A correlation between nutritional status and academic achievement has been established by many studies, but students′ eating habits often do not meet nutritional recommendations. Breakfast consumption has a positive effect on cognitively demanding tasks and results in better attention and memory. The goal of this work was to develop well-balanced, nutritionally rich morning meals for students based on the concept of tapas, a combination of several different small meals composed of different ingredients. An introductory survey about students’ morning eating habits was conducted among students of the Faculty of Tourism and Rural Development in Požega, Croatia. Forty-six full-time students (9.50% of total number of students at the faculty) participated in the survey. Sixteen types of tapas were prepared combining ingredients which students rated as desirable (cheese, prosciutto, peppers, milk spread) and undesirable (blue fish, dry fruit, cauliflower, chickpeas) in the initial survey. Tapas (one tapa = one sample) were scored by a sensory panel of 16 students, and nutritional value of the samples was assessed by web application Program Prehrane^® (The Nutrition Program). All samples except two were scored as desirable by more than 60% of students, meaning that even ingredients which have been initially scored as undesirable, can be incorporated into desirable meal when properly combined. Based on the analysis of energy and nutritional value of samples, students should combine 3 to 5 different tapas to fulfill their energy needs for breakfast or 1 to 2 different tapas for a morning snack. Developed tapas can provide a perfectly balanced meal rich in different micronutrients because they include ingredients which students normally do not include in their breakfast. Especially important ingredients were blue fish rich in unsaturated acids and selenium, nuts rich in selenium and vitamin E, and red peppers rich in vitamin C and carotenoids. Tapas containing cheese and prosciutto, students’ favorite ingredients, had the highest level of sodium and fats, but not above recommended values when combined with other tapas.

Croatia’s diverse agroecological zones, from Mediterranean coastal areas to continental lowlands, enable the cultivation of a broad portfolio of traditional fruit species that contribute simultaneously to biodiversity conservation, rural livelihoods, and the development of value-added food and beverage products. This review compiles and harmonizes evidence on six economically and culturally relevant crops and product chains—grapevine and wine, apple, pear, quince, sour cherry, mulberry, and plum with the traditional spirit šljivovica—focusing on genetic resources and cultivar diversity, agronomic and environmental performance, bioactive composition and potential health relevance, processing routes and by-product valorization, and the socio-economic roles of geographical indications, gastronomy, and tourism. Across species, the literature highlights recurring sustainability levers: safeguarding indigenous and old cultivars as reservoirs of adaptive traits under climate change; reducing chemical inputs through cultivar choice, organic and low-input systems, cover crops, and resistant genotypes; strengthening circularity by converting pomace and other residues into spirits, vinegars, functional ingredients, feed, compost, or energy carriers; and increasing rural value capture through branding, protected origin schemes, and experiential tourism. At the same time, production systems face shared constraints, including fragmentation of holdings, labour shortages, phytosanitary pressures, and the need to optimize processing technologies to preserve sensory and bioactive quality while meeting safety and regulatory requirements. By integrating crop-specific evidence with cross-cutting sustainability themes, this review outlines a coherent framework for positioning traditional Croatian fruit resources and their derived products within contemporary sustainable food system transitions.

The valorization of vegetable processing by-products as functional food ingredients represents a sustainable approach to waste reduction and nutritional enhancement. This study investigated the potential of carrot (Daucus carota L.) and celery (Apium graveolens L.) peel waste for the development of nutritionally enriched formulations. Response surface methodology (RSM) combined with a three-level factorial design was used to evaluate the effects of peel incorporation on total polyphenol content (TPC), antioxidant activity (DPPH), crude fiber, ash content, and color characteristics. Carrot peel significantly increased TPC, whereas increasing carrot and celery peel substitution levels were associated with higher antioxidant activity within the investigated experimental range. Celery peel significantly increased crude fiber content, while ash content decreased with increasing celery peel incorporation. The selected models provided an adequate fit for the investigated responses. The highest predicted functional properties reached 3704.15 mg_GAE/100 g TPC, 26.94% DPPH inhibition, and 8.35% crude fiber. Three optimization scenarios with increasing complexity were evaluated using the desirability function approach. The highest desirability (D = 0.869) was achieved when only functional properties were considered. Inclusion of ash content and color change reduced desirability values to 0.675 and 0.555, respectively, indicating trade-offs among functional, nutritional, and color-related attributes. The optimized formulation corresponded to 75.08% substitution of the carrot fraction with carrot peel waste and 44.23% substitution of the celery fraction with celery peel waste, providing a balanced combination of enhanced functionality, nutritional quality, and acceptable appearance.