It is recommended to eat blue fish at least twice a week, due to its high nutritional value and ingredients, primarily healthy fats and proteins. In addition to its advantages, the consumption of fish and fish products can bring potential hazards. Histamine poisoning has been reported as one of the most common issues related to seafood consummation. It is considered as relatively mild illness with symptoms like rash, urticaria, nausea, vomiting, but in some cases, due to high sensitivity, it can lead to severe symptoms and even to death. In order to insure safety of fish products, histamine determination is one of the safety requirements of European and Croatian legislation (Law on food hygiene and microbiological criteria for food, NN 83/2022). Despite that, there has been several recalls of fish products by Ministry of Agriculture from Croatian market in recent years. The aim of this paper was to determine histamine levels in 20 different products from Croatian retail stores by HPLC method. All tested samples have been in accordance with legally determined limits for histamine levels.

In the present study, the fruit extract of haritaki (T. chebula) was successfully encapsulated in liposomes, achieving an encapsulation efficiency of 97.2% for the total polyphenols, with the most significant release occurring under simulated digestive conditions in the intestinal phase. The zeta potential and Z-average size of the loaded liposomes were 20.52 mV and 521.73 nm at a pH of 2 and −59.72 mV and 823.03 nm at a pH of 8, respectively. The prepared liposomes were further incorporated in the matrix of dark chocolate in a content of 10%. The addition of liposomes significantly (p < 0.05) increased the particle size distribution (d(0.9), d(0.5) and d(0.1)) and the rheological (Casson’s yield point and viscosity) parameters of the chocolate, while the hardness and maximum melting temperature did not change significantly (p > 0.05). The results of the sensory analysis of the chocolates confirmed that the liposomes were well homogenized in the chocolate matrix and that the herbal taste of haritaki was successfully masked by incorporating it into the chocolate in the encapsulated form.

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.

Children with Down syndrome (DS) may experience feeding difficulties arising from interactions among hypotonia, cardiorespiratory and gastrointestinal conditions, swallowing dysfunction, oral-motor and sensory differences, delayed feeding skill development, and psychosocial or environmental factors. These difficulties may compromise feeding safety and efficiency, restrict dietary diversity, and contribute to inadequate fluid or nutrient intake, faltering growth, micronutrient deficiencies, or excess adiposity. This narrative review synthesized the literature selected for its relevance to feeding development and nutritional risk in children and adolescents with DS. Sources were identified through PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and the Web of Science Core Collection, supplemented by reference-list review and citation tracking; cited sources were last verified on 26 August 2026. Evidence was organized according to developmental stage and clinical domain, with attention to study design, sampling, assessment methods, and applicability to the pediatric DS population. The findings indicate that breastfeeding is possible but may require early assessment of milk transfer and nutritional adequacy. Oropharyngeal dysphagia and silent aspiration are important clinical concerns, although much of the evidence comes from selected clinical and referral-based cohorts. Impaired chewing, delayed texture progression, and food selectivity may restrict the consumption of meat, vegetables, whole grains, and other nutrient-dense foods, potentially reducing dietary variety and the intake of protein, fiber, and specific micronutrients. Reliance on a narrow range of accepted soft or energy-dense foods may nevertheless provide adequate or excessive energy, allowing poor dietary quality to coexist with excess body weight. Nutritional assessment should therefore consider food choices, texture adaptations, and actual nutrient intake alongside growth and body mass index. The strongest support is for systematic, individualized, and multidisciplinary care integrating swallowing safety, feeding skills, actual dietary and fluid intake, growth, biochemical status, associated medical conditions, and family circumstances. Evidence for specific feeding therapies, supplements, and nutrition-related interventions remains limited by small samples, heterogeneous methods, and short follow-up. More representative longitudinal and intervention studies using standardized, age-appropriate outcomes are needed.

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.

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.