Fermentation, a traditional method for enhancing nutritional value and functionality, has significant potential for improving the quality, safety and acceptability of farmed insect products. In this study, yellow mealworm, house cricket and migratory locust were fermented using Lactobacillus plantarum and a commercial starter culture for 48 h. Samples were analyzed for proximate composition, amino and fatty acid profiles, elemental composition and oxidation stability. Fermentation reduced total dietary fiber in yellow mealworm (33%) and house cricket (12%), and increased non-protein nitrogen (38% and 16%), while total and protein nitrogen remained unaffected. Fatty acid profiles also remained unchanged, whereas the amino acid composition varied depending on the species and fermentation culture. Essential mineral concentrations varied depending on species and fermentation culture Fe (19–23%), K (25%), Mg (12–23%), Mn (36–378%), Na (20–49%) and P (22%) increased, levels of Se (15%), and Cu (16%) decreased, while Zn levels showed inconsistent trends among treatments. Oxidation stability of yellow mealworm (41–42%) and migratory locust (21–29%) decreased, but improved for house cricket (153–167%). Overall, fermentation enhanced the nutritional value of edible insects, although the extent of improvement varied by species and fermentation culture.

In this study, seven insect species, Schistocerca gregaria (desert locust), Locusta migratoria (migratory locust), Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm), Acheta domesticus (house cricket), Gryllus assimilis (Jamaican field cricket), Alphitobius diaperinus (lesser mealworm) and Blaberus discoidalis (discoid cockroach), differing in sex and developmental stage, were analysed for fatty acid, amino acid, elemental and polyphenolic composition. Results confirm that the studied insects are a good source of fatty (polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids ratio: <1.3±0.0) and amino acids (total essential amino acids <25.6±1.0 g/100 g dry weight) and elements. Although as many as 59 individual polyphenols were detected at low levels, each species contained 8–34 polyphenols. The total polyphenols content ranged from 7.6–511 mg/kg dry weight, with female desert locust (511 mg/kg dry weight, 19), adult migratory locust (288 mg/kg dry weight, 34) and discoid cockroach, both male (449 mg/kg dry weight, 21) and female (357 mg/kg dry weight, 20) having the largest amount and number of polyphenols. Results showed that species, developmental stage and sex significantly influence the biochemical parameters of the insects. The research findings will contribute to optimising insect rearing, improving the quality of insect biomass as a nutritional source and furthering their integration as food and feed.

Pears are abundant in bioactive compounds, which exert favorable effects on human health. The biophysical attributes of fruit cuticles are pivotal in determining fruit quality, storability, and susceptibility to mold growth. This study aimed to elucidate the biophysical properties of six pear cultivars, ‘Conference’, ‘Celina’, ‘Abate Fetel’, ‘Packham’s Triumph’, ‘Sweet Sensation’, and ‘Williams’. Two maturity stages, unripe and fully ripened, were investigated. Furthermore, the efficacy of trimethyl-chitosan-coated pear surfaces in preventing Penicillium expansum (P. expansum) growth was assessed. Basic maturity indices (CIE color, ethylene evolution, firmness, soluble solids), cuticle contact angle, roughness, and zeta potential were analyzed. Surface roughness was measured using an optical profilometer, hydrophobicity was measured via profilometry, and zeta potential was quantified using an electrokinetic analyzer. The ‘Celina’ cultivar exhibited the highest roughness, whereas ‘Williams’ had the lowest roughness. All the cultivars’ cuticles demonstrated hydrophilic characteristics, with contact angles ranging between 65° and 90°. For pH values exceeding 3.5, all pear surfaces exhibited a negative zeta potential. P. expansum growth was the slowest on the ‘Packham’s Triumph’ and ‘Conference’ cultivars. Treatment with trimethyl chitosan effectively inhibited P. expansum growth in the initial hours of incubation. In conclusion, diverse pear cultivars manifest distinct biophysical surface properties and varying susceptibility to P. expansum growth. The growth of P. expansum correlates positively with roughness, contact angle, and zeta potential. These differences can significantly impact shelf life potential and the overall postharvest quality of pears.

