Sea buckthorn pomace is a by-product of juice production, which is still rich in bioactive compounds. After drying, the pomace can be effectively used as a valuable addition to bakery products supporting their nutritional value. However, due to the high content of the amino acid asparagine in sea buckthorn, this promising material contributes to the undesirable formation of acrylamide. To reduce the risk from this potentially carcinogenic compound, enzymatic treatment of sea buckthorn with asparaginase was applied, which resulted in a substantial reduction of asparagine content from 1834 mg/kg in untreated dried sea buckthorn pomace to 89 mg/kg in enzymatically treated dried sea buckthorn pomace. 10% substitution of wholegrain cereal flour with enzymatically treated sea buckthorn pomace powder in rye and triticale biscuits resulted in a 35% reduction in acrylamide content, in the case of wholegrain wheat biscuits up to a 64% reduction, compared to biscuits with untreated sea buckthorn pomace powder. This study confirmed that treating fruit with asparaginase is an effective way to reduce health risk caused by acrylamide in biscuits enriched with nutritionally valuable fruit pomace.

This study evaluated commercially available plant-based dairy alternatives: soy, almond, cashew, oat, and coconut, supplied from supermarkets in Bratislava, Slovakia. Physicochemical, textural, nutritional, antioxidant, and colour properties were analysed to characterise the samples. Almond dairy alternative exhibited the highest pH and water-holding capacity (WHC), while oat dairy alternative showed the lowest pH but comparable WHC. Soy dairy alternative had the highest titratable acidity (TA) and lactic acid content, suggesting intense fermentation. Textural analysis revealed superior firmness and consistency in almond and oat dairy alternatives, whereas cashew dairy alternative had the weakest structure. Fatty acid profiling highlighted the nutritional benefits of each base, such as medium-chain fatty acids in coconut and polyunsaturated fatty acids in soy. Cashew and soy dairy alternatives exhibited the highest total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC), which correlated with enhanced antioxidant activity. Colour analysis showed distinct L*, a*, and b* values across samples, with coconut dairy alternative being the lightest. Multivariate analyses successfully discriminated dairy alternatives based on plant origin, with TA, TFC, fatty acids, and antioxidant parameters being key discriminators. The above findings underscore the potential of plant-based dairy alternatives as functional foods, supporting improved product formulation and targeted consumer marketing.

The quality evaluation and physicochemical parameters assessment of Slovak and Austrian monofloral honeys were performed. In total 65 local monofloral honeys denoted by beekeepers as acacia (n = 20), rapeseed (n = 10), linden (n = 10), honeydew (n = 6), forest (n = 12) and chestnut (n = 7) were collected. The parameters such as moisture content, water activity, electrical conductivity, pH, free acidity, and 5‑hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content were assessed for physicochemical characterization and comparison of all monofloral honeys. Electrical conductivity showed to be the most significant indicator for honeydew origin, that together with pH and a_w led to 81.54 % correct classification of samples according to honey type using multivariate statistical analysis. In context to undesirable fermentation and spoilage, a_w value below 0.600 showed to be an important control parameter that could be recommended to control especially for creamed rapeseed honeys.

Oleaginous fungi are promising platforms for sustainable production of lipids and very-long-chain fatty acids, including nervonic acid (NA; 24:1 n-9), whose natural availability is limited despite its importance. Following the identification of a promising strain in a screening study, Mortierella capitata CBS 110633 was selected for stepwise evaluation of cultivation conditions in shake-flask cultures. The effects of glucose concentration and nitrogen source composition on biomass formation, lipid accumulation, and NA enrichment were evaluated. Increasing glucose concentration primarily enhanced lipid accumulation, from approximately 4.8 to 8.7 g L⁻¹, whereas nitrogen source composition was associated with differences in fatty acid distribution and NA enrichment. Under conditions favoring NA enrichment, with 60 g L⁻¹ glucose, 4 g L⁻¹ yeast extract, urea supplementation, and 14 days of cultivation, NA enrichment reached 9.5% of total fatty acids. In contrast, the highest lipid production (8.7 g L⁻¹) and estimated NA yield (504.7 mg L⁻¹) were obtained using 60 g L⁻¹ glucose supplemented with yeast extract and peptone (4 g L⁻¹ each) after 14 days. These findings indicate that NA enrichment and total lipid accumulation respond differently to cultivation conditions and highlight M. capitata CBS 110633 as a promising microbial platform for further investigation and development of NA production.

Imbalance in fatty acid (FA) metabolism is a critical factor in the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study examined fatty acid composition and desaturase activities in the liver and spinal cord of male Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats, a genetic model of T2D. Heterozygous lean ZDF fa/+ animals served as controls, while homozygous obese ZDF fa/fa animals represented the diabetic group. FA profiles were determined by gas chromatography, and the activities of Δ5-desaturase (FADS1), Δ6-desaturase (FADS2), Δ9-desaturase (SCD1), and elongase of very long-chain fatty acids (ELOVL) were estimated. T2D rats displayed significantly elevated levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and increased SCD1 activity in both the liver and spinal cord. In contrast, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly arachidonic acid (AA, C20:4 n-6), were reduced. Since AA plays a fundamental role in neuronal membrane structure and signaling pathways, these alterations have particular relevance to nervous system function. Tissue-specific alterations further suggested impaired FADS1 activity in the liver and reduced elongase/FADS2 activity in the spinal cord. These findings suggest that desaturase imbalance and FA remodeling in the spinal cord might represent characteristic features of T2D and that altered FA metabolism within the nervous system may potentially serve as an early indicator of neuropathy or a predictor of increased susceptibility to diabetes-related complications.

Background/Objectives: Altered lipid metabolism is a key feature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), yet its impact on early spinal cord involvement remains poorly understood. Distinguishing between pathological lipid accumulation and adaptive metabolic responses is essential for interpreting initial stages of neural alteration in T2DM. This study aimed to characterize spinal cord lipid composition and ATPase activities in a rat model of T2DM. Methods: Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats were used as a model of T2DM and divided into diabetic and obese groups, with lean Zucker rats as controls. ATPase activities in spinal cord tissue were measured spectrophotometrically, and lipid profiling was performed using gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection. Indices of stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD1) and delta-5 desaturase activity (D5D) were calculated from specific fatty acid ratios as estimates of enzyme-related activity. Results: Diabetic rats exhibited significantly higher levels of free monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) compared with controls, while the obese group showed a moderate increase. Elevated SCD1 indices were indicative of increased estimated MUFA synthesis. Levels of free polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including those crucial for myelin stability, as well as ATPase activities, remained unchanged, suggesting preserved basal membrane-associated enzyme function. Conclusions: This study identifies lipid alterations in the spinal cord preceding overt neurodegenerative changes in T2DM, characterized by increased free MUFA abundance, without evidence of altered ATPase activities. These findings support the interpretation that lipid changes observed at this stage are more consistent with adaptive metabolic remodeling than with overt structural or functional neural impairment.