Vegan sausages with the addition of grape flour represent a way to reduce the intake of processed meat and at the same time to increase the intake of a healthy substance of plant origin. Grape flour obtained from grape marc as a byproduct of wine production is a source of many bioactive substances, such as antioxidants and polyphenols. The study was conducted using vegetarian sausage production: six batches of sausages with different concentrations of grape flour (0%, 1%, 3%, 7%, 10%, and 20%) were produced. The following analyses were applied for the evaluation of these vegetarian sausages: ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP), 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), total polyphenolic content, total protein content, and textural and sensory parameters. The results clearly indicated that the grape seed flour addition resulted in a higher antioxidant capacity of experimentally produced vegan sausages. Based on the sensory evaluation, vegan sausages with 1% (according to taste evaluation, these samples were the most acceptable by panelists) and 3% additions of grape flour were selected as the most suitable since they were statistically more acceptable than samples produced with 20% grape flour addition. The results of this study confirm that the addition of grape flour to vegan sausages is nutritionally beneficial for consumers because it increases the antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content; however, a slight decrease in protein content was recorded too. The sustainability of the product is also achieved using the grape flour since it is a waste material generated worldwide within grape processing.

Nowadays, food manufacturers are trying to include alternative sweeteners in their product formulations because they are perceived by consumers as preferable to sugar, which plays an important role in the development of civilisation diseases such as diabetes and obesity. One possible indicator of the suitability of a food regarding the prevention and treatment of these diseases may be the glycemic index value, which in bakery products may also be influenced by the type of flour used. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different types of sweeteners (sugar, aspartame-acesulfame, Stevia) and non-traditional flours on the sensory acceptability and glycemic index of biscuits. Both quantitative and hedonic descriptors were assessed by panellists (n = 14). Using quantitative descriptive and hedonic analysis, it was found that the use of alternative flours was only appropriate up to 15% replacement of wheat flour. Biscuit samples sweetended by sugar performed above average in the overall evaluation. The results also showed that flaxseed flour was rated better than hemp flour, which in addition showed the least suitable combination with stevia sweetener. The use of flaxseed flour in combination with the sweetener aspartame-acesulfame appeared to be less acceptable. The glycemic index was determined using the GOPOD test kit and the results showed that none of the flax and hemp flour additions had a significant (p > 0.05) effect on the glycemic index value, nor did the sweeteners used.