This study evaluated the authenticity of olive oil in canned tuna products from the Slovenian market using both official methods, including fatty acid (FA) profiling, determination of the equivalent carbon number difference (ΔECN42), and sterol analysis, and an advanced method: stable carbon isotope analysis (δ¹³C) of FAs obtained through compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA). Results from both methods confirmed that all 10 samples were authentic, as per the limits set by EU Regulation 2022/2104 and supported by the scientific literature. Method performance was further evaluated by adulterating the olive oil from the canned tuna with 5–20% vegetable oil (VO) or hazelnut oil (HO). While FA analysis struggled to differentiate adulterants with similar FA profiles, CSIA of FAs significantly improved detection. However, distinguishing between VO and HO blended samples remained challenging. PLS-DA analysis further supported the potential of using δ¹³C values of FA for food authentication. Storage of adulterated samples also influenced FA composition, leading to significant changes in MUFA/PUFA ratios and δ¹³C values, which became less negative, likely due to oxidative degradation. In summary, the combination of official and advanced methods, supported by chemometric analysis, offers a robust approach to ensuring the authenticity of olive oil in canned tuna.

Slovenia preserves one autochthonous pig breed, the Krškopolje pig, whose meat has been reported to exhibit a favourable fatty acid profile compared with that of modern breeds. However, meat quality is not solely determined by genetics; the production system also influences it, as organic and conventional farming differ in feed composition, housing and outdoor access. This study aimed to compare the effects of pig breed (Krškopolje vs. modern) and production system (organic vs. conventional) on the fatty acid composition and volatile organic compound (VOC) profile of pork. Fatty acid composition was determined by GC-FID after methylation, and the VOCs profile was obtained using headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled with GC-MS. Results showed that Krškopolje meat had higher SFA and MUFA, while modern pig meat had higher PUFAs, particularly n-6, reflecting genetic and dietary influences. Modern breeds also showed greater fatty acid response to the rearing system than the Krškopolje breed. Several VOCs were unique to modern breed pigs, indicating breed-specific differences in lipid composition, amino acid metabolism, and microbial activity. Aldehydes were the dominant VOC class in both breeds, slightly higher in Krškopolje meat. OPLS-DA model revealed breed-related differences in VOCs, pinpointing compounds likely responsible for breed-specific aroma and flavour.

Honey is a high-value food product that is vulnerable to adulteration with exogenous sugars, posing challenges for food authenticity and consumer protection. This study applied Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis (SIRA) to assess the authenticity of honey collected from three major honey-producing regions of Ghana (Volta, Bono and Bono East). A total of 28 honey samples were analysed by elemental analysis–isotope ratio mass spectrometry (EA-IRMS) to obtain carbon (δ¹³C), nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) and sulphur (δ³⁴S) isotope composition. Honey authenticity was evaluated according to AOAC Official Method 998.12 by comparing δ¹³C values of bulk honey and the corresponding protein fraction. The δ¹⁵N and δ³⁴S values in honey protein were used to investigate environmental and regional variability. Samples without detectable C4 adulteration exhibited δ¹³C_protein values consistent with C3 floral sources, whereas several samples showed Δδ¹³C values more negative than −1.0‰, indicating the presence of C4-derived sugars above the AOAC adulteration threshold. Calculated C4 sugar contents ranged from 8 to 12% in moderately adulterated samples to as high as 78–79% in severely adulterated samples, confirming substantial dilution with C4 sugars. Nitrogen and sulphur isotope ratios provide additional information on environmental and regional variability among the sampled regions. Principal Component Analysis revealed that the first two principal components (PC1 and PC2) accounted for 83.8% of the total variance 83.8% of the total variance and showed separation between samples with detectable C4 adulteration and those without, while highlighting regional isotopic differences. These results demonstrate that stable isotope analysis is an effective tool for detecting C4 sugar adulteration in honey and that the combined use of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotopes can provide additional information on environmental and regional variability. These findings provide preliminary isotopic data on honey collected from three major honey-producing regions of Ghana and support the application of the stable isotope approach for honey authenticity assessment and quality control.