internet using multiple strategies, including social media platforms in all countries, snowball sampling, and potential supplementation with panels provided by the survey platform. Prior to all responses, participants were asked to provide informed consent and agree to data collection under ethical guidelines using a General Data Protection Regulation–compliant platform. Results: A representative sample of 1536 participants per European region was targeted, ensuring diversity in age and sex, with the goal of achieving a 60% response rate. A multilingual questionnaire was developed and pilot-tested for clarity. The upcoming steps will include final validation for accuracy and repeatability using 24-hour dietary recalls and specific statistical techniques of analysis to ensure reliability. Conclusions: The validated web-based 3FQ aims to address the current gaps in fermented food intake to help improve future research in this important area. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/69212

Arthrospira platensis is a filamentous cyanobacterium produced commercially for human consumption, and it is a source of phycocyanin (PC), which recently stirred up great interest due to its anti-inflammatory, radical scavenging, antioxidant and hepato-protective properties. This work has studied the encapsulation of A. platensis extract in starch sodium octenyl succinate by employing freeze-drying and two spray-drying techniques, conventional and nanospray-drying. The main characteristics and properties, including PC encapsulation efficiency, size, colour, and thermal stability of the capsules, were evaluated. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of encapsulated extract and release of PCs into saliva simulant, were studied and compared. Similar PC encapsulation efficiency was achieved using freeze-drying and nanospray-drying techniques with values of 67–71% and 70–78%, respectively. Meanwhile, the conventional spray-drying method achieved significantly lower encapsulation efficiency values (38–42%). The thermal stability of encapsulated A. platensis extract was improved as demonstrated by the higher decomposition temperature, which was increased by 8–11 °C, 11–15 °C, and 22–23 °C for spray-dried, nanospray-dried and freeze-dried samples, respectively. The nanospray-drying technique allowed the production of the smallest particles with an average diameter of 2–14 µm, good colour and thermal stability, and antioxidant capacity. Overall, the results demonstrated the potential of A. platensis extract encapsulation in modified starch using several techniques with potential application as bioactive ingredients in nutraceutical or pharmaceutical products.

Background/Objectives: Fermented foods are integral to European diets, yet compre-hensive data on their consumption patterns remain scarce. This study aimed to char-acterise fermented food intake across four European regions and examine demographic influences on consumption behaviour. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 12,646 adults in 53 countries (2023–2024) using the validated Fermented Food Frequency Questionnaire (3FQ) under the PIMENTO COST Action (CA 20128). Weighted analyses accounted for regional popu-lation distributions, sex, and age. Intake was assessed across 15 fermented food cate-gories, with prevalence and quantity estimates derived from frequency and portion-size data. Results: Among all fermented food groups, fermented dairy products were consumed almost universally (94.1–95.6%) with median daily intakes of 66.7–80.1 g/day. Coffee and fermented cereals were also highly prevalent (78.4–84.1% and 89.9–95.9%, respectively), with median intakes of 60.0–73.1 g/day for coffee and 44.0–77.1 g/day for cereals. Choc-olate showed a weekly intake (76.0–138.8 g/week) with prevalence exceeding 90% in all regions. In contrast, fermented vegetables and legumes had low intakes (4.4–8.4 g/day and 4.5–9.0 g/week, respectively), and plant-based alternatives were consumed by up to 72.8% in Western Europe, but with a negligible intake (median 25.5 g/week). Alcoholic beverages varied regionally: wine ranged from 12.5 to 25.0 g/day, and beer/cider from 25.0 to 50.0 g/day. Fermented non-alcoholic beverages had low prevalence (18.3–49.3%) but relatively higher weekly intake among consumers (18.7–49.8 g/week). Across cate-gories, a clear discordance emerged between high prevalence and modest intake. Conclusions: This Europe-wide mapping of fermented food consumption revealed substantial regional heterogeneity and modest overall intake. These findings help es-tablish baseline data for nutritional epidemiology research and evidence-based dietary guidelines, although they also support that region-specific rather than pan-European dietary guidelines may be required. Future research should integrate microbiome and other approaches to elucidate their combined health implications comprehensively.