Gamma irradiation has been applied as an efficient and inexpensive method for the sterilization of nuts for years. However, along with the benefits of such treatment, negative effects are possible because of the formation of reactive oxygen species with a toxic effect on important biologically active substances. Because of the scarce and contradictory information in the literature about gamma-irradiated almonds, the aim of our work was the examination of the lipid changes, antioxidant activity, and oxidative stability of almonds treated by 10 and 25 kGy gamma rays, as well as changes in intensity of the EPR spectra as an indicator for the stability of radiation-induced free radicals. The results revealed no significant differences in the EPR spectra of almonds treated at 10 and 25 kGy doses, neither in their intensity nor in kinetic behaviour. The EPR signals decayed exponentially over 250 days, with a decreasing of central line by 90%, with satellite lines by about 73%. No significant changes in the fat content, fatty acids composition, and acid value of irradiated almonds were observed. However, the amount of (alpha)tocopherols decreased from 292 to 175 mg/kg, whereas the conjugated dienes and trienes increased, K₂₃₂ from 1.3 to 3 and K₂₆₈ from 0.04 to 0.15, respectively, with the increasing of irradiation dose. The same was observed for total polyphenols in defatted almonds (1374 to 1520 mg/100 g), where in vitro antioxidant activity determined by ORAC and HORAC methods increased from 100 to 156 µmol TE/g and from 61 to 86 µmol GAE/g, respectively. The oxidative stability of oil decreased from 6 to 4 h at 120 °C and from 24.6 to 18.6 h at 100 °C (measured by Rancimat equipment). The kinetic parameters characterizing the oxidative stability of oil from 10 kGy irradiated almonds were studied before and after addition of different concentrations of ascorbyl palmitate as a synergist of tocopherols. Its effectiveness was concentration-dependent, and 0.75 mM ensured the same induction period as that of non-irradiated nut oil. Further enrichment with alpha-tocopherol in equimolar ratio with palmitate did not improve the oil stability. In conclusion, gamma irradiation is an appropriate method for the treatment of almonds without significant changes in fat content and fatty acids composition. The decreasing of oxidative stability after higher irradiation could be prevented by the addition of ascorbyl palmitate.

Gamma irradiation is efficiently applied to many foods, but nevertheless there is a distinct lack of information about the changes of macro- and micronutrients (e.g., carbohydrates, lipids, organic acids, and phenolics) in dried rose hip (RH) fruits. Therefore, in this study, for the first time, the effect of gamma irradiation (10 and 25 kGy) on RH constituents is investigated. Different analytical techniques (GC-FID, HPLC-UV, HPSEC-RID, IR-FT, and SEM) are employed to examine this effect. The irradiation treatment (10 kGy) increased the glucose content by 30% and released cellobiose from RH fruits, thus revealing cellulose destruction. The extractability of total uronic acids increased from 51% (control) to 70.5% (25 kGy-irradiated), resulting in a higher pectin yield (10.8% < 12.8% < 13.4%) and molecular heterogeneity. Moreover, de-esterification was not a major effect of the irradiation-induced degradation of pectin. The sample exposure to the highest dose did not change the content of total carotenoids, β-carotene, and (un)saturated fatty acids, but it affected the tocopherols levels. Gamma rays had a negligible effect on the phenolic constituents and did not affect ORAC and HORAC antioxidant activity. In conclusion, it can be compromised that the exposition of dried RH is safe and can be successfully applied to decontaminate fruits without affecting their nutritional value and biological activity.

The efforts to reveal, in detail, the molecular and intramolecular structures of one of the main lipid classes, namely, triacyl-sn-glycerols, which are now known to affect their specific and important role in all living organisms, are briefly overviewed. Some milestones of significance in the gradual but continuous development and improvement of the analytical methodology to identify the triacylglycerol regio- and stereoisomers in complex lipid samples are traced throughout the years: the use of chromatography based on different separation principles; the improvements in the chromatographic technique; the development and use of different detection techniques; the attempts to simplify and automatize the analysis without losing the accuracy of identification. The spectacular recent achievements of two- and multidimensional methods used as tools in lipidomics are presented.

Electrospinning was used to create fibrous polylactide (PLA) materials loaded with Portulaca oleracea (P. oleracea) plant extract obtained by supercritical carbon dioxide. Morphological, physico-chemical, mechanical, and biological characteristics of the fibers were studied. According to the SEM results, the diameters of smooth and defect-free fibers fabricated by a one-pot electrospinning method were at micron scale. All the obtained materials possess good mechanical properties. Additionally, it was found that the composite fibers exhibited considerable antioxidant activity. The antimicrobial activity of the fibrous materials against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria was determined as well. In vitro studies showed that the electrospun biomaterials had no cytotoxic effects and that the combination of PLA and the P. oleracea extract in the fiber structure promoted cell survival and proliferation of normal mouse fibroblasts. The obtained results reveal that microfibrous mats containing the polyester—PLA and the plant extract—P. oleracea can be suitable for applications in wound healing.

Camelina (Camelina sativa L.) is a valuable source of seed oil, which contains above 30% of essential omega-3 fatty acid (alpha-linolenic acid, 18:3). On the one hand, this high content of linolenic acid is healthy and hence preferable, but on the other hand, highly unsaturated oils are easily deteriorated. The stabilization of such oils with respect to their oxidative changes is a significant problem in oil technology and is directly related to the quality of food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of ascorbyl palmitate in various concentrations (0.1–2.0 mM) as an additional antioxidant in camelina seed oil during its autoxidation, by determination of oil induction periods and initial rates of oxidation. The results revealed that the added ascorbyl palmitate caused a decrease in oxidation rate, but in terms of oil stability, opposite effects were observed depending on its concentration. Thus, at low levels (0.1–0.2 mM), ascorbyl palmitate had a pro-oxidant effect and the induction period decreased; no effect was observed in its presence of 1.0 mM, whereas 2.0 mM ensured a much higher protective effect. Rosmarinic acid as an individual antioxidant (at 0.2 mM) increased the stability of camelina oil, while in a mixture (1:1) with ascorbyl palmitate at the same concentration, its effect/activity was significantly reduced.

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) is a widespread weed plant used since ancient times as remedy and as food. Its seed oil possesses significant bioactive potential due to the high content of important phytonutrients, mainly essential fatty acids and phytosterols. Although the total fatty acid composition of oil is well documented, till now there is no data published about individual lipid classes. The information on sterols is scarce as well. Therefore, the aim of this work was to characterize in details for the first time the individual lipid classes and their fatty acid composition, sterols, as well as the oxidative stability of the oil, depending on the extraction method by either hexane, chloroform–methanol mixtures or super-critical CO₂. The results revealed no significant effect of extraction method on the individual lipid classes (monoacylglycerols, diacylglycerols, free fatty acids, free sterols, triacylglycerols, sterol esters, wax esters and hydrocarbons), including the fatty acid composition of saponifiables, and quite weak effect on the oxidative stability of the oil regarding super-critical CO₂ vs. organic solvents. Detailed analyses of lipid composition confirmed the potential of purslane seed oil as a cheap and highly valuable source of phytonutrients as essential fatty acids and phytosterols, for application in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.