In this study, the content of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity was determined in five selected vegetable microgreens (daikon, i.e., Japanese radish; Chinese red radish; pea; beetroot; and onion). Total phenolics and chlorophylls were analyzed spectrophotometrically in all investigated microgreens. In addition, the content of betalains was determined spectrophotometrically in beetroot microgreens. HPLC analysis was used to identify and quantify individual phenolic compounds. The antioxidant activity of microgreens was determined by DPPH, ABTS and reducing power assays. The highest content of total phenolics, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b was found in beetroot microgreens (639.85 mg GAE/100 g DW, 202.17 mg/100 g DW and 79.53 mg/100 g DW, respectively). In beetroot microgreens, the content of total betalains, betacyanins and betaxanthins was determined to be 57.27 mg/100 g DW, 43.58 mg BE/100 g DW and 13.68 mg VE/100 g DW, respectively. Among the investigated microgreens, beetroot microgreens showed the highest antioxidant activity, while pea microgreens exhibited the lowest antioxidant activity in all applied assays. The highest correlation was observed for the content of total phenolics and phenolic acids, as determined by HPLC analysis with antioxidant activity using all applied assays, indicating that these compounds were most important contributors to the antioxidant activity of the investigated vegetable microgreens.

Drying is one of the most commonly used methods for food preservation, and in spice processing, it has a significant impact on quality. In this paper, the influences of drying at room temperature, 60 °C, and 90 °C and freeze-drying on celery and parsley roots and turmeric rhizomes were examined. The highest content of total phenolics was found in celery dried at 60 °C (C60), parsley at room temperature (PRT), and freeze-dried turmeric (TFD) (1.44, 1.58, and 44.92 mg GAE/g_dm, respectively). Celery dried at room temperature (CRT), PRT, and TFD showed the highest antioxidant activity regarding the DPPH and ABTS radicals and FRAP. The analysis of color parameters revealed that celery dried at 90 °C (C90); PFD and TFD showed the most similar values to control samples. The drying process was optimized using a combination of standard score (SS) and artificial neural network (ANN) methods. The ANN model effectively evaluated the significance of drying parameters, demonstrating high predictive accuracy for total phenolics, total flavonoids, total flavonols, total flavan-3-ols, IC₅₀^ABTS, and FRAP. TFD showed the strongest α-glucosidase inhibitory potential. Also, TFD extract showed good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus but not against Escherichia coli. C90 and PFD extracts did not show antibacterial activity against the tested microorganisms.

Immobilization of yeast cells represents a significant advance in alcoholic fermentation. Compared to traditional methods that rely on the use of free cells, immobilized systems enable higher cell density, easier separation and reuse of biocatalysts, and improved fermentation control, all while maintaining cellular activity. The choice of immobilization material plays a key role in performance. Natural polymers such as alginate provide biocompatibility, but the main drawback is their insufficient mechanical strength. On the other hand, synthetic polymers offer greater durability but raise concerns regarding food safety and cost. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting is emerging as a promising solution, enabling the design of structural, customizable matrices with precise cell positioning and tunable physical properties. Traditional materials are undergoing reengineering as bioinks, while new synthetic and hybrid materials are being developed to overcome the limitations of conventional carriers. These innovations combine biocompatibility with mechanical stability and functional adaptability for industrial use. Although the application of 3D bioprinting to produce such carriers has shown promising progress, challenges remain in scalability, process integration, and long-term stability under industrial fermentation conditions. For these reasons, continued interdisciplinary research is necessary to further develop advanced techniques for immobilizing yeast cells for use in alcoholic fermentation.

Beetroot pomace is a valuable food-processing by-product that is rich in betalains and phenolic compounds, but the instability of these bioactives limits their direct use in functional foods. This study aimed to develop a pumpkin seed protein-based encapsulated ingredient from beetroot pomace extract and evaluate its preliminary application in yogurt fortification. Beetroot pomace contained 193.75 ± 3.83 mg GAE/100 g DW of total phenolics and 95.78 ± 1.27 mg/100 g DW of total betalains. Encapsulation was optimized using the response surface methodology, with the wall-to-core ratio, extract dilution, and mixing time as independent variables. The optimal encapsulate showed experimentally confirmed encapsulation efficiencies of 75.37% for phenolics and 84.02% for betalains, containing 196.62 ± 4.37 mg GAE/100 g total phenolics and 53.19 ± 0.90 mg/100 g total betalains. After simulated gastrointestinal digestion, betalains remained detectable at 43.15 ± 1.46 mg/100 g, while total phenolics increased to 726.56 ± 30.59 mg GAE/100 g and DPPH antioxidant activity reached 1472.76 ± 7.58 mg TE/100 g, indicating the improved extractability of phenolics from the protein matrix. The encapsulate showed low water activity and moisture content but high hygroscopicity and very poor flowability, indicating the need for further powder-handling optimization. Yogurt fortification with 3% encapsulate, selected as a preliminary technologically feasible level, improved the bioactive profile during storage at 4 °C for 7 days and −18 °C for 21 days. These results support pumpkin seed protein-encapsulated beetroot pomace bioactives as sustainable multifunctional ingredients for yogurt fortification, while further sensory validation and comparison with free extracts are required.

The aims of this study were to determine and compare the basic physico-chemical quality parameters of cultivated and wild pomegranate seed oils (CPSO and WPSO, respectively), along with their antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antiproliferative, and antimicrobial activities. Both cultivated and wild pomegranate seed oils displayed a similar physico-chemical composition, with eicosapentaenoic acid being the predominant fatty acid, accounting for approximately 80 % in both oils. The carotenoid content was higher in cultivated pomegranate seed oil (7.53 mg β-carotene/kg), whereas wild pomegranate seed oil had a greater total chlorophyll content (0.21 mg pheophytin-a/kg). The total phenol contents (0.47 and 0.50 mg GAE/g), flavonoids (0.03 mg Qc/g for both), flavonols (0.55 mg Qc/g for both), and flavan-3-ols (20.03 and 25.00 mg CAT/g) in CPSO and WPSO, respectively, were comparable between the two oil samples. Both oils exhibited strong antioxidant activity against DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) free radicals and demonstrated good antihyperglycemic activity. However, neither oil showed antimicrobial activity against Salmonella enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes, or antifungal activity on yeast Candida albicans. Antiproliferative activities were observed for both CPSO and WPSO on HeLa (epithelioid carcinoma of the cervix), MCF-7 (breast adenocarcinoma), and MRC-5 (normal fetal lung fibroblasts) cell lines, with IC50 values below 200 μg/ml. For the HT-29 cell line, the IC50 values were 652.04 µg/ml for CPSO and 414.88 µg/ml for WPSO, indicating stronger antiproliferative activity of WPSO. The inhibitory activities (IC50) correlate with the ability of the sample to inhibit cell proliferation by 50 %, with lower IC50 values indicating a stronger antiproliferative effect.