Carbohydrates are important compounds in natural products where they primarily serve as a source of energy, but they have important secondary roles as precursors of aroma or bioactive compounds. They are present in fresh and dried (cured) tobacco leaves as well. The sugar content of tobacco depends on the tobacco variety, harvesting, and primarily on the curing conditions (temperature, time and moisture). If the process of curing employs high temperatures (flue-curing and sun-curing), final sugar content is high. In contrast, when air curing has a lower temperature, at the end of the process, sugar level is low. Beside simple sugars, other carbohydrates reported in tobacco are oligosaccharides, cellulose, starch, and pectin. Degradation of polysaccharides results in a higher yield of simple sugars, but at the same time reduces sugars oxidization and transfer into carbon dioxide and water. Loss of sugar producers will compensate with added sugars, to cover undesirable aroma properties and achieve a better, pleasant taste during smoking. However, tobacco carbohydrates can be precursors for many harmful compounds, including formaldehyde and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Keeping in mind that added sugars in tobacco production are unavoidable, it is important to understand all changes in carbohydrates from harvesting to consuming in order to achieve better product properties and avoid the formation of harmful compounds. This review summarizes current knowledge about tobacco carbohydrates, including changes during processing with special focus on carbohydrates as precursors of harmful compounds during smoking.

Marine macroalgae represent a rich source of bioactive compounds that can be implemented in various food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical products for health improvement. It has been proven that these bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, polysaccharides, carotenoids, and ω-3 fatty acids possess bioactivity. For the extraction of these compounds, modern methods (Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE), Subcritical Water Extraction (SWE), Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE), and Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE)) have been used due to their advantages over the conventional methods. The process parameters of each method must be optimized for obtaining the extracts with the targeted bioactive compounds. In distinction from the existing reviews, the present review provides novelty with respect to: (a) presenting systematically the selected process parameters of SFE (temperature, time, pressure, use of co-solvents), SWE (temperature, time, pressure, solid-solvent ratio), UAE (temperature, time, frequency, power, solid-solvent ratio), and MAE (temperature, time, frequency, power, solvent type) applied for the extractions of marine macroalgae; (b) reporting the major groups or individual compounds extracted with their biological activities (if determined); and, (c) updating available references.

The study of coumarin dates back to 1820 when coumarin was first extracted from tonka bean by Vogel. Compounds containing coumarin backbone are a very important group of compounds due to their usage in pharmacy and medicine. Properties and biological activities of coumarin derivatives have a significant role in the development of new drugs. Therefore, many different methods and techniques are developed in order to synthesize coumarin derivatives. Coumarin derivatives could be obtained from different starting materials with various methods but with big differences in yield. This review summarized various methods, techniques and reaction conditions for synthesis of coumarins from different compounds such as aldehydes, phenols, ketones and carboxylic acids.

Starch has been an inexhaustible subject of research for many decades. It is an inexpensive, readily-available material with extensive application in the food and processing industry. Researchers are continually trying to improve its properties by different modification procedures and expand its application. What is mostly applied in this view are their chemical modifications, among which organic acids have recently drawn the greatest attention, particularly with respect to the application of starch in the food industry. Namely, organic acids naturally occur in many edible plants and many of them are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), which make them ideal modification agents for starch intended for the food industry. The aim of this review is to give a short literature overview of the progress made in the research of starch esterification, etherification, cross-linking, and dual modification with organic acids and their derivatives.

Salvia officinalis L., also known as the “Salvation Plant”, has been long used and well-documented in traditional medicine around the globe. Its bioactive compounds, and especially its polyphenol profile, have been extensively researched and reviewed. However, sage’s beneficial effects reach much further, and nowadays, with a range of new extraction techniques, we are discovering new components with new therapeutic effects, especially in the context of neurodegenerative diseases and various carcinomas. This review describes the bioactive profile of various sage preparations depending on the extraction techniques and extraction parameters, and this review lists the newest research findings on its health effects.