Pumpkin, a nutritious and economical product with health benefits, is harvested worldwide. This study investigates the feasibility of incorporating fiber-, carotenoid-, and mineral-rich pumpkin pomace powder (PPP), a by-product of pumpkin processing, into whey cheese to enhance its nutritional profile without affecting consumer acceptability. The cheese was enhanced with varying concentrations of PPP (3% and 6%), and each variant was analyzed for its nutritional content, minerals, phytochemicals, color, and sensory properties. The results demonstrate that PPP addition increased the phytochemicals (45.44–82.83 mg GAE/100 g dw) and antioxidant activity (470.25–977.41 µmol TE/g dw) of the enriched cheese. The findings show that the addition of PPP improved the nutritional, color, and minerals of the enhanced whey cheese. The sensory evaluation indicates that with up to a 3% addition of PPP, the obtained cheese was well-received by consumers, who appreciated the subtle changes in flavor and the enhanced color of the product. The structural analysis reveals that including PPP improved the moisture retention of the cheese, contributing to a creamier texture, which is a desirable attribute in cheese. The study concludes that PPP can be effectively used to enrich cheese, offering a phytochemical-enriched cheese that caters to health-conscious consumers while also addressing the issue of food waste in the pumpkin processing industry.

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary (1884) is a fungal plant pathogen with worldwide distribution and a varying host range from different botanical families. It can cause damage to a large variety of crops such as sunflower, soybean, dry bean, canola, some vegetables, and ornamental plants. This article reports the occurrence of twig blight on the forsythia plant from the NE region of Romania. The disease was observed on Forsythia × intermedia Zab. plants from the Arboretum Park of the Iasi University of Life Sciences (IULS), located in Iasi City, Romania. Infected tissue was investigated through morphological characteristics using Sanger sequencing. Genomic DNA was extracted from the isolate obtained from naturally infected plants, and the ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region was amplified using the ITS1, ITS2, and LSU D1 and D2. Based on the results of this study, molecular and morphological data suggest that Forsythia twig blight can be caused by S. sclerotiorum. Constant monitoring of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum across multiple hosts and time intervals will reduce potential spread and future economic losses in cultivated species.

The greatest challenge for Romania’s food industry is to achieve technical and economic parity with the rest of Europe. Therefore, businesses require productive employees, and labor productivity depends on employee satisfaction. This study’s primary objective was to investigate employee satisfaction in the bakery industry in order to enhance economic performance. This topic is rarely researched, but it is necessary to enhance the economic performance and work processes of this industry. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods were used, including an online questionnaire survey of 254 employees and a focus group meeting with 17 managers from 60 companies in the Northeast and Southeast regions of Romania. Total pay (5.3 points on a 1–7-point scale), amount of work (4.9 points), and number of working hours (4.8 points) were the top motivators. The average weighted value for job satisfaction on a scale of 100 points was 27.4 points. The relationship between labor costs and employee satisfaction was strong. Low levels of satisfaction are costlier for employers than high levels of satisfaction. The originality of this study lies in its determination of how strongly employees perceive each aspect of job satisfaction and its correlation to the economic performance of companies.

Camellias are evergreen shrubs native to the eastern and southern regions of Asia. In Romania, camellias are popular ornamental plants grown in pots. Pestalotiopsis species have a worldwide distribution and are pathogenic to a wide range of hosts. They also represent an important group of endophytes capable of producing a variety of bioactive secondary metabolites. This paper reports the occurrence of grey blight and twig or branch dieback caused by Pestalotiopsis sp. on Camellia japonica L. grown in pots and used in the landscaping of a public garden located in Iasi city, Romania (GPS coordinates: 47°09′24.0″ N 27°35′15.6″ E). Pestalotiopsis species were identified based on morphological characteristics and Sanger sequencing. Genomic analysis of the fungal isolate coded P_CJ_24, obtained from living plants, was based on ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region amplification using the LSU primers. This first report of Pestalotiopsis species infection of ornamental plants in Romania suggests that new plant pathogens can be introduced in new environmental conditions through plant pods and their incidence increases with the widespread of plant material among gardens.