The incorporation of bioactive compounds into food products represents a promising approach to enhance their functional and health-promoting properties. However, many bioactive compounds, such as polyphenols, essential oils, carotenoids, and omega-3 fatty acids, are highly sensitive to environmental factors, including temperature, oxygen, and light, which limits their direct application in the food industry. Microencapsulation has emerged as an innovative strategy to overcome these challenges by protecting bioactive compounds, improving their stability, controlling their release, and masking undesirable flavors or odors. This article reviews recent advances in microencapsulation techniques, including spray-drying, freeze-drying, coacervation, and innovative methods such as nanoencapsulation and electrospinning. Particular attention is given to the influence of encapsulated bioactive compounds on the physicochemical characteristics, texture, color, and sensory attributes of various food matrices. Furthermore, the paper highlights industrial perspectives, emphasizing the scalability of these techniques, regulatory considerations, and their role in the development of clean-label, functional, and sustainable food products. The findings underline the potential of microencapsulation as a key technology for the next generation of functional foods, bridging consumer expectations with industrial feasibility.

Mechanical processes such as mixing, extrusion, and drying are key operations in food engineering, with a significant impact on product quality and process efficiency. The increasing complexity of food materials—due to non-Newtonian properties, multiphase structures, and thermal–mechanical interactions—requires advanced modeling approaches for process analysis and optimization. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) has become a vital tool in this context. This review presents recent progress in the use of CFD for simulating key mechanical operations in food processing. Applications include the analysis of fluid flow, heat and mass transfer, and mechanical stresses, supporting improvements in mixing uniformity, energy efficiency during drying, and optimization of extrusion components (e.g., shaping dies). The potential for integrating CFD with complementary models for system-wide optimization is also discussed, including challenges related to scale-up and product consistency. Current limitations are outlined, and future research directions are proposed.

This study investigates the use of shredded Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine) cones as a partial replacement for industrial wood chips in the surface layers of three-layer particleboards. Boards were produced at a density of 700 kg/m³ and thickness of 16 mm using urea-formaldehyde resin, with cone particles replacing 10–60% of wood chips in the outer layers. Mechanical tests showed that all boards met EN 312 flexural strength requirements, with up to 15% improvement in surface screw pull-out resistance at the highest cone content. SEM analysis revealed that pine cone particles have a complex, entangled fibrous structure, unlike conventional chips, enhancing mechanical interlocking with the resin. This improved interfacial bonding contributes to better stress transfer and reduced porosity in the outer layers. Additionally, boards gained unique aesthetic features from the natural coloration of cones. The results support the use of underutilized biomass for sustainable, structurally sound, and visually appealing wood-based panels.

Composite materials are a constantly evolving group of engineering materials, which has significantly changed their current, and potential role as structural materials over the past decades. Composites offer greater strength, stiffness, and less deformation to structural designers than previously available engineering materials. Resin matrix composites are widely used in the transportation, marine, aerospace, energy, and even sports industries. The manufacturing stage has a profound influence on the quality of the final product. This paper presents the production of composite materials by gravity casting in silicone moulds, using an epoxy/polyester resin matrix reinforced with wood chips and shredded glass fiber reinforced composite from recycled wind turbine blades. Some of the fabricated samples were degassed in a reduced-pressure chamber. The mechanical properties of the produced material were then examined. It was noted that the silicone moulds did not affect the resin self-degassing due to the large surface area to weight ratio, and the remaining small air bubbles had a limited effect on the mechanical properties of the samples. The filler used also played a significant role. Composites filled with crushed GFRC showed better strength properties than composites filled with wood chips. The conducted research is aimed at selecting materials for further testing with a view to their use in the manufacture of next-generation wood-based composite structural materials.

Edible insects have emerged as a sustainable source of high-quality proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates (including chitin), as well as micronutrients such as minerals and vitamins, and diverse bioactive compounds, thereby making them promising ingredients for functional food applications. Their favourable nutritional profile and low environmental footprint make them attractive ingredients for next-generation food systems. However, processing and preservation remain critical challenges, particularly with respect to the stability of bioactive compounds, lipid oxidation, and protein functional properties such as solubility, emulsifying capacity, and water-holding capacity. This review critically examines recent advances in food processing technologies applied to edible insects, including drying, extraction, fermentation, and microencapsulation, with emphasis on their effects on bioactive compound retention and functional performance. The role of processing strategies in enhancing oxidative stability, protein solubility, emulsifying properties, and overall technological applicability is discussed, alongside safety, regulatory, and consumer acceptance considerations. Overall, this review highlights key technological pathways for the effective valorisation of insect-derived ingredients and outlines future directions for their integration into sustainable and functional food products. In contrast to previous reviews, this work provides a comparative and mechanism-oriented analysis of processing methods, highlighting inconsistencies across studies and identifying key technological trade-offs. Particular attention is given to the relationship between processing parameters and the stability of bioactive compounds.