The intent of the present work was to evaluate the potential of four macroalgae prevalent in Europe, namely Ulva rigida, Gracilaria sp., Fucus vesiculosus and Saccharina latissima, for application in functional foods, either in the direct form or as extracts. Accordingly, nutritional composition, the content of phytochemical antioxidants, and the inhibitory ability of key enzymes with impacts on obesity and diabetes (α-glucosidase and pancreatic lipase) or on arterial pressure (angiotensin-I converting enzyme), were evaluated. Overall, protein, lipid, ash and fiber contents of the macroalgae ranged from 9–24% dw, 0.5–3.0% dw, 20–32% dw, and 37–45% dw, respectively, making them good candidates for nutritional supplementation of several foods, particularly due to their mineral and fiber contents. In addition, brown macroalgae, in particular F. vesiculosus, stood out for its superior phenolic content, which was reflected by its high antioxidant ability and inhibition towards α-glucosidase activity (0.032 mg/mL of hydroacetonic extract inhibited 50% of the enzyme activity).

Agroforestry by-products have gained rising attention in recent years as they represent inexpensive and abundant raw materials that are a source of added-value chemicals, e.g., for food and pharmaceutical applications, as well as for bioenergy generation. Pinus pinaster Ait. bark extracts are consumed worldwide for their cardiovascular benefits, whilst the health potential of Pinus pinea L. bark has not yet been deeply exploited. Therefore, this study highlights the chemical characterisation of Portuguese P. pinaster Ait. and P. pinea L. bark polar extracts, via ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-diode array detection-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-DAD-MSⁿ) analysis, and their antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Quinic acid, an A-type procyanidin dimer isomer, protocatechuic acid, and quercetin were identified for the first time as P. pinea L. bark components. Moreover, this bark demonstrated a higher total content of identified polar compounds than P. pinaster Ait. bark, with quinic acid being the most abundant compound identified. Regarding antioxidant activity, the pine bark polar extracts exhibited strong reducing power and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis-(3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) radical scavenging effects compared to natural antioxidants. Moreover, the bactericidal actions of pine bark extracts were shown against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli at a 3.13–25 mg mL⁻¹ range. Globally, these promising insights can boost the sustainable exploitation of P. pinea L. bark, as already occurs with P. pinaster Ait. bark, for the food and biomedical fields.

Thymus herba-barona, Thymus pseudolanuginosus, and Thymus caespititius decoctions were screened for their phenolic constituents, along with their potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial activities. The total phenolic compounds in the extracts of the three plants ranged from 236.0 ± 26.6 mgGAE/g (T. caespititus) to 293.0 ± 30.5 mgGAE/g of extract (T. pseudolanuginosus), being particularly rich in caffeic acid derivatives, namely rosmarinic acid and its structural isomers, as well as flavones, such as luteolin-O-glucuronide. The T. pseudolanuginosus extract presented the best DPPH radical scavenging ability (EC₅₀ = 10.9 ± 0.7 µg/mL), a high reducing power (EC₅₀ = 32.2 ± 8.2 µg/mL), and effectively inhibited the oxidation of β-carotene (EC₅₀ = 2.4 ± 0.2 µg/mL). The extracts also showed NO^● scavenging activity close to that of ascorbic acid, and thus might be useful as anti-inflammatory agents. In addition, they exhibited antibacterial activity against gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus strains were the most sensitive bacteria to thyme extracts, with minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration values in the range of 0.6–3.5 mg/mL. Overall, this work is an important contribution for the phytochemical characterization and the potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities of these three Thymus species, which have been poorly explored.

The extraction of proanthocyanidins (PACs), despite being an important and limiting aspect of their industrial application, is still largely unexplored. Herein, the possibility of combining eutectic solvents (ESs) with microwave assisted extraction (MAE) in the extraction of PACs from grape pomace (GP) is explored, aiming to improve not only the extraction yield but also the mean degree of polymerization (mDP). The combination of choline chloride with lactic acid was shown to be the most effective combination for PACs extraction yield (135 mg_PAC/g_GP) and, despite the occurrence of some depolymerization, also enabled us to achieve the highest mDP (7.13). Additionally, the combination with MAE enabled the process to be completed in 3.56 min, resulting in a considerably reduced extraction time.