The study describes and compares bio-functional properties and thein vitrodigestibility of protein isolates from apricot oil cakes obtained by supercritical fluid extraction and cold pressing, as control. Protein isolates have the potential to be food ingredients with amygdalin contents in an amount considerably lower than regulatory. Isolates showed hypoglycemic activity, studied by the inhibition of α-glucosidase, also functional properties were determined.Good digestibility of proteins, which were done using gastrointestinal proteases (pepsin and pancreatin) were proven by Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis SDS-PAGE analysis. Moreover, it was evident that the protein isolates were completely digested. The biologically active potential of the digests was evaluated measuring in vitro antioxidant capacity by three complementary methods and enzyme inhibitory effects towards Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme (ACE) related with the onset of hypertension. All hydrolysates act as a DPPH and ABTS scavenger, as a reducing agents and an ACE enzyme inhibitor. In conclusion, protein isolates obtained from apricot kernel cake showed to be a promising source of natural products for food applications, with good functional and bioactive properties and easy digestibility.

White horehound (Marrubium vulgare L.), is a grey-leaved perennial herb, belonging to Lamiaceae family, distributed in Eurasia and northern Africa. Despite the fact that M. vulgare has been used since ancient times in treating diverse diseases, it is only in the last decade or so that scientists have been able to lay the foundation for its potential pharmacological actions from the results observed through the prism of ethnopharmacological use of this species. The novelty of this study was that subcritical water extraction, acknowledged as a powerful extraction technology to recover phenolic compounds, was coupled with spray drying. The subcritical horehound extract, obtained using optimal process parameters, was used as a liquid feed in spray drying. Maltodextrin was used as a carrier in a concentration of 10%. Thus, two M. vulgare powders, carrier-free and 10% MD, were produced. Comprehensive powders characterization was conducted in order to evaluate their quality. Results confirmed that spray drying can be used as a method of choice for obtaining high quality horehound powders which kept the amorphous structure constant after 6 months.

Rosehips are processed and consumed in numerous forms, such as juice, wine, herbal tea, yogurt, preserved fruit, and canned products. The seeds share in fruit is 30–35% and they have recently been recognized as an important source of oil rich in unsaturated fatty acids. However, after defatting, seed waste may still contain some polar polyphenolic compounds, which have been scarcely investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the potential of the defatted seed waste as a source of polyphenols. For the defatting process, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction at 300 bar and 40 °C was applied. The capacity of eight different natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) for the recovery of phenolics from defatted rosehip seed powder (dRSP) was examined. In the extracts obtained with ultrasound-assisted NADES extraction, twenty-one phenolic compounds were identified with LC-MS/MS, among which the most abundant were quinic acid (22.43 × 10³ µg/g dRSP) and catechin (571.93 µg/g dRSP). Ternary NADES formulations based on lactic acid proved to be superior. Potential correlations between identified chemical compounds, solvent polarity and viscosity, as well as the compound distributions across studied solvent combinations in PCA hyperspace, were also investigated. PCA demonstrated that more polar NADES mixtures showed improved extraction potential. The established environmentally friendly process represents an approach of transforming rosehip seed waste into value-added products with the potential to be applied in the food industry and to contribute to sustainable production.

The rise of the global tea industry market, influenced by the growing demands for healthier diet options, resulted in the constant increase in herbal tea production. In accordance, increased production leads to increased waste generation, especially in the area of filter tea production, which generates waste in the form of powdered plant material with particle sizes lower than 0.315 mm. The generated amount of this powdered plant material, also called herbal dust, can vary in the range from 10 to 40% of the total processed plant, and it is often considered waste only due to its size. Therefore, within this study, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was utilized for the extraction of green tea (Camellia sinensis L.), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.), and hibiscus (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) herbal dust, and the quality of the obtained extracts was evaluated in terms of total phenolic content (TPC) and phenolic profile. In addition, UAE was conducted on the three different amplitudes (20, 60, and 100%) and two different extraction times (5 and 10 min) in order to investigate and compare the influence of different extraction parameters. The results showed that the maximum TPC for green tea, hibiscus, and lemon balm herbal dust was 152.91 ± 0.74, 60.63 ± 0.10, and 356.22 ± 3.13 mg GAE/g DE, respectively. HPLC analysis conducted for all of the obtained extracts confirmed the presence of several phenolic compounds, with the highest concentrations of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) for the extracts of green tea, and neochlorogenic acid for hibiscus herbal dust extracts. The HPLC analysis of the lemon balm extracts recorded the highest concentration of rosmarinic acid for all of the UAE conditions. The results reported within this study indicate that previously considered waste, herbal dust plant material can be successfully extracted by application of UAE and that the obtained extracts exhibit concentrations of bioactive compounds comparable to the extracts of the commercially available plant material.

Having scarce information about ultrasound assisted extraction (UAE) and microwave assisted extraction (MAE) of white horehound (Marrubium vulgare L.), the idea has emerged to determine the optimal process parameters for the maximization of polyphenols and to compare the efficiency of these green extraction technologies. The optimal UAE parameters are temperature of 73.6 °C, extraction time of 40 min and ultrasound power of 30.3 W/L, while the optimal MAE parameters are 63.8% ethanol, extraction time of 15 min and microwave power of 422 W. Extract obtained at optimal UAE parameters shows the highest antihyperglycemic activity (α-amylase inhibition: 50.63% and α-glucosidase inhibition: 48.67%), which can potentially be explained by the presence of chlorogenic acid and quercetin, which were not identified in the macerates. The most sensitive bacterial strain to optimal ultrasonic extract is Bacillus cereus, whereas the most sensitive fungal strain is Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

This study investigated the potential of high-voltage electrical discharge (HVED), as a green, non-thermal extraction technology, for recovering polyphenols from winter savory (Satureja montana L.). Key process parameters, including frequency (40, 70, 100 Hz) and extraction time (1, 5, 15, 30, 45 min), were optimized, using water as a solvent and maintaining a constant solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:100 g/mL. The extracts were characterized for total polyphenol content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, FRAP), while individual phenolics were quantified via HPLC-DAD. Multivariate chemometric analyses, including