Consumers are more interested in replacing commonly used chemical preservatives with natural substances. The effect of 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg of thyme and lemongrass essential oils (THY and LMG, respectively) per 100 g of wheat flour was studied from the viewpoints of dough rheology, dough leavening progress, and the results of laboratory baking trial. Changes in dough viscoelastic properties were evaluated by the Mixolab rheometer and the company software. The higher the thyme oil portion, the higher the dough structure destruction by kneading and heat input in torque point C2, and consecutively shorter stability of dough consistency (up to one-half of the values recorded for the control); reversely, the LMG did not affect both features verifiably. In the 90 min leavening test, a dough weight loss was decelerated by both essential oils similarly. During the baking test, the average volume of wheat small breads as control was evaluated on level 167 mL (bread yield 451 mL/100 g flour). Independently of the dose of the THY or LMG, small bread volumes oscillated between 148–168 and 135–161 mL (average bread yields 442 and 443 mL/100 g flour, respectively). The shelf life of the products with a higher portion of essential oil was extended by up to 7 days.

A double-pass solar drier (DPSD) and a laboratory oven (LO) were used for thin-layer drying of eland and beef. Prior to drying, the physicochemical characteristics of the raw meat were determined, such as pH, dry matter content (%), Warner-Bratzler shear force (N), pigment concentration (mg·kg⁻¹), weight loss during cooking (%), water holding capacity (%), colour (L,a,b), and crude fat content (%). Both meats were pretreated with traditional jerky marinade (TM), TM with fresh pineapple juice (TMP), TM with honey (TMH), and TM with Coca Cola© (TMCCL) and compared to an untreated control (C). The sensory properties of the eland and beef jerky were assessed in a two-stage process. The surface colour values of the jerky samples were measured in the CIE L⁎ a⁎ b⁎ colour space and the effect of the different pretreatments on the overall combined colour (ΔE) was calculated. Significant differences (p<0.05) between raw eland and beef samples were found in case of pH, pigment concentration, water holding capacity, crude fat content, and colour (L and b). Jerky from TMP pretreated meat had the highest scores for texture, colour, and taste. Generally, for both meats dried in both driers, TMH marinade was evaluated as the one with the highest total difference ΔE compared to meat dipped in TMP pretreatment, which had the lowest total difference ΔE.

Fig leaves (Ficus carica L.) have been reported to contain various bioactive compounds and have been associated with several beneficial biological properties. Despite their potential, they remain largely underutilised and are often discarded during fig cultivation and processing. Drying may provide an opportunity to convert this perishable plant material into a low-moisture, more stable ingredient suitable for food applications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the processing of fig leaves using hot-air drying and freeze-drying, compare the effects of these technologies on moisture content and colour characteristics, and investigate the potential utilisation of dried fig leaf powder in bakery products. Leaves of the cultivated fig cultivar Morka and a wild-growing fig type were subjected to hot-air drying (40 °C, 48 h) and freeze-drying (pre-freezing at −18 °C for 24 h followed by lyophilisation at −30 °C for 72 h). Moisture content and colour parameters (L, a, b, ΔE) were determined for the dried leaves, and the colour characteristics (L, a, b) of the resulting powders were assessed separately. The antioxidant properties of the dried leaves were also assessed using DPPH and ORAC assays, while total phenolic content (TPC) was determined using the Folin–Ciocalteu method. The dietary fibre content of the resulting powders was determined using the enzymatic-gravimetric method. The dried leaves were milled into powder and incorporated into sourdough buns at substitution levels of 5%, 10%, and 15% of wheat flour. Sensory evaluation was performed to assess the effects of fig type, drying method, and powder concentration on the sensory properties of the bakery products. Both drying methods effectively reduced leaf moisture content to below 6%, producing material suitable for powder preparation. Hot-air drying resulted in slightly higher DPPH, ORAC, and TPC values than freeze-drying in both fig types. Morka leaves also showed slightly higher values across the antioxidant assays than the Wild type. Drying influenced colour characteristics, with differences depending on both the drying method and the fig type. Freeze-dried powders were lighter and greener than hot-air-dried powders. Total dietary fibre in the fig leaf powders ranged from approximately 38.46–40.15%, with insoluble dietary fibre representing the predominant fraction. Sensory evaluation of buns revealed significant differences among formulations in colour intensity, flavour, sweetness, bitterness, and hardness (p < 0.001). Products containing Morka leaf powder were generally perceived as sweeter and less bitter than those prepared with Wild fig leaves. The study highlights the potential valorisation of an underutilised plant resource and demonstrates the technological feasibility of incorporating dried fig leaf powder into bakery products.