Sambucus nigra L. is widely used in traditional medicine with different applications. However, confirmative studies are strongly required. This study aimed to assess the biological activities of the S. nigra flower’s extract encapsulated into two different types of nanoparticles for optimizing its properties and producing further evidence of its potential therapeutic uses. Different nanoparticles (poly(lactide-co-glycolide, PLGA) and poly-Ɛ-caprolactone (PCL), both with oleic acid, were prepared by emulsification/solvent diffusion and solvent-displacement methods, respectively. Oleic acid was used as a capping agent. After the nanoparticles’ preparation, they were characterized and the biological activities were studied in terms of collagenase, in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory, and in vitro cell viability. Rutin and naringenin were found to be the major phenolic compounds in the studied extract. The encapsulation efficiency was higher than 76% and revealed to have an impact on the release of the extract, mainly for the PLGA. Moreover, biochemical and histopathological analyses confirmed that the extract-loaded PLGA-based nanoparticles displayed the highest anti-inflammatory activity. In addition to supporting the previously reported evidence of potential therapeutic uses of S. nigra, these results could draw the pharmaceutical industry’s interest to the novelty of the nanoproducts.

One of the new trends of personal care industry is the use of organic ingredients derived from nature, in particular, from food-processing residues with proven efficacy. Lycopene is a carotenoid responsible for the red color of several fruits, namely tomato, whose antioxidant and photoprotective effects have been studied. Methods: Lycopene-enriched extracts (LEE) were obtained from tomato waste using supercritical CO₂ extraction, incorporated in microemulsions and macroemulsions for topical use, and characterized through GC-MS for the identification of volatile compounds. The aim of this work was to evaluate the impact of the presence of lycopene-enriched extracts developed emulsions through the identification of volatile compounds and by a sensory analysis to assess the odor and color perception and the acceptability of such semi-solid systems as cosmetic products. Results: Volatile compounds were identified in the extract and in the formulations containing the extract. Preliminary data show that the odor of both LEE-loaded microemulsions and LEE-loaded macroemulsions was classified as undefined. The information about the composition did not modify the odor perception but increased the acceptability of some cosmetic products. LEE conferred a yellowish color to formulations, and the information about the formulation composition increased the likelihood of different cosmetic products with this color being bought. Conclusions: The commercialization of personal care products does not only dependent on the associated organoleptic properties, but is influenced by the information about the composition, namely by the presence of an antioxidant compound.

Serpa cheese, a Portuguese Protected of Denomination Origin (PDO) cheese, known for its unique sensory attributes, is made from the raw milk of native sheep. In this preliminary work, ten samples of Serpa cheese were submitted for a sensory evaluation performed by an expert panel in a sensory laboratory accredited according to ISO 17025 for Serpa cheese parameters, and the panelists classified the cheeses based on texture, taste and odor scores, in accordance with the specifications for the classification of this type of cheese. All cheeses were analyzed by SPME-GC-MS. Following an exploratory unsupervised multivariate analysis, the supervised multivariate analysis by partial least squares—discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), associated the relative percent area of the identified volatiles with the classification of cheeses attributed by the sensory panel. Among the 144 compounds putatively identified, there was a pattern of compound distribution of some of them, such as acetoin, diacetyl, and 2,3-butanediol, leaning toward the cheese samples with high taste and odor scores, while other compounds, such as ethyl caprate, capric acid, and 3-methylindole, were more associated with the cheese samples rated with a low score. Despite the reduced number of samples that may have imposed some restrictions on the conclusions drawn, there was a clear trend in the volatiles’ distribution, allowing us to identify, based on the higher correlation loadings, potential candidates for the Serpa cheese sensory quality. This preliminary study presents, for the first time, an overview of the volatiles that are present in Serpa PDO cheese that may be responsible for the positive or negative sensory evaluation of this PDO cheese.

Ergosterol (ERG) is a bioactive sterol found in fungal cell membranes with reported cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant, and antitumor properties. Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE) conditions were optimized for Lentinula edodes (shiitake) using Response Surface Methodology and subsequently applied to Pleurotus ostreatus (oyster). Optimized SFE (690 bar, 69.8 °C, no co-solvent) produced significantly more concentrated ERG extracts than Soxhlet extraction for both species—280.57 ± 10.80 mg_ERG/g_extract for shiitake and 95.87 ± 7.18 mg_ERG/g_extract for oyster—corresponding to a 107% and 65% increase, respectively. Three biomass pre-treatments—ultrasound, microwave, and enzymatic—were evaluated in combination with SFE. Enzymatic pre-treatment with chitinase significantly improved ERG concentration: 337.53 ± 23.12 mg_ERG/g_extract for shiitake. These results obtained after analysis of samples by GC-MS demonstrate that high-pressure SFE combined with chitinase pre-treatment is an effective strategy for producing ERG-rich extracts from fungal matrices.

A mathematical model of fractionated condensation is proposed for predicting the recovery and fractionation of target aromas from red wine fermentation headspaces in order to remove off-flavours. The applicability of the model is assessed for two different alternative processes: fractionated condensation and vapour permeation–fractionated condensation. The aromas of the headspace of red wine fermentation are commonly lost through the fermenter venting system and are enhanced by the stripping effect of the produced CO₂. To mimic the operating conditions during the red wine fermentation, all experiments were performed at 30 °C with a red wine model solution containing relevant red wine aromas, the cosolvent ethanol at representative concentrations, and CO₂. Both studied processes allow for a good recovery of esters in the 2nd condenser, with over 80% of ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate recovery when using vapour permeation–fractionated condensation and a recovery of 84–96% of all esters when using fractionated condensation. However, only the integrated process of vapour permeation–fractionated condensation achieves a significant decrease in the amount of ethyl phenols (off-flavours compounds) in the 1st condenser, above 50%, as expected due to the use of an organophilic membrane. The developed model was validated experimentally for the integrated process, proving to be a highly valuable tool for the prediction of aroma fractionation, aiming at the removal of off-flavours.