The wine’s volatilome, most of the time, defines not only its aroma, but also, its major attributes. In the case of wines, the authentication process has become imperative, in light of increased production of alcoholic beverages; consequently, reliable analytical methods have served for it. Therefore, the goal of this research was to establish the global volatile profile of traditional Romanian white wines from Fetească varieties (Fetească albă, Fetească regală) in order to identify its unique characteristics by means of a headspace solid-phase microextraction coupled with gas chromatography analysis (HS-SPME/GC-MS) and e-Nose devoted techniques. Statistics was also employed aimed at differentiating the analyzed wine by varietal groups. Consequently, 23 volatile compounds were detected and quantified in 39 Fetească white wine samples originating from various production areas (Muntenia, Oltenia, Transylvania, Banat and Dobrogea), then further classified according to their odor thresholds in five aromatic classes (floral, fruity, sweet, lactic (cheesy) and other). In addition, statistics (Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Hieratical Clustering Analysis (HCA)) were used aiming to differentiate the analyzed varietal groups. The outcomes have pointed out the existence of distinct clusters connected with ethyl esters or alcohol composition and production year, depending on each examined variety.

Plum vinegar represents a functional food product valued for its potential health benefits, largely attributed to its polyphenolic content. This study investigates the quality parameters of vinegars produced from five Romanian plum varieties (Centenar, Agent, Andreea, Anna Spath and Romanian Vanata), focusing on their physicochemical and phenolic profiles. Analyses included pH, total acidity, colorimetric evaluation, total polyphenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity, and ATR-FTIR and ¹H-NMR spectroscopy. The vinegars exhibited pH values ranging from 3.2 to 3.7 and TPC values between 250 and 350 mg GAE/L during fermentation, with higher concentrations (up to 400 mg GAE/L) recorded post-aging. These findings support the potential of Romanian plum varieties as valuable raw materials for producing high-quality, polyphenol-rich fruit vinegars.

The growing interest in healthy eating has increased consumers’ expectations for food products that combine nutritional value, natural ingredients and convenience. Understanding these nutritional expectations may provide valuable insights to guide food reformulation strategies and support the development of products that better align with consumers’ expressed preferences. Therefore, this study investigated the nutritional preferences, motivations for trying new foods and expectations regarding reformulated food products among respondents recruited in Romania. A cross-sectional online survey was conducted in August 2024, using a structured questionnaire distributed through Google Forms. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling, and 200 complete responses were included in the analysis. The results showed that 79.5% of respondents were interested or very interested in maintaining a balanced diet. Health benefits were selected by 83.5% as a motivation for trying a new product. In separate questions, reduced sugar content (77%), natural sources of vitamins and minerals (64%) and additive-free formulations (60%) were regularly selected. Low-carbohydrate pasta and antioxidant-rich bars were the most frequently selected bakery and cereal-based concepts. Fiber-enriched fruit products and additive-free fruit preserves received the most selections among fruit-based concepts suggesting interest in clean-label products. Descriptive and exploratory association analyses were performed; correlations among motivations were weak, and age-related associations did not remain significant after Holm correction. Within this convenience sample, respondents tended to prefer healthier, more natural, and nutritionally balanced foods. These findings may help guide future food reformulation efforts, although they should not be generalized to the Romanian population because of the sampling method.