Acheta domesticus (L.1758) has been recently accepted by the European Union as a novel food, being the third insect that has been approved for human consumption. Nowadays, researchers’ attention is focused on exploiting new protein sustainable sources, and, therefore, insect flour has gained more and more interest. Organic acids, fatty acids, amino acids, aroma volatile compounds, and minerals were analyzed through HPLC-RID (High-performance liquid chromatography), GC-MS (Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry), LC-MS (Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry), ITEX/GC-MS and AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry), respectively. Fermentation of the insect flour with Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 strain (Lp) leads to an increase in organic acids such as lactic, acetic, and oxalic, whilst citric acid decreases its value. SFA (saturated fatty acids) and MUFA (monosaturated fatty acids) groups were positively influenced by Lp fermentation; meanwhile, PUFA (polysaturated fatty acids) decreased during fermentation. A positive trend was observed for amino acids, aroma volatile content, and minerals enhancement during insect sourdough fermentation, mainly at 24 h of fermentation. Acheta domesticus (A. domesticus) sourdough fermentation represents a new tool that needs to be further exploited aiming to improve the nutritional qualities of the final products.

There is a worldwide trend that supports the rational use of chemicals in agriculture. It has become common knowledge that irresponsible application of pesticides can cause food security issues, by endangering human and animal health while also having negative environmental consequences. The aim of this experiment was to assess the qualitative parameters of spraying treatments in vineyards. To achieve this, a vineyard and orchard sprayer machine was used for the application of treatments under a gradient of pressures (3, 5, 7, 9 bar). Water-sensitive collectors were placed at three heights (0.8 m, 1.5 m, 2.5 m). Following spraying was determined using DepositScan: the volume median diameter characterization of droplets (DV 1, DV 5, DV 9), and coverage degrees of sprayings. Results indicated that best coverage degree and larger droplets tend to be deposited 1.5 m from the ground, which corresponds with the highest proximity to the positioning of the nozzles of the machine during application, and lowest coverage is found at the top, where droplets deposited also tend to be smaller. For the anti-drift nozzle model used in the study, the best coverage was obtained at a pressure of 5 bar. For sustainability of agricultural practices and rational use of pesticides, more research is required for optimization of increased precision spraying that could ensure high coverage at lower doses of chemicals and coarse droplets. In this way the quantity of product sprayed is expected to be reduced, due to minimization of off-target losses and increased efficiency. This can ensure that negative environmental impacts are lowered. Improved treatment application at higher positioning of the canopy remains a challenge and shall receive more attention.

This study quantified differences in methanolic extracts composition among four grain amaranth cultivars (e.g. ‘Hopy Red Dye’, ‘Amont’, ‘Plenitude’, and ‘Golden Giant’) farmed under three planting conditions: no irrigation/no fertilization (NN), no irrigation/fertilization (NF), irrigation/no fertilization (IN). The study main outcomes were total flavonoids, polyphenols, antioxidant activity, and protein content. Antioxidant activity was assessed using two Single Electron Transfer (SET) based assays: the 2,2'-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation decolorization assay (ABTS) and cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC). The total protein content was assessed by Gornall spectrophotometric method, the total flavonoid content (TFC) was determined using a colorimetric technique, while total polyphenols content (TPC) was assessed using the Folin-Ciocalteu method. Mean differences in outcomes were calculated using ANOVA and Dunnet’s test for multiple comparisons. The findings revealed that TPC ranged from 5 to 18 mg gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/100 g dry weight (DW), being highest in ‘Plenitude’ under NF conditions. The highest TFC (7.5 mg quercetin equivalent (QE)/100 g DW) and the highest protein content (37.25%) were revealed for the ‘Hopi Red Dye’ cultivar under the NF planting conditions. Amaranth seeds represent a potential rich source of polyphenols and protein gluten-free compounds, with the ‘Hopi Red Dye’ representing the richest cultivar in such compounds. Fertilized and non-irrigated soil provided the optimal planting conditions across all amaranth cultivars. ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********