In the present study, an organic substrate (coffee silverskin) enriched with spirulina (Arthrospira platensis; 15% w/w), as a source of lipids and bioactive molecules, was used to rear the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) prepupae. Three grossly isonitrogenous, isoproteic, isolipidic and isoenergetic experimental diets for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) juveniles were then produced: a control diet (HM0) mostly including fish meal and fish oil, and two other test diets named HM3 and HM20, in which 3 or 20% of the marine ingredients were substituted with full fat black soldier fly prepupae meal (HM), respectively. Experimental diets were provided for 6 weeks, and at the end of the trial the physiological responses and marketable traits of the fish were investigated using a multidisciplinary approach. Generally, all test diets were well accepted, and fish growth, gut and liver health status, and marketable characteristics were not impaired by the experimental diets. However, an increased immuno-related gene expression along with a slight reduction of fillet redness and yellowness was evident in fish from the HM20 group.

A new analytical method for the determination of six volatile short and medium-chain fatty acids (acetic, propionic, isobutyric, isovaleric, hexanoic, and octanoic acids) through liquid–liquid extraction with diethyl ether, followed by GC-FID analysis, was developed and validated. The extraction conditions were optimized by evaluating the effect of the number of extractions (1 to 3) and the effect of the addition of salts (NaH₂PO₄, (NH₄)₂SO₄, NaCl, (NH₄)₂SO₄/NaH₂PO₄) to increase the concentration of the analytes in the ethyl ether phase. Results showed that a single extraction allows obtaining the highest sensitivity (due to the impossibility of evaporating the solvent to avoid losses of the analytes). The use of salting out agents, in particular, NaH₂PO₄, showed an important increase in the extraction extent, on average, 1.5 times higher as compared to the extraction performed without salt. The proposed method is rapid, requiring a total of 30 min for preparation and analysis, and it makes use of small amounts of sample (500 µL) and solvent (400 µL). The method was then applied to quantify the analytes in 5 white wines and 5 red wines, allowing to highlight some clear differences between red and white wines, with the red ones having a significantly higher amount of acetic acid (715.7 ± 142.3 mg/L in red wines and 351.5 ± 21.2 mg/L in white wines) and the white wines having a significantly higher amount of hexanoic and octanoic acid (6.1 ± 3.0 mg/L and 2.6 ± 0.8 mg/L, respectively, are the mean concentrations in white wines, and 4.7 ± 0.8 and 2.4 ± 0.4 mg/L, respectively, are the mean concentrations in red wines).

Eugenol and linalool are often the most abundant volatile compounds found in basil (Ocimum basilicum L., Lamiaceae) leaves, and they are interesting for the aroma they provide and for their numerous beneficial bioactivities. Their determination is thus needed for several purposes. In the present study, to avoid the previous isolation of essential oil, the direct solvent extraction is proposed coupled with a transmethylation to convert acyl lipids into fatty acids methyl esters (FAMEs), thus assessing the possible simultaneous analysis of eugenol and linalool with FAMEs by gas chromatography coupled to flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The method has been validated and applied to ten basil leaves samples in which eugenol and linalool were found in mean concentrations of 2.80 ± 0.15 and 1.01 ± 0.04 g kg⁻¹ (dry weight), respectively. FAMEs composition was dominated by linolenic acid (52.1–56.1%) followed by palmitic acid (19.3–22.4%) and linoleic acid (9.6–11.3%). The ratio of n6-polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs)/n3-PUFAs was in the range of 0.17–0.20 in the investigated samples. The proposed method exploits a rapid procedure requiring 40 min, making use of a small amount of solvent and allowing the simultaneous determination of molecules contributing to assess the quality of this worldwide appreciated herb.

The beneficial effects of sardine consumption can be related to the presence of bioactive compounds, such as vitamin E and ω3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. In any case, the levels of these compounds in sardine fillet depend on different factors mainly related to the diet and reproductive cycle phase of the fish as well as the technological treatments carried out to cook the fillets. The aim of the present study is two-fold: first, to evaluate changes in the total fatty acid profile, lipid oxidation, and vitamin E content of raw fillets from sardine (Sardina pilchardus) at different reproductive cycle phases (pre-spawning, spawning, and post-spawning); and second, to highlight how these nutritional profiles are affected by three oven treatments (conventional, steam, and sous-vide). For this purpose, raw fish was grouped into pre-spawning, spawning, and post-spawning phases according to the mesenteric fat frequency and the gonadosomatic index evaluation, and submitted to conventional (CO), steam (SO), and sous-vide (SV) baking. The ratio of EPA/DHA and vitamin E increased from post-spawning to pre-spawning, to spawning. Considering the reproductive phases, baking affected the oxidative degree differently: a CO > SO ≥ SV impact was found in the worst scenario (post-spawning), mitigated by vitamin E, to CO ≥ SO > SV in the best scenario (spawning). SV was the best treatment with high values of vitamin E in pre-spawning individuals (110.1 mg/kg). This study shows how vitamin E is correlated to the combined effect of endogenous and exogenous factors.