Oilseed cakes, by-products of oil extraction, represent an underutilized resource with significant potential for sustainable food and pharmaceutical applications. This comprehensive review examines the valorization strategies for oilseed cakes, focusing on their rich protein (up to 56%) and fiber (up to 66%) content. We analyze both conventional and innovative extraction methods, highlighting the advantages of ultrasound-assisted (96.64% phenolic compound yield), enzymatic (82–83% protein recovery), and subcritical water extraction techniques in improving efficiency while reducing environmental impact. This review demonstrates diverse applications of oilseed cake components from gluten-free bakery products and plant-based meat alternatives to advanced nanoencapsulation systems for bioactive compounds. Each major oilseed type (soybean, rapeseed, sunflower and flaxseed) exhibits unique nutritional and functional properties that can be optimized through appropriate processing. Despite technological advances, challenges remain in scaling extraction methods and balancing yield with functionality. This paper identifies key research directions, including the development of integrated biorefinery approaches and the further exploration of health-promoting peptides and fibers. By addressing these challenges, oilseed cakes can play a crucial role in sustainable food systems and the circular economy, transforming agricultural by-products into high-value ingredients while reducing waste.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is a cross-pollinated species that relies on pollinators, attracted by itsnectar composition. Nectar consists primarily of sugars (up to 70%), with sucrose, glucose, and fructose being dominant, while minor components such as mannose, arabinose, xylose, and sugar alcohols (e.g., mannitol and inositol) occur in lower concentrations and vary with biotic and abiotic factors. This study developed a robust high-performance liquid chromatography method with refractive index detection (HPLC-RID) for the simultaneous quantification of eight sugars (D-ribose, xylose, arabinose, fructose, mannose, glucose, sucrose, and maltose) and two sugar alcohols (mannitol, meso-inositol) in wild sunflower nectar. A Box–Behnken design (BBD), coupled with response surface methodology (RSM), was used to systematically optimize column temperature (20–23 °C), acetonitrile concentration (80–85%), and flow rate (0.7–1 mL/min), while achieving baseline separation of critical sugar pairs, including the previously co-eluting glucose/mannitol and glucose/mannose. Satisfactory resolution (Rs > 1 for all analytes) was achieved under optimized separation conditions comprising a column temperature of 20 °C, 82.5% acetonitrile, and a flow rate of 0.766 mL/min. The RSM efficiently evaluated factor interactions to maximize chromatographic performance, resulting in an optimized protocol that provides a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional sugar analysis methods. Method validation confirmed satisfactory linearity across relevant concentration ranges (50–500 mg/L for most sugars; 50–5500 mg/L for fructose and glucose), with correlation coefficients (R) between 0.985 and 0.999. The limits of detection (LOD) and quantification (LOQ) for the analyzed sugars and sugar alcohols ranged from 4.04 to 19.46 mg/L and from 13.46 to 194.61 mg/L, respectively. Glucose exhibited the highest sensitivity showing LOD of 4.04 and LOQ of 13.46 mg/L, whereas mannose was identified as the least sensitive analyte, with LOD of 19.46 mg/L and LOQ of 194.61 mg/L. The described method represents a reliable tool for sugar and sugar alcohol analysis in sunflower nectar and can be extended to other plant and food matrices with suitable sample preparation.

Oilseeds such as camelina and rapeseed are cultivated primarily for their high-quality oil. The oil de-rived from both crops is characterized by a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, phenols, and vitamin E. The camelina and rapeseed oils are applied in various branches of industry including food, pharmaceutical, chemical, and for obtaining biofuels. These oilseeds synthesize a significant amount of protein. These oilseeds play a major role in addressing the growing issue of protein deficit in the diets of people worldwide because of their high protein content. Efforts in breeding are essential to develop genotypes with high yield and protein content, while also maintaining high oil content and ensuring adaptability to climatic changes. During 2022/2023, various genotypes of rapeseed and camelina were grown in the experimental fields of the Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops Novi Sad in order to select varieties with ideal attributes. Among these, genotype NS Svetlana exhibited the highest oil content of 44.85 %, whereas genotype NS Dunav demonstrated the highest protein content of 24%. While camelina generally presented lower oil content compared to rapeseed, Genotype III stood out with a maximum oil content of 37.82%. Camelina also displayed significantly higher protein content than rapeseed. Protein content in camelina reached 26.59% in the case of Genotype I.

Fresh cheese is a widely accepted food, but its specific physical and chemical characteristics contribute to its perishability. As food technology is constantly challenged to produce functional products with improved nutritional properties and a longer shelf life, this paper examines the advantage of using kombucha as an alternative starter culture in the production of fresh cheese. The study included the analysis of milk as the starting raw material, fresh cheese produced using a commercial starter culture, as well as cheese where the commercial starter culture was replaced with kombucha. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry showed the presence of 24 fatty acids, with a notable dominance of saturated fatty acids, followed by monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, with an average content of 60.45, 34.75, and 4.05%, respectively. Also, the abundance of the oleic acid, the presence of the trans fatty acids with health beneficial properties, as well as essential fatty acids should be emphasized within samples. Cheese samples contained higher ash content than milk, ranging from 1.05 to 1.51 g/100 g. As for micro- and macroelements, kombucha cheese contained higher levels of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, copper, and manganese, along with lower sodium in comparison to cheese made with commercial starter culture. These findings indicate that replacing the conventional starter culture with kombucha enhances the nutritional profile of fresh cheese, thus highlighting its potential in the production of functional dairy products.

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is one of the world's major oilseed crops, and the growing demand for plant-based protein sources has renewed interest in its seed proteins for both food and feed applications. This study evaluated the variability of protein content in 100 oil-type sunflower genotypes to identify promising candidates for breeding programs focused on enhanced nutritional quality. Protein content exhibited considerable variation, ranging from 15.08 to 27.37%, mean 20.25%; CV = 11.27%), indicating substantial genetic diversity. K-means cluster analysis grouped the genotypes into four distinct clusters, representing low-, moderate-, elevatedand high-protein groups. Cluster 4 included 19 genotypes with the highest mean protein content (23.75%), with genotype 100 (Oliva) showing the maximum value (27.37%), highlighting its potential as a superior donor in breeding for high-protein oil-type cultivars. These findings demonstrate strong genetic potential for improving protein content in sunflower and provide valuable insights for breeding programs aimed at developing nutritionally enhanced, high-protein hybrids with improved applicability in food and feed production.