The valorization of onion skin wastes (OSW) through the extraction, identification, and quantification of phenolic compounds was studied in this work, using subcritical water in a semicontinuous extractor (2.5 mL/min; 105–180 °C; 5 MPa). The extraction of flavonoids resulted to be fast (<30 min) and temperature sensitive (maximum at 145 °C; total flavonoids, 27.4 ± 0.9 mg/g dry OSW (DOSW)). The experimental results were fitted to the Weibull model. The influence of the solvent properties on the flavonoids quantification was found to be critical. A precipitate was formed once the extracts cooled down. If removed, a significant fraction of the high temperature extracted flavonoids (as much as 71%, at 180 °C) was lost. Such a condition affected especially those compounds that show extremely low solubility in water at room temperature, whereas quercetin glycosylated derivatives were less affected by the polarity change of the medium induced by the temperature change. It was demonstrated that it is necessary to re-dissolve the subcritical water extracts by the addition of ethanol, which led to a medium with a polarity equivalent to that obtained with water at high temperature. At 145 °C, quercetin (15.4 ± 0.4 mg/g DOSW) and quercetin-4′-glucoside (8.4 ± 0.1 mg/g DOSW) accounted for the 90% of the total flavonoids identified. By recovering high added value bioactive compounds from OSW the principles of circular economy were fulfilled, providing a new use for this agricultural waste.

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG) was chemically characterized obtaining 52.1% of carbohydrates, 17.8% protein, 5.9% lipids, 13.5% insoluble lignin and 24.3% of water-soluble extractives. This work has been focused on the study of polyphenol extraction of the extractive fraction by water ultrasound-assisted extraction. Selected extraction conditions were 47 °C and 21.7 mL water/g_dry-BSG. The effect of solvent polarity on polyphenol extraction was studied by using ethanol aqueous mixtures, from 20% to 100% ethanol. The kinetics of polyphenol extraction have been fitted to the power law and the Weibull models yielding mean values of the root mean square deviation lower than 7.5%. Extracts have been characterized in terms of quantification of individual phenolic compounds by HPLC-DAD and protein and sugar soluble fractions (glucose, xylose, and arabinose). Polyphenol profile has been compared with other hydrolytic techniques, such as acid, basic and enzymatic hydrolysis, showing that ultrasound was not as effective as basic hydrolysis to release the phenolic acids esterified to the cell wall. A further centrifuge ultrafiltration concentration step was able to yield a retentate enriched in the protein fraction while individual phenolic compounds where mainly transferred to the permeate.

The increasing use of hempseed in food products highlights the need for a comprehensive database for scientific research and industrial applications. In food development, information about the techno-functional properties of raw materials plays a crucial role in determining the suitability of each product for specific applications. Thus, this study aims to characterise three hempseed varieties (Ferimon, Henola and Uso-31), comparing their physicochemical and nutritional compositions. Moreover, the study investigates the impact of hempseed varieties on the techno-functional, physical and thermal properties of the partially defatted hempseed flours (PDHFs) obtained from single screw pressing (SSP) oil extraction. The fatty acid and tocopherol profiles of the dehulled seeds and oil were also analysed. Significant variations in yield and physical properties were observed among hempseed varieties, influenced by genetics, adaptation to agro-climatic conditions and cultivation systems. Despite its lower yield (kg/ha), Uso-31 exhibited superior 1000-seed weight, dehulling yield and larger mean seed size (1.79 ± 0.02 mm). Hempseed oil was rich in unsaturated fatty acids, particularly linoleic (51.2–53.4 g/100 g oil) and α-linolenic (14.88–18.97 g/100 oil) acids, showing variations in γ- and α-tocopherols depending on the variety. The variety also influenced the least gelation concentration (LGC) and techno-functional properties such as water absorption capacity (WAC), emulsifying activity (EA) and emulsion stability (ES). SDS-PAGE and DSC measurements indicated the presence of 11S and 7S globulin proteins with denaturation temperatures above 87.8 °C. These findings confirm that the studied hempseed flours are valuable techno-functional and nutritional ingredients suitable for sustainable food formulations.

Background/Objectives: Fenbendazole is a potential cancer treatment and a proven antiparasitic in veterinary applications. However, its poor water solubility limits its application. In this study, potential fenbendazole solubility enhancement was investigated through size reduction methods. The effect of the presence of Soluplus^® on solubility was investigated as well. Methods: Solubility enhancement was explored using microfluidization and ultrasonication techniques. These techniques were applied to fenbendazole alone and in combination with Soluplus^®. UV–Vis spectroscopy was used to determine solubility. Possible chemical reactions were checked using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was conducted to analyze the physical structure and crystallinity of the samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also utilized for characterization of the effect of the treated formulations and the size reduction method on morphology. The elements present in samples were identified with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) combined with SEM. A comparison of crystalline structure between the products was performed via X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was also used to measure the samples’ average particle size at different stages. Results: Both ultrasonication and microfluidization led to marginal increases in the solubility of neat fenbendazole. In contrast, formulations processed in the presence of Soluplus^® demonstrated a greater enhancement in solubility. However, solubility improvement was not retained in the dried samples. The post-drying samples, irrespective of the presence of Soluplus^®, showed nearly the same solubility as neat fenbendazole. Conclusions: Size-reduction methods, particularly when combined with Soluplus^®, improved the solubility of fenbendazole. However, drying appeared to reverse these gains, regardless of the method used.