MATEC Web of Conferences, open access proceedings in Materials science, Engineering and Chemistry

The revalorization of food processing by-products represents a critical strategy for enhancing resource efficiency and advancing circularity within the food system. This review examines the potential of three major plant-based agro-industrial by-products—fruit and vegetable residues, brewer’s spent grain, and spent coffee grounds—as sources of high-value functional ingredients. These by-products contain bioactive compounds, including dietary fibers, polyphenols, proteins, peptides, oils, and antioxidants, that can be recovered using emerging green extraction and bioprocessing technologies. Conventional extraction methods are progressively being replaced or hybridized with enzyme-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, and deep eutectic solvent techniques to improve yield, reduce solvent consumption, and preserve bioactivity. The recovered compounds have demonstrated promising applications as gelling agents (pectin), natural colorants and antioxidants, protein-enriched flours, prebiotic fibers, and bioactive extracts for functional food and nutraceutical formulations. However, challenges persist in standardizing feedstock composition, scaling continuous extraction processes, ensuring safety and regulatory compliance, and generating robust techno-economic and life-cycle assessments to validate sustainability claims. This review synthesizes biochemical composition data, processing pathways, food applications, and regulatory considerations, and identifies research priorities for developing integrated, scalable biorefinery models that valorize food by-products into market-ready functional ingredients.

All over the world, the educational landscape has changed dramatically over the last year, impacting the way we teach and learn. It is time for reflecting and searching for new ways to support each other, during these pandemic times and beyond; time to co-construct creative partnerships and to innovate new ways to co-create. Change is an inevitable part of teaching and learning but the adaptations currently required are of unprecedented scale. How can we teach and learn with joy in today’s academia? How can we support each other, as teachers, in more creative ways? These two reflective questions were at the base of the study, which was conducted by university teachers from three countries: “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Romania; London Metropolitan University, United Kingdom; and University of Calgary, Canada. The methods used included interviews, focus groups and free writing with colleagues in each university. Findings revealed the challenges faced by each participant due to the emotional pressure caused in these supercomplex times, and the struggle to bring joy of teaching and learning in creative ways. This small ethnographic project reveals a need to shift our thinking about emotions and how we may facilitate the greatest success of all our students, by continually inventing new solutions and teaching with enthusiasm.

This article explores the implementation of a tandem course that integrates gamification and interactive teaching methods and investigates how this model affects teacher motivation and participant engagement, particularly in higher education contexts. This study also highlights the potential of tandem teaching beyond its traditional use in language learning and provides qualitative and quantitative insights into the experiences of both course participants and educators, showing how collaborative, gamified teaching strategies can inspire more effective, student-centered pedagogy. It examines how the course was developed, the outcomes in terms of teachers’ engagement and the enhancement in learning experiences, and proposes a new perspective on how education can be restructured. The study emphasizes that traditional, lecture-based teaching is no longer sufficient in engaging modern learners and teachers too. By adopting more digital, student-centered approaches, we suggest that subjects can be reimagined as more interactive and teacher–student-friendly. The main question stated in the article sounds like the following: “How does gamification and interactive teaching methodologies, like tandem course, affect teacher and participant engagement and motivation?”. To address this question, a study was conducted based on the tandem course titled “Gamification in the learning process and interactive teaching methodologies” prepared within the FORTHEM Alliance by three united universities. It was delivered online during four meetings in May 2024.

Background: Student well-being is an increasing global priority, with rising psychological distress among university populations. However, physical and psychological dimensions are frequently examined in isolation, limiting a comprehensive understanding of their combined influence on academic functioning. Objectives: This study investigates the associations between physical activity, psychological well-being, and academic performance, hypothesizing that higher physical activity levels predict enhanced psychological functioning and academic motivation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among university students from multiple disciplines. Psychological constructs were assessed using validated instruments (WHO-5, WHOQOL-BREF, Academic Motivation Scale, CD-RISC-10, PSQI). Physical activity was measured via IPAQ-SF and complemented by objective fitness indicators (handgrip strength, sit-and-reach). Data analysis included Pearson correlations, group comparisons (active vs. sedentary), and regression models. Results: Higher physical activity levels were significantly associated with greater psychological well-being, resilience, and academic motivation (p 0.05), as well as improved sleep quality and overall quality of life. Conclusions: Findings support a biopsychosocial framework of student development and highlight the need for integrated institutional strategies targeting both physical and mental health to enhance academic outcomes.