The chemical analysis of dried pomace of chokeberry, apple, black currant, strawberries and carrot was performed to determine the composition and content of nutrients and bioactive substances, among others the content of vitamins, phenolic acids, anthocyanins, and essential fatty acids. The antioxidant properties were determined in the extracts of pomace by determining the total antioxidant potential (TRAP) and antioxidant activity against DPPH radical. Tested pomaces contained 12-15% protein, approximately 18-20% crude fibre, approximately 2.7-4.0% ether extract and 1.8-3.0% ash. The highest level of anthocyanins was found in chokeberry pomace, followed by black currant pomace and several times less in strawberries and apples. The content of phenolic acids ranged from 12.91 mg/100 g in black currants to 630.30 mg/100 g in dried chokeberries. In terms of vitamins the richest source of vitamin E was chokeberry pomace (152.3 mg/100 g), while most of the carotenoids were found in dried carrot (15.35 mg/100 g). The chain of antioxidant activity was as follows: black currant>chokeberry>apple>strawberry>carrot, while in terms of antioxidative capacity it was chokeberry>apple>black currant>strawberry>carrot.

The oils from strawberry, blackcurrant, raspberry, and apple seeds were characterized by a high content of unsaturated fatty acids (90.8%, 88.6%, 94.0%, and 86.9%, resp.). Strawberry and raspberry oils had high levels of C18:2 (45.4% and 49.0%) and α C18:3 (29.0% and 33.0%, resp.). Blackcurrant oil was the richest source of γ C18:3 (18.5%) and C18:4 (3.6%). Apple oil had high levels of C18:2 (55.5%) and C18:1 (29.4%). Blackcurrant oil had 229.5 mg/100 g of tocochromanols, predominantly γ ‐tocopherol (117.8 mg/100 g) and α ‐tocopherol (84.3 mg/100 g). Raspberry oil was rich in γ ‐, α ‐, and δ ‐tocopherol (193.5; 65.6; and 32.2 mg/100 g, resp.). Strawberry oil contained γ ‐ and δ ‐tocopherol, 49.0 and 6.1 mg/100 g, respectively. Apple contained all isomers of α ‐, β ‐, γ ‐, and δ ‐tocopherols at 41.7, 62.7, 13.6, and 21.8 mg/100 g, respectively. The level of tocotrienols in the analysed oils ranged from 0.85 to 6.73 mg/100 g. Ten different phytosterols were found in the tested oils. The richest sources of phytosterols were blackcurrant oil (6824.9 μ g/g) followed by raspberry (5384.1 μ g/g), strawberry (4643.1 μ g/g), and apple oil (3460.0 μ g/g). The dominant compound in the analysed oils was sitosterol, from 2630 μ g/g in apple oil to 3630 μ g/g in blackcurrant oil.

In the last 20 years, the importance of sheep and especially lamb meat as the main product of the sheep industry in European conditions increased noticeably. In the same period, people’s interest in food quality grew. This contributed to a significant intensification of research to improve the meat production and quality traits in sheep. The aim of the research performed mainly focuses on the effects of nutrition, the environmental and genetic factors on the value of fattening, slaughter and meat quality characteristics. Much of the research concentrates on determining the fatty acid profile of intramuscular fat, which is important for sensory traits and dietetic value of lamb. Modulation of healthy qualities of lamb is aimed, inter alia, to modify the fatty acid profile, in particular to maintain the proper ratio of polyunsaturated (PUFA ) to saturated fatty acids (SFA). It is also desirable to increase the content of omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Furthermore, it has been proven that changes in the expression of genes involved in lipid metabolism are associated with the change in lipid profile in skeletal muscle. The aim of this review was to summarize the information currently available about the influence of genetic and nutritional factors on meat production and quality traits in different sheep breeds.

Nanoparticles are increasingly popular in numerous fields including electronics, optics and medicine (vaccines, tissue engineering, microsurgery, genomics and cancer therapies). The most widely used nanoparticles in biomedical applications are those designed by man. Scientists have obtained many types of silica nanoparticles with defined shape and chemical composition, but different properties and applications. Nanoparticles include particles with at least one dimension ranging from 1–100 nm. Silica nanoparticles (Sn), reaching values from several dozen to several hundred m²/g, have unique physicochemical properties due to their porous structure and well-developed specific surface. Currently, the use of Sn in animal nutrition, with a focus on gastrointestinal tract function, is of great interest.

Every year, thousands of tons of fruit seeds are discarded as agro-industrial by-products around the world. Fruit seeds are an excellent source of oils, monounsaturated fatty acids, and n-6 and n-3 polyunsaturated essential fatty acids. This study aimed to develop a novel technology for extracting active substances from selected seeds that were obtained after pressing fruit juices. The proposed technology involved sonification with the use of ethyl alcohol at a low extraction temperature. Seeds of four species—blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), raspberry (Rubus idaeus), cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon), and cuckooflower (Cardamine pratensis)—were used for extraction. Following alcohol evaporation under nitrogen, the antioxidant activity, chemical composition, and volatile compounds of the obtained extracts were analyzed using chromatographic methods, including gas chromatography (GC)–mass spectrometry (MS) (GC–MS/MS), and high-performance liquid chromatography–MS. We analyzed physicochemical properties, fatty acid, and volatile compounds composition, sterol and tocochromanol content of blueberry, cranberry, raspberry, and cuckooflower seed oils obtained by sonication. This method is safe and effective, and allows for obtaining valuable oils from the seeds.