Hemp flour from Dacia Secuieni and Zenit varieties was added to bread in different proportions (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%) to improve its nutritional properties. The purpose of this paper was to present the advanced nutritional characteristics of these bread samples. The selected varieties of hemp, accepted for human consumption, met the requirements for the maximum accepted level of THC in seeds. The protein content of new products increased from 8.76 to 11.48%, lipids increased from 0.59 to 5.41%, mineral content from 1.33 to 1.62%, and fiber content from 1.17 to 5.84%. Elasticity and porosity decreased from 95.51 to 80% and 78.65 to 72.24%, respectively. K, Mg, Ca, P, Mn and Fe are the main mineral substances in bread with addition of hemp flour from the Dacia Secuieni and Zenit varieties. The total amount of unsaturated fatty acids in the bread samples with hemp flour ranged from 67.93 g/100 g and 69.82 g/100 g. Eight amino acids were identified, of which three were essential (lysine, phenylalanine, histidine). Lysine, the deficient amino acid in wheat bread, increased from 0.003 to 0.101 g/100 g. Sucrose and fructose decreased with the addition of hemp flour, and glucose has not been identified. The amount of yeasts and molds decreased in the first 3 days of storage. Regarding the textural profile, the best results were obtained for the samples with 5% addition. In conclusion, bread with the addition of hemp flour has been shown to have superior nutritional properties to wheat bread.

The advanced characterization of flour from hemp seeds (edible fruits of Cannabis sativa L.) from the Dacia Secuieni and Zenit varieties, compared to wheat flour, was studied in this research. The aim was to present the characterization of 2 varieties, out of the 70 accepted in Europe, for human consumption. The varieties selected from hemp meet the THC level requirement (0.3 or 0.2% of the dry weight of the reproductive part of the female flowering plant) in seeds. Hemp flour was obtained by grinding. The flour samples were evaluated for physicochemical parameters (moisture, crude protein, lipids, ash, crude fiber), the content of micro and macro elements, fatty acids, amino acids, and carbohydrates. The total proteins in hemp flour are found in larger quantities by over 35% compared to wheat flour, and the lipids reach the threshold of 28%. The amount of mineral substances exceeds 3% in hemp flour, and the fibers exceed 26%, compared to 0.61% for wheat flour. The predominant mineral substances were K, Ca, Mg, p, Fe, and Mn. The predominant fatty acids were the unsaturated ones, predominantly being linoleic acid, followed by oleic and gamma-linoleic acid. In the case of amino acids, the highest amount is found in glutamic acid for hemp flours. As for carbohydrates, sucrose is found in the largest amount, followed by glucose and fructose. In conclusion, hemp flours have superior non-traditional characteristics to wheat flour, being a potential raw material for fortifying food or using them as such, having beneficial effects of consumption on the proper functioning of the human body.

In recent years, food products manufactured with buckwheat and sprouts flours have attracted widespread interest due to their high nutritional value with various health benefits, becoming more and more popular. The purpose of this study was to assesses the influence of buckwheat and sprouts flours on the nutritional, sensorial and textural characteristics on the final baked products. In order to achieve these goals, methods like HPLC-RID (High-Perfomance Liquid Chromatography with Refractive Index Detection), aluminum chloride colorimetric assay, Folin-Ciocalteu and 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) were used to determine fructose, glucose, sucrose, maltose; total flavonoids, total phenols and antioxidant activity. Sensorial analysis was realized by using hedonic test and texture profile was performed on a CT 3 Texture Analyzer. The results proved that wheat flour could be successfully replaced by 20% buckwheat and 10% sprouts flours, respectively, improving their nutritional value, without negative influence on texture parameters and sensorial features. The obtained buns were accepted by consumers with a total hedonic score of 9.1 and 8.7, respectively. Hardness, gumminess and adhesiveness were improved by using Magimix improver, meanwhile cohesiveness, springiness, gumminess and adhesiveness were improved by using guar gum.

The present study describes the implementation of a food safety system in the dairy pilot plant “Gourmeticus Academicum,” a spin-off within the University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Cluj Napoca, Romania. In order to improve Hazard Analysis of Critical Control Points (HACCP) the preliminary programs were integrated into the quality management system (QMS) by monitoring the biological hazards. The process provides future specialists with good practice hands-on and educational tools. This study focused on hazard analysis, the determination and establishment of prerequisite programs, and the role of critical control points (CCPs) based on HACCP and the challenges found during the process as a critical thinking model on education programs. The determination of the CCPs in the processing of yogurt was made by applying the decision tree method. Besides, biological hazards are included as a by-control of the system’s implementation performance. For the successful implementation of HACCP principles, prerequisite programs (PRPs) and operational prerequisite programs (OPRPs) were initially implemented. This process could be challenging but feasible to be reached in small-scale food industries with remarkable results as educational tools.

Beef aging is one of the most common methods used for improving its qualities. The main goal of the present study was to analyse the influence of different cold pressed oils and aromatic herbs during marination process on the nutritional, textural, and sensory attributes of the final grilled sirloin samples. In order to fulfil this goal, methods like GC-MS, HPLC/DAD/ESI-MS, HLPC-RID were performed to quantify fatty acids, phenolic acids, and organic acids, respectively. Textural and sensory analysis were performed with CT 3 Texture Analyser and hedonic test. The results showed high improvement of the meat grilled samples regarding the content of phenolic acids, and textural and sensory characteristics. Pearson values indicate strong positive correlations between raw and grilled samples regarding their content in phenolic acids. Hardness, chewiness, gumminess decreased during marination, meanwhile, resilience, and cohesiveness increased. Sensory analysis highlighted that meat samples marinated with olive oil and rosemary for 120 h reached the highest hedonic score among the tested samples.

Six cultivars of chili (Cherry, Bulgarian Chilli, Cayenne, Fatalii, Habanero, and Carolina Reaper) from two species (Capsicum annuum and Capsicum chinense) have been studied. Anaerobic, spontaneous fermentation of pure chili paste was conducted for 21 days at 20 °C. The unfermented (UCP) and fermented chili pastes (FCP) were both subjected to physicochemical and microbiological characterization consisting of capsaicinoid, ascorbic acid, short-chain organic acids, phenolic compounds, and simple sugars analysis. Cell viability for Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) and Leuconostoc was determined before and after fermentation. Results indicate that capsaicinoids are very stable compounds, as notable differences between unfermented and fermented samples could not be seen. Carolina Reaper and Fatalii cultivars were amongst the most pungent, whereas Cherry, Cayenne, and Bulgarian types were low to moderate in pungency. Average loss of total ascorbic acid was 19.01%. Total phenolic compounds ranged between 36.89–195.43 mg/100 g for the fresh fruits and 35.60–180.40 mg/100 g for the fermented product. Losses through fermentation were not significant (p < 0.05). Plate counts indicated low initial numbers for LAB in the fresh samples, values ranging between 50–3700 CFU/g (colony-forming units). After fermentation, day 21, concentration of LAB (3.8 × 10⁶–6.2 × 10⁸ CFU/g) was high in all samples. Fermented chilies paste with enhanced biochemical and bacterial properties might further be used in the technology of vegetable (brining) or meat (curing) products, processes that generally involve the fermenting activity of different microorganisms, especially (LAB). Thus, the purpose of this research was the investigation of biochemical and microbial transformations that naturally occur in fermented chilies with a future perspective towards technological applications in cured meat products.