Pasta production is a good opportunity for product innovation in different forms. The aim of this work was to assess the use of flaxseed components for pasta production. We examined the chemical composition and cooking quality, at different contents of flaxseed flour (FF) and flaxseed cake (FC), added for pasta processing. The analysis showed that the addition of flaxseed components to the dough caused a substantial difference in the International Commission on Illumination color model (CIE) parameter, compared to control samples. The samples of pasta with FF and FC were darker, redder, and less yellow than the control. The minimum cooking time for the enriched pasta was longer than that for the control pasta, although cooking losses were lower. The increasing content of flaxseed components did not significantly change the weight and volume increase index. The enrichment of pasta with 23% FF and 17% FC yielded good quality pasta. The results of the chemical composition of the flaxseed-enriched pasta indicate considerably enhanced nutritional quality, particularly the levels of protein, fat, and dietary fiber of the pasta, without affecting its quality. Moreover, flaxseed cake can be an important source of nutritional ingredients for pasta production, although it is a by-product of the oil cold pressing technology.

Functional foods include cold-pressed oils, which are a rich source of antioxidants and bioactive n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of rapeseed oils supplemented with Spanish sage and cress oils. Seven oil mixtures consisting of 70% of rapeseed oil and 30% of sage and/or cress oil were prepared for the analyses. The oil mixtures were analyzed to determine their acid value, peroxide value, oxidative stability, and fatty acid composition. In terms of the acid value and the peroxide value, all mixtures met the requirements for cold-pressed vegetable oils. The enrichment of the rapeseed oil with α-linolenic acid-rich fats resulted in a substantially lower ratio of n-6 to n-3 acids in the mixtures than in the rapeseed oil. The mixture of the rapeseed oil with the sage and cress oils in a ratio of 70:10:20 exhibited higher oxidative stability than the raw materials used for enrichment and a nearly 20% α-linolenic acid content. The oils proposed in this study can improve the ratio of n-6:n-3 acids in modern diets. Additionally, mixing the cress seed oils with rapeseed oil and chia oil resulted in a reduction in the content of erucic acid in the finished product. This finding indicates that cress seeds, despite their high content of erucic acid, can be used as food components. The production of products with a positive effect on human health is one of the most important factors in the sustainable development of agriculture.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of the pomace drying methods (freeze-drying and convection-drying) and their percentage (0–10%) on selected physicochemical properties of gluten-free bread. The contents of nutrients (protein, fiber, fat, ash, and carbohydrates), bioactive compounds, antioxidant properties, acidity, baking efficiency, and moisture of the obtained products were determined. Fortifying the bread with raspberry pomace resulted in a change in fiber content from 18.13% d. b. (control sample) up to 19.97% d. b. (10% of freeze-dried pomace), and a change in the fat and ash content in the bread from 5.74% and 2.83% d. b. (control sample) to 7.18% and 3.12% d. b. (10% of freeze-dried pomace). The content of carbohydrates decreased after adding raspberry pomace to the bread, from 65.71% d. b. (control sample) to 63.68% d. b. (5% of freeze-dried pomace). The research carried out also showed that the introduction of 10% freeze-dried raspberry pomace increased the total polyphenol content by 81.75% and the antioxidant properties defined by the ABTS method by 159.54% and by the DPPH method by 96.43% compared to the control bread. The introduction of pomace resulted in a significant reduction in the total baking loss, from 15.1% to 10.62%, and an increase in the total titratable acidity of the crumb, from 2.13 mL _NaOH/10 g d. b to 7.78 mL _NaOH/10 g d. b. Principal component analysis highlighted a marked effect of the drying method and content of raspberry pomace on the quality values of gluten-free bread. This research demonstrated that raspberry pomace can be a valuable source of fiber and bioactive substances in gluten-free bread.

The process of pelleting miscanthus biomass often encounters issues related to the low durability of the obtained pellets and high energy inputs. To solve these issues, the use of copra meal as a supplement is proposed. This paper presents the results of research on energy parameters of miscanthus biomass pellets supplemented with copra meal in terms of energy consumption in the pressure agglomeration process. As part of this research, the energy parameters of miscanthus biomass, copra meal biomass, and their blends were characterized. Next, the raw materials were used for the production of pellets in the pressure agglomeration process. The investigations included proximate and ultimate analysis and estimation of heating values. Moreover, the total fat content, mechanical durability, kinetic strength, and bulk density were determined, and the energy consumption in the pelleting process was assessed. The results indicate that the energy consumption in the miscanthus biomass pelleting process can be substantially reduced by adding copra meal as a biocomponent. When the copra meal addition did not exceed 30%, the pellets exhibited over 95% durability, over 1200 kg∙m⁻³ density, and over 417 kg∙m⁻³ bulk density. Given the 44% reduction in energy consumption in the pellet production process and the energy efficiency of 4815 Wh·kg⁻¹ determined in this study, copra meal may be an interesting material for use as an additive in the production of miscanthus biomass pellets.

The aim of this work was to study the influence of freeze-drying conditions of kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) on physicochemical properties and grinding characteristics of dried fruits. Whole kiwi fruits were freeze-dried with the different pressure: 12, 20, 42, 63, 85, and 103 Pa. Dried fruit properties that underwent evaluation included color, texture, rehydration, total phenolics content, antioxidant properties and sensory analysis. Moreover, the grinding energy indices of dried kiwi were determined. The results showed that an increase in the pressure caused decreased lightness, but increased yellowness and greenness of freeze-dried kiwi. The force of kiwi penetration increased and the rehydration ability decreased with the increase in the pressure. The specific grinding energy of dried kiwi ranged from 10.1 to 13.6 kJ⋅kg⁻¹, whereas the average particle size of kiwi powder changed from 0.331 to 0.337 mm. The highest values of these parameters were obtained for kiwi freeze-dried with the highest pressure.