This paper presents the physicochemical characteristics and antioxidative, antibacterial and antiproliferative effects of nineteen samples of different honey types (acacia, linden, heather, sunflower, phacelia, basil, anise, sage, chestnut, hawthorn, lavender and meadow) collected from different locations in the Western Balkans (Republic of Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Northern Macedonia). Physicochemical parameters (moisture, pH, electrical conductivity, free acidity, and hydroxymethylfurfural [HMF]) were analysed. Based on the obtained results, all tested honey samples were in agreement with EU regulation. The antioxidant potential of honey samples was assessed by determination of total phenolic content (TPC) and evaluation of scavenging activity towards diphenilpicrylhydrazyl radicals (DPPH·). The highest phenolic content was found in basil honey (101 ± 2.72 mg GAE/100 g), while the lowest was registered in rapeseed honey (11.5 ± 0.70 mg GAE/100 g). Heather, anise, phacelia, sage, chestnut and lavender honey samples were also rich in TP, containing 80–100 mg GAE/100 g. DPPH scavenging activity varied among the samples being the highest for lavender honey (IC₅₀ = 88.2 ± 2.11 mg/mL) and the lowest for rapeseed honey (IC₅₀ = 646 ± 8.72 mg/mL). Antibacterial activity was estimated in vitro using agar diffusion tests and measuring minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Among investigated bacterial strains following resistant potencies were determined: Escherichia coli > Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 > Enterococcus faecalis > Proteus mirabilis > Staphylococcus aureus > Staphylococcus epidermidis. The linden honey from Fruška Gora (MIC values of 3.12% and 6.25% against Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively) and phacelia honey (MIC values of 6.25% and 3.12% against S.Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively) showed the strongest antibacterial activity. Antiproliferative activity was evaluated using the colorimetric sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. The highest antiproliferative activity was obtained from linden honey sample 1 (IC₅₀^MCF7 = 7.46 ± 1.18 mg/mL and IC₅₀^HeLa =12.4 ± 2.00 mg/mL) and meadow sample 2 (IC₅₀^MCF7 = 12.0 ± 0.57 mg/mL, IC₅₀^HeLa = 16.9 ± 1.54 mg/mL and IC₅₀^HT−29 = 23.7 ± 1.33 mg/mL) towards breast (MCF7), cervix (HeLa) and colon (HT-29) cancer cells. Active components other than sugars contributed to cell growth activity.

The study was conducted to determine fennel essential oil (FEO) yield, composition, and antioxidant activity during four different maturation stages of umbels with seeds (1st stage: immature-pasty; 2nd stage: premature-waxy; 3rd stage: mature-fully ripe; and 4th stage: seeds only), and leaves of wild fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill. subsp. vulgare) from the Montenegro coast. The maximum oil yield was found in premature umbels at the waxy stage (4.76 mL/100 g p.m.) and in fully ripe umbels in the early fruiting stage (5.16 mL/100 g p.m.). Fully ripe seeds contained the lowest FEO (mL/100 g p.m.). The minimum FEO content was found in leaves (0.67%). (E)-anethole (64%), α-phellandrene (11.0%), and fenchone (4.8%) were found to be the main components of the essential oil from immature fennel umbels. (E)-anethole (72.3%), fenchone (9.6%) and methyl chavicol (9.5%) were found to be the main components of the essential oil from premature fennel umbels. (E)-anethole (71.6%), fenchone (10.7%) and methyl chavicol (10.3%) were found to be the main components of the essential oil from mature fully ripe fennel umbels. Fennel seeds were rich in (E)-anethole (75.5%) and fenchone (13.7%). FEO from fennel leaves contained (E)-anethole (32.5%), α-phellandrene (18.8%), p-cymene (17.3%), and β-phellandrene (10.3%) as the main compounds. The antioxidant activity of FEO decreases from leaves (12.37 mg/mL) to seeds (37.20 mg/mL). The degree of DPPH radical neutralization increased with the incubation time. Fennel umbels can be harvested before the fully ripe stage, i.e., at the waxy stage, which considerably reduces seed shedding and losses and increases the essential oil yield.

