The aim of the current study was synthesis and characterization of CMC and further evaluation of its emulsion stabilizing properties for preparation of pharmaceutical and cosmetic emulsions. Carboxymethyl chitosan (CMC) with high degree of substitution (50 %) has been synthesized and further characterization of resulting product by FTIR, NMR spectroscopy and thermal analysis (TGA/DTA) was carried out. CMC was also characterized as water soluble polymer with ability to give solutions with high viscosity. Rheological behavior of cosmetic emulsions prepared with 0.3 and 0.5 % CMC was investigated. Thermodynamic parameters of emulsions, Gibbs free energies, enthalpies and entropies have been calculated. The current study demonstrated use of CMC as stabilizer of emulsions with potential application in pharmaceutical and cosmetic oil/water emulsions.

In this research, the possibilities of applying the extrusion process to produce functional food from quinoa enriched with goji berries were studied. The physical (expansion ratio, bulk density, hardness, and specific mechanical energy) and functional (water solubility index, water absorption index) characteristics were determined and optimized by the response surface methodology. Extrudates were produced using a laboratory single-screw extruder. The full factorial experimental design was used (N = 2²) with three complementary center points to show the interactions of the amount of goji berry (1, 3, and 5%) and the feed moisture content (13, 16, and 19%) of the mixture on the physical and functional characteristics. Increasing moisture content from 13 to 19% resulted in extrudates with a lower expansion ratio, water absorption index, water solubility index, specific mechanical energy, and higher density and hardness. Increasing the amount of goji berries from 1 to 5% led to a decrease in expansion ratio, water absorption index, and hardness, and an increase in density, water solubility index, and specific mechanical energy. Optimal extrusion conditions for production of extrudates from quinoa enriched with goji berry were 16.3% feed moisture content and 1.32% goji berry’s amount.

Aquafarms should reduce the use of fishmeal and fish oil in nutritional feed. One such accessible and relatively inexpensive food component that could successfully meet the challenge posed by aquaculture is algae. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the algae meal inclusion of Chlorella and Spirulina sp. in a diet for rainbow trout, evaluating its effects on fish growth, histological parameters and fillet quality. Experiments were carried out to replace 50% and 100% of fishmeal with Spirulina sp. and Chlorella vulgaris in feed for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss W.) cultured in a recirculation system. At the end of the experimental period, the highest mean live weight was measured in rainbow trout fed a feed containing 50% algal meal in the feed. The absorptive vacuolization of cells was increased the most and lamina propria was average thickened when fed 50% algae diets. Fat droplets in the hepatocytes were larger in the 50% algae meal fed group, and their nuclei were replaced in the peripheral zone of the cells. Substitution of fishmeal with 50% algal meal in fish feed resulted in a 36.44% reduction in the lipid content of rainbow trout fillets compared to control fish.

This research was undertaken to evaluate the influence of the extrusion process on the sorption behavior of deproteinized sunflower meal (DSM). A patterned food extrudate (PFE), prepared from a mixture of DSM and corn grits (1:1), was obtained, and the equilibrium isotherms of both products (DSM and PFE) were determined at three temperatures (20 °C, 30 °C, and 40 °C) by the static gravimetric method. The comparison of the sorption behavior of the products showed that extrusion decreased the equilibrium moisture content and the monolayer moisture, while the hysteresis effect was significantly raised in size and span. The experimental sorption isotherms were fitted by five modified models including the temperature effect: Chung–Pfost, Halsey, Oswin, Henderson, and GAB. The modified models of Oswin were established to be suitable to describe the equilibrium sorption isotherms in the temperature range from 20 °C to 40 °C. The net isosteric heat of sorption of DSM and PFE decreases consistently with the increase in moisture content. Extrusion reduces the bond energy between the solid matrix and the water molecules. The ranges of moisture content and relative humidities in the temperature interval studied, appropriate for long-term storage of DSM and PFE, were predicted.

Extrusion of corn semolina milled with cocoa shells using a single screw extruder “BRABENDER 20 DN” was carried out. Full factorial experimental 22 was used to investigate the effects of the quantity of cocoa shells and moisture of the material on the water absorption index (WAI) and water solubility index (WSI). Working screw speed and feed screw speed were fixed at 200 and 40 rpm, respectively. Compression ratio of the screw was fixed at 4:1. Temperatures of the first, second and third zone were 150, 155 and 160 °C. Water absorption index values range were between 6.71 and 7.6 g/g and the water solubility index between 25.38 and 35.33 %. The increase in moisture content and quantity of cocoa shells leads to an increase in water absorption index and a decrease in water solubility index. Practical applications: Cocoa shells in an amount of up to 10% can be used in the production of extrudates by mixing with corn semolina. Water absorption index values range between 6.71 and 7.6 g/g and the water solubility index between 25.38 and 35.33 %. The resulting regression models can be used to optimize the process. In general, results show that cocoa shells can be mixed with corn semolina for the production of extrudates, which allows us to recommend extrusion processing of cocoa shells as an alternative technology in utilization processing of raw cocoa materials.