The oxidative stability of vegetable oils mainly depends on their fatty acid composition, their degree of unsaturation, and the presence of compounds with antioxidant activity. This paper reports on the effects of the process of roasting oil seeds, prior to pressing them, on the basic characteristics of the oils produced and their oxidative stability. The differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) technique was used to study the process of oxidation of the oil samples in an oxygen-flow cell. Chromatographic analysis revealed that roasting the seeds increased the levels of chlorophyll and β-carotene in all the cold-pressed oils. Similar results were observed for the oil’s antioxidant activity, measured by the scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical method. Our results also indicated that roasting seeds prior to pressing them for oil had a positive effect on the oil’s stability, as determined by the DSC method. This manifested in both the extension of oxidation induction time and the final oxidation time.

Plant-based foods are becoming an increasingly frequent topic of discussion, both scientific and social, due to the dissemination of information and exchange of experiences in the media. Plant-based diets are considered beneficial for human health due to the supply of many valuable nutrients, including health-promoting compounds. Replacing meat-based foods with plant-based products will provide many valuable compounds, including antioxidants, phenolic compounds, fibers, vitamins, minerals, and some ω3 fatty acids. Due to their high nutritional and functional composition, plant-based foods are beneficial in acute and chronic diseases. This article attempts to review the literature to present the most important data on nutrients of plant-based foods that can then help in the prevention of many diseases, such as different infections, such as coronavirus disease, pneumonia, common cold and flu, asthma, and bacterial diseases, such as bronchitis. A properly structured plant-based diet not only provides the necessary nutrients but also can help in the prevention of many diseases.

The growing human population renders challenges for the future supply of food products with high nutritional value. Here, we enhanced the functional and nutritional value of biscuits, a popular sweet snack, by replacing the wheat flour with 2%, 6%, or 10% (w/w) cricket powder. Consumer acceptance ratings for reference and 2% augmented cookies were comparable, whereas the higher levels of enhancement received inferior consumer scores. This relatively small change in biscuit recipe provided significant and nutritionally desirable enhancements in the biscuits, observed in a series of analyses. An increase in the protein content was observed, including essential amino acids, as well as minerals and fat. This conversion also affected the physical properties of the biscuits, including hardness, and water molecular dynamics measured by ¹H NMR. Cricket powder-augmented biscuits join the line of enhanced, functionally superior food products. This and similar food augmentation provide a viable scenario to meet the human food demands in the future.

Oilcakes from the oilseed industry are rich in dietary fibre and protein by-products. We assessed the impact of wheat flour replacement with raspberry and strawberry oilcakes on the proximate composition of bread, colour, texture and water behaviour. The substitution influenced the ash, fat and protein content causing an increase in the content of each of the analysed macronutrients. The crumb colour components (CIE L*a*b*) were shifted toward red while the saturation of yellow decreased. Texture analysis showed that the hardness and chewiness of crumb with oilcakes increased as well as springiness decreased. It was found that flour substitution with oilcakes limited significantly water transport and also influenced the molecular dynamics of water in the bread crumb. ¹H NMR measurement results of relaxation times demonstrated that the free water in relation to the bound water in the examined systems depended on the amount of the flour replaced by the oilcake, as well as on the botanical origin of the oilcakes.