The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of an olive leaf extract obtained with an up-to-date laboratory method, when supplemented at different levels in laying hens’ diets, on egg quality, egg yolk antioxidant parameters, fatty acid content, and liver pathology characteristics. Thus, 96 laying hens of the ISA-Brown breed were allocated to 48 experimental cages with two hens in each cage, resulting in 12 replicates per treatment. Treatments were: T1 (Control: basal diet); T2 (1% olive leaf extract); T3 (2.5% olive leaf extract); T4 (Positive control: 0.1% encapsulated oregano oil). Eggshell weight and thickness were improved in all treatments compared to the control, with T2 being significantly higher till the end of the experiment (p < 0.001). Egg yolk MDA content was lower for the T2 and T4 groups, while total phenol content and Haugh units were greater in the T2. The most improved fatty acid profile was the one of T3 yolks. The α-tocopherol yolk content was higher in all groups compared to T1. No effect was observed on cholesterol content at any treatment. Based on the findings, it can be inferred that the inclusion of olive leaf extract at a concentration of 1% in the diet leads to enhancements in specific egg quality attributes, accompanied by an augmentation of the antioxidant capacity.

Aim: Fast urbanization of free land, industrial progress, and improvement of human life quality, have led to increased consumption of different chemical substances recognized as emerging contaminants (ECs) that are chemicals posing potential risks to the environment and human health, but are not yet subjected to regulatory criteria. Pharmaceuticals consumed by humans are continuously discharged into aquatic environments through urban effluents and numerous classes of them have been widely detected in surface waters. We have to highlight that pharmaceuticals, deposited in the aquatic environment end up in human body through the consumption of marine organisms. Consequently, seawater can be considered as feed. Aim of the study is the development, optimization and validation of a multi-residue analytical method concerning the detection of pharmaceuticals in seawaters. Methods: The present study describes the development of a highly selective and sensitive analytical method using solid phase extraction (SPE) followed by UHPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap MS for the determination of 18 frequently prescribed pharmaceuticals and 3 transformation products (TPs) in seawater. In order to optimize the extraction method different cartridge types were tested. Results: Main results showed that the appropriate type of sorbent was concluded to be Oasis HLB, which presented the highest recoveries fluctuating between 61.6% and 118.8%, with a relative standard deviation below 4% and below 5%, for intra-day and inter-day precision, respectively. Limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.3 ng L–1 for venlafaxine to 9.8 ng L–1 for oxolinic acid, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) ranged from 1.2 ng L–1 for carbamazepine to 26.4 ng L–1 for oxolinic acid, while in all cases, the linearity, as measured by the correlation coefficient, was greater than 0.991 and ranged within the method’s quantification limit for each chemical and 1,000 ng L–1. Conclusions: Concerning the conclusions positive detections were found in the seawater samples for oxytetracycline, sulfadiazine, caffeine, paracetamol, and trimethoprim.

A rapid reversed-phase ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography method with diode-array detection (RP-UHPLC-DAD) was developed and validated for the simultaneous determination of major bioactive phenolic compounds (hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and oleuropein) and triterpenic acids (maslinic and oleanolic acids) in table olives from major Greek cultivars. Existing chromatographic methods for table olives typically target either the phenolic compounds or the triterpenic acids, requiring separate protocols. The proposed method determines both classes simultaneously, resolving all five analytes (resolution, R_s ≥ 5) within a 20 min separation (25 min total run) using a single methanolic co-extraction, thereby reducing analysis time and increasing throughput relative to sequential approaches. This protocol was selected among four evaluated extraction procedures, based on simplicity and efficient analyte extraction. The method showed excellent linearity (R² > 0.999), along with satisfactory sensitivity, selectivity, accuracy, and precision across the tested ranges. Recoveries of 70.8–108.9% were obtained in three different matrices (Chalkidiki, Kalamata, and Throumba Thassou olives), indicating satisfactory applicability to complex foods. The samples differed in their analyte profiles, with hydroxytyrosol predominating in the Chalkidiki and Kalamata samples, whereas oleuropein was detected only in Throumba Thassou olives. Sustainability assessment using the Complementary Green Analytical Procedure Index (ComplexGAPI) indicated moderate greenness, while a Blue Applicability Grade Index score of 72.5 denoted good practical applicability.