Sweet cherries are processed in various ways, leading to significant amounts of underutilized by-products that can potentially be used as a source of bioactive compounds, including antioxidants. The present study focuses on identifying ways to exploit bioactive compounds from sweet cherry skins, namely the extraction, microencapsulation, and functionalizing of some food product to obtain added value. The anthocyanins from skins were extracted and encapsulated in a combination of whey proteins isolate and chitosan by freeze-drying, with an encapsulation efficiency of 77.68 ± 2.57%. The powder showed a satisfactory content in polyphenols, of which anthocyanins content was 14.48 ± 1.17 mg cyanidin 3-glucoside/100 g dry weight (D.W.) and antioxidant activity of 85.37 ± 1.18 µM Trolox/100 g D.W. The powder was morphologically analyzed, revealing the presence of coacervates, ranging in size from 12–54 μm, forming large spheresomes (up to 200 μm). The powder was used as a functional ingredient to develop two value-added food products, namely yoghurt and marshmallows. The powder was tested for its prebiotic effect on L. casei 431^® in the yoghurt samples during 21 days at 4 °C, when a decrease in viability was found, up to 6 log CFU·g⁻¹. The anthocyanins and antioxidant activity decreased in yoghurt and increased in marshmallows during storage time. The obtained results support the potential use of extracts from underutilized sources in the development of functional ingredients and value-added food products.

Industrial processing of kiwifruits generates a large quantity of byproducts, estimated to be one million tons per year. The resulting byproducts are rich sources of bioactive components that may be used as additives, hence minimizing economic and environmental issues. In this study, kiwifruit byproducts were used to develop added-value food-grade ingredients containing probiotics. The byproducts were divided into peels and pomace. Both residues were inoculated with a selected strain of probiotic (Lacticaseibacillus casei 431^®), and two variants were additionally enhanced with prebiotic sources (buckwheat and black rice flours). The inoculated powders were obtained by freeze-drying, and the final ingredients were coded as KP (freeze-dried kiwi peels), KBR (freeze-dried kiwi pomace and black rice flour), KPB (freeze-dried kiwi pomace and buckwheat flour), and KPO (freeze-dried kiwi pomace). The phytochemical profile was assessed using different spectrophotometric methods, such as the determination of polyphenols, flavonoids, and carotenoids. The kiwi byproduct-based formulations showed a polyphenolic content varying from 10.56 ± 0.30 mg AGE/g DW to 13.16 ± 0.33 mg AGE/g, and the survival rate of lactic acid bacteria after freeze-drying ranged from 73% to 88%. The results showed an increase in total flavonoid content from the oral to gastric environment and controlled release in the intestinal environment, whereas a maximum survival rate of probiotics at the intestinal end stage was 48%. The results of SEM and droplet size measurements revealed vesicular and polyhedral structures on curved surfaces linked by ridge sections. The CIEL*a*b* color data were strongly associated with the particular pigment in kiwi pulp, as well as the color of the additional flour. Finally, the ingredients were tested in protein bars and enhanced the value of the final food product regarding its phytochemical and probiotic content.

Galactagogue herbs, also known as natural lactation adjuvants, are frequently used to stimulate breast milk production. Due to their antioxidant activity and phenolic content, anise (Pimpinella anisum L.) and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.) were chosen to increase the added value of zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L.) purees. At the same time, this work aimed to determine the influence of heat treatment on various characteristics of the final product. The phytochemical content, color parameters, and rheological and textural parameters of zucchini purees enriched with herbal aqueous extracts were determined after processing and after one week of storage (4 °C). In the case of antioxidant activity, samples registered a variation between 6.62 ± 1.71 and 38.32 ± 3.85 µM Trolox/g DW for the samples processed by steam convection. The total difference color parameter (ΔE) increased seven times after one week of storage compared to samples at T₀. Fennel and anise aqueous extracts helped improve the rheological behavior of zucchini samples both by steam and hot air convection. This study may serve as a springboard for future investigations and clinical trials into the scientific validity and safety of ready-to-eat foods with special destinations.

The blending of nanomaterials into a polymeric matrix is a method known for its ability, under certain circumstances, to lead to an improvement in membrane properties. TiO₂ nanoparticles have been used in membrane research for the last 20 years and have continuously shown promise in this field of research. Polysulfone (PSf) membranes were obtained through the phase inversion method, with different TiO₂ nanoparticle concentrations (0, 0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt.%) and two types of TiO₂ crystalline structure (anatase and rutile), via the addition of commercially available nanopowders. Research showed improvement in all studied properties. In particular, the 0.5 wt.% TiO₂ rutile membrane recorded an increase in permeability of 139.7% compared to the control membrane. In terms of overall performance, the best nanocomposite membrane demonstrated a performance index increase of 71.1% compared with the control membrane.

At present, the use of polymeric materials is so intense in our society, that we could consider ourselves to be living in the „polymer age”. Due to their versatility, polymers are present in every step of our whole „infrastructure”. It is a growing research field due to the need of extending the application horizon of polymers with the purpose of replacing other materials (e.g. metallic) that are predominantly used in certain industries. This article is a review that discusses both the classification of polymer materials and state-of-the-art research of other authors with respect to polymer blends.

An additive is a substance, which when incorporated into polymer materials might lead at improvements on the electrical, thermal or mechanical properties of finished products in dependence of their applications, such as automotive, electronics, packaging and consumer goods. This study is based on the idea of using inorganic agents to change the basic properties of an epoxy resin. The well-known plasticizer 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) was used to solve the inorganic agents and the mixture of obtained solutions was added, in certain amounts, into the epoxy resin prior the hardener of the epoxy system. The idea is to test the hypothesis of forming of ceramic nanostructures into the polymer structure based on local chemical interaction between solved inorganic compounds in certain conditions. The present paper concerns with the effect of changes on the mechanical properties of the epoxy resin.