The by-products of the extraction of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) concentrated juice may represent a functional food ingredient for white chocolate production, as a rich source of bioactive compounds. The effects of six treatments derived from the factorial combination of two types of by-products (with oil or without oil) and three different concentrations (5%, 10%, and 15%), were assessed on rheological, quality, colour, antioxidant, and mineral properties of chocolate. The 15% addition of full powder led to the highest values of max firmness, total shear energy, shear energy, cohesiveness, gummosity, dry matter, and ABTS, compared to the untreated control, but the two highest concentrations of the oil-deprived powder resulted in the protein content increasing. The full powder addition always raised fat levels. Both the ‘L’ and ‘a’ colour component as well as total carotenoids, β-carotene, lycopene, and vitamin C increased with the rise of H. rhamnoides powder addition, compared to the untreated control. The opposite trend was shown by the ‘b’ colour component and pH, whereas polyphenols and antioxidant activity attained higher values with the oil-deprived powder. The content of potassium decreased upon the 15% addition of the Hippophae rhamnoides by-product powder, compared to the untreated control, whereas calcium and magnesium increased. The 15% H. rhamnoides full powder elicited the augmentation of phosphorus content in chocolate, compared to the untreated control, contrary to the effect of the oil-deprived powder on P and Zn. The employment of SBB by-products highlights the great potential for manufacturing innovative functional foods with high nutritional value, such as chocolate.

The addition of sea buckthorn(Hippophae rhamnoides L.) fruits as well as their extracted juice or, even more interestingly, related by-products into chocolate results in manufacturing an innovative functional food rich in bioactive substances. Thirteen treatments derived from the factorial combination of three types of H. rhamnoides materials (total fruit powder; fruit by-product powder; and fruit juice) and four concentrations (10%, 15%, 20% and 25%), plus an untreated control, were compared in terms of texture, quality, colour, antioxidant, mineral and sensorial properties of white chocolate. The untreated control showed the highest values of most of the texture parameters, as well as of pH, dry matter, soluble solids and colour component ‘L’. The colour component ‘b’ was best influenced by the 10% by-product addition to chocolate, whereas mineral substances, ash and colour component ‘a’ augmented with the increasing concentration of added H. rhamnoides materials. Compared to the untreated control, protein and fat contents in chocolate decreased with the rising added concentration of sea buckthorn fruit juice but showed the opposite trend under the integration of the whole fruit and its by-products. The antioxidant compounds and activity increased from the untreated chocolate to the highest concentration of added sea buckthorn materials. The juice addition to the chocolate best affected vitamin C, total carotenoids, β-carotene and lycopene, whereas the whole fruit integration led to the top levels of flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidant activity. Potassium and zinc contents decreased from the untreated control to the highest H. rhamnoides material addition, whereas opposite trends were shown by calcium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus. The integration of H. rhamnoides fruit materials into chocolate presents a valuable strategy to produce innovative health beneficial functional food.

The addition of sea-buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) fruits as well as their extracted juice or related by-products into chocolate results in manufacturing an innovative func-tional food rich in bioactive substances. The effects of twelve treatments derived from the factorial combination of three types of H. rhamnoides materials (total fruit powder; fruit by-product powder; fruit juice), plus an untreated control, and four concentrations (10 %, 15 %, 20 %, and 25 %), were assessed on rheological, quality, colour, antioxidant, mineral and sensorial properties of white chocolate. The untreated control showed the highest values of rheological parameters, except for adhesiveness and cohesion, as well as of pH, dry matter, soluble solids and colour component ‘L’. The colour component ‘b’ was best influenced by the 10% by-product addition to chocolate, whereas mineral substances, ash and colour component ‘a’ augmented with increasing concentration of added H. rhamnoides materials. Compared to the untreated control, protein and fat contents in chocolate showed decreasing values with rising the added concentration of sea buckthorn fruit juice, and opposite trend under the integration of the whole fruit and its by-products. The anti-oxidant compounds and activity attained the lowest values in the untreated chocolate and increasing levels with rising concentration of added sea buckthorn materials. The juice addition to chocolate led to the highest contents of vitamin C, total carotenoids, β-carotene and lycopene, whereas the whole fruit integration fostered the top levels of flavonoids, polyphenols and antioxidant activity. Potassium and zinc contents were the highest in the untreated control and decreased with rising the H. rhamnoides material addition, whereas opposite trends were shown by calcium, magnesium, sodium and phosphorus, which in-creased with rising the sea buckthorn material addition. The integration of H. rhamnoides fruit materials into chocolate represents a valuable strategy to produce innovative health beneficial functional food.

Innovative aliments obtained upon integration of plant-based ingredients for producing nutraceutical-enriched functional food under the perspective of sustainable management have been drawing increasing importance within the scientific community. Research was conducted to evaluate the effects of the addition of broccoli plant part powder (stalks and inflorescences) at different concentrations (3%, 5% and 10%) into dough on textural, porosity, quality, antioxidant and sensory characteristics of ‘White Pan Bread’. The rising addition (from 3 to 10%) of broccoli stalks and inflorescences into ‘White Pan Bread’ led to a gradual decrease in most textural properties and color components of dough, crumb and crust, as well as dry matter and water activity. Contrary, mineral substances, pH, acidity, and the antioxidant compounds and activities showed increasing trend. Among the sensory features, the scores of general bread aspect as well as crumb texture, structure, aeration, sweetness and aroma aspects decreased with the increasing broccoli powder integration. The latter augmentation fostered crust and crumb flexibility, freshness, sulfur, cruciferous and plant notes. Overall, manufacturing broccoli-enriched bread allows to create a novel functional aliment with less crumb softness and color intensity, importantly characterized by enhanced mineral and bioactive properties within the sustainability framework.