Acrylamide is a contaminant as defined in Council Regulation (EEC) No 315/93 and as such, it is considered a chemical hazard in the food chain. The toxicity of acrylamide has been acknowledged since 2002, among its toxicological effects on humans being neurotoxicity, genotoxicity, carcinogenicity, and reproductive toxicity. Acrylamide has been classified as carcinogenic in the 2A group, with human exposure leading to progressive degeneration of the peripheral and central nervous systems characterized by cognitive and motor abnormalities. Bakery products (bread, crispbread, cakes, batter, breakfast cereals, biscuits, pies, etc.) are some of the major sources of dietary acrylamide. The review focuses on the levels of acrylamide in foods products, in particular bakery ones, and the risk that resulting dietary intake of acrylamide has on human health. The evolving legislative situation regarding the acrylamide content from foodstuffs, especially bakery ones, in the European Union is discussed underlining different measures that food producers must take in order to comply with the current regulations regarding the acrylamide levels in their products. Different approaches to reduce the acrylamide level in bakery products such as the use of asparginase, calcium salts, antioxidants, acids and their salts, etc., are described in detail.

This review was based on updated research on how to use brewer’s spent grains (BSG). The use of BSG was considered both in food, as an ingredient or using value-added components derived from brewer’s spent grain, or in non-food products such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, construction, or food packaging. BSG is a valuable source of individual components due to its high nutritional value and low cost that is worth exploiting more to reduce food waste but also to improve human health and the environment. From the bioeconomy point of view, biological resources are transformed into bioenergetically viable and economically valuable products. The pretreatment stage of BSG biomass plays an important role in the efficiency of the extraction process and the yield obtained. The pretreatments presented in this review are both conventional and modern extraction methods, such as solvent extractions or microwave-assisted extractions, ultrasonic-assisted extractions, etc.

Brewing is among the oldest biotechnological processes, in which barley malt and—to a lesser extent—wheat malt are used as conventional raw materials. Worldwide, 85–90% of beer production is now produced with adjuvants, with wide variations on different continents. This review proposes the use of two other cereals as raw materials in the manufacture of beer, corn and sorghum, highlighting the advantages it recommends in this regard and the disadvantages, so that they are removed in technological practice. The use of these cereals as adjuvants in brewing has been known for a long time. Recently, research has intensified regarding the use of these cereals (including in the malted form) to obtain new assortments of beer from 100% corn malt or 100% sorghum malt. There is also great interest in obtaining gluten-free beer assortments, new nonalcoholic or low-alcohol beer assortments, and beers with an increased shelf life, by complying with current food safety regulations, under which maize and sorghum can be used in manufacturing recipes.

Globally, beer is considered the most-consumed low-alcohol beverage, it ranks third, after water and tea, in the top sales of these drinks. New types of beer are the result of the influence of several factors, including innovations in science and technology, changing requirements for food consumption of the population, competition between producers, promotion of food for health, flavor, and quality, the limited nature of traditional food resource raw materials, and the interest of producers in reducing production costs. Manufacturers are looking for new solutions for obtaining products that meet the requirements of consumers, authentic products of superior quality, with distinctive taste and aroma. This review proposes the use of two pseudocereals as raw materials in the manufacture of beer: buckwheat and amaranth, focusing on the characteristics that recommend them in this regard. Due to their functional and nutraceutical properties, these pseudocereals can improve the quality of beer—a finished product. Additionally, all types of beer obtained from these pseudocereals are recommended for diets with particular nutritional requirements, especially gluten-free diets. Researchers and producers will continue to improve and optimize the sensory and technological properties of the new types of beer obtained from these pseudocereals.

Spent grain is the solid fraction remaining after wort removal. It is nutritionally rich, composed of fibers—mainly hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin—proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals, and must be managed properly. Spent grain is a by-product with high moisture, high protein and high fiber content and is susceptible to microbial contamination; thus, a suitable, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly valorization method of processing it is required. This by-product is used as a raw material in the production of many other food products—bakery products, pasta, cookies, muffins, wafers, snacks, yogurt or plant-based yogurt alternatives, Frankfurter sausages or fruit beverages—due to its nutritional values. The circular economy is built on waste reduction and the reuse of by-products, which find opportunities in the regeneration and recycling of waste materials and energy that become inputs in other processes and food products. Waste disposal in the food industry has become a major issue in recent years when attempting to maintain hygiene standards and avoid soil, air and water contamination. Fortifying food products with spent grain follows the precepts of the circular bio-economy and industrial symbiosis of strengthening sustainable development. The purpose of this review is to update information on the addition of spent grain to various foods and the influence of spent grain on these foods.

Blackberries are rich in antioxidants due to their high polyphenol and vitamin content, making them an excellent source of health protection. It is well known that good quality juices and fruit extracts can be obtained only from high quality fruits. The aim of this research is to characterize the antioxidant properties of garden blackberries fruits grown in Turia (Romania). Extracts were made from blackberry fruits with four different solvents, and the antioxidant capacity was studied by applying DPPH and FRAP assay. The total phenolic content (with Folin–Ciocâlteu reagent), total anthocyanin content (with the pH differential method), and total flavonoid content (with aluminum chloride colorimetric method) were also measured. The quercetin and gallic acid content were also determined by HPLC-DAD. As the best results were obtained with 90% v/v acidified acetonitrile, the Hansen parameters analysis was performed for the acetonitrile-water solvent mixture as a solvent and cyanidin-3-O-glucoside as a solute.