Thyme, mint, and lemon balm were used to determine whether shading conditions could improve the yield, composition, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity in plant essential oils (EOs) in comparison with non-shaded plants from an open field. The yield of the EOs of non-shaded thyme, mint, and lemon balm, was 3.44, 3.96, and 0.21 mL/100 g, respectively. Plants covered by nets produced different levels of EOs (3.46, 2.20, and 0.45 mL/100 g) after 120 min of hydrodistillation. The main components of the thyme essential oil are thymol (44.2–43.9%), γ-terpinene (18.3–16.8%), and p-cymene (16.5–17.4%). The predominant components of mint essential oil are piperitenone oxide (52.6–64.8%) and 1,8 cineole (25.9–16.3%), while lemon balm essential oil consists of the following main components: geranial (34.0–32.8%); neral (21.3–24.9%); and piperitenone oxide (17.2–16.7%). The EOs from non-shaded thyme and mint plants have the highest antioxidant activity (EC₅₀ value 0.54 mg/mL and 3.03 mg/mL). However, shaded lemon balm showed a stronger antioxidant activity (EC₅₀ 3.43 mg/mL) than non-shaded plants (12.85 mg/mL) after 60 min of incubation. The EOs from all plants showed significant effects against Escherichia coli, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Candida albicans. The most active EOs against most of the isolates originated from Thymus vulgaris L., plants. Adequate cultivation techniques, such as shading for Lamiaceae plants, has positive effects, especially in Melissa officinalis L. Shading can achieve a higher content and components in terms of the specific biological activity (antioxidant and microbial) of EOs.

In the field of blockchain (BC) technology application in the food supply chain (FSC), a patent portfolio is collected, described, and analyzed using Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) modeling, with the aim of obtaining insight into technology trends in this emerging and promising field. A patent portfolio consisting of 82 documents was extracted from patent databases using PatSnap software. The analysis of latent topics using LDA indicates that inventions related to the application of BCs in FSCs are patented in four key areas: (A) BC-supported tracing and tracking in FSCs; (B) devices and methods supporting application of BCs in FSCs; (C) combining BCs and other ICT technologies in FSC; and (D) BC-supported trading in FSCs. Patenting of BC technology applications in FSCs started during the second decade of the 21st century. Consequently, patent forward citation has been relatively low, while the family size confirms that application of BCs in FSCs is not yet widely accepted. A significant increase in the number of patent applications was registered after 2019, indicating that the number of potential users in FSCs is expected to grow over time. The largest numbers of patents originate from China, India, and the US.

Plant growth regulators (PGRs), such as cytokinins (6-benzyladenine; BA) and gibberellins (GAs), are widely used in fruit production. This study focused on the plum cultivar “Čačanska rodna” (P. domestica L.) grafted on vegetative rootstock “WaVit” and generative rootstock Prunus cerasifera, with interstock Prunus spinosa. PGR treatments included 50 mg L⁻¹ and 100 mg L⁻¹ of BA and 200 mg L⁻¹ of gibberellin A3 (GA₃) and non-treated control. Pomological characteristics of plum fruits were examined at harvest, while physicochemical properties were analyzed at harvest and after 28 days of cold storage and 4 days of shelf life. GA₃ and BA application changed the fruit morphological traits, improved skin strength, and increased carotenoid, anthocyanin and sucrose content while decreasing the titratable acidity at harvest. The beneficial effects of higher sucrose, anthocyanin and carotenoid levels persisted in all PGR-treated fruits after cold storage and shelf life. GA₃-treated fruits had firmer flesh, stronger skin and higher total soluble solids (TSS) content, while in BA-treated plums, these effects were rootstock-dependent. The physical properties and chemical composition of plum fruit in the postharvest period suggest beneficial effects of the applied PGR treatments. Moreover, these chemical treatments might have prolonged the beneficial impact on fruit storability, nutritional profile and sensory properties. Based on our results, GA₃ preharvest treatment can be included in standard cultivation practices within contemporary production systems of European plums not only to improve fruit quality at harvest but also to improve the storage potential and nutritional value, regardless of the rootstock used.

Nowadays, various industrial and urban activities result in discharging enormous quantities of various pollutants and their accumulation in the environment. Considering that heavy metals in wastewater are a serious threat to the environment and human health and that conventional methods for their removal are not highly efficient, the current study mainly focuses on estimating cyanobacterial capability to accumulate different heavy metals from water and comparing bioaccumulation and biosorption processes. Cyanobacteria Nostoc sp. was used, and five heavy metals were selected for this experiment (Cd2+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Ni2+, Zn2+). Examined concentrations of HMs were 20 mg/dm3, 80 mg/dm3, and 200 mg/dm3 for the bioaccumulation study, while 20 mg/dm3 and 80 mg/dm3 of each HMs were used for biosorption experiments. Living cells of Nostoc sp. have the highest affinity for Pb2+ (98.15%) and Cu2+ (95.14%) removal from the solution by bioaccumulation. During the biosorption process, dried biomass of Nostoc sp., besides Pb2+ (92.27%) and Cu2+ (96.00%), shows a high affinity for Cd2+ (91.00%) removal. Living cyanobacterial cells of Nostoc sp. could accumulate 82% of Zn, while dried biomass adsorbs 87% of Zn2+. Although the highest bioaccumulation of Ni2+ was only 38% while using the biosorption process, it was significantly higher (63.80%). These results could provide a preliminary study for further investigation in the direction of the development of immobilized biosorbents which could be used for industrial effluent treatment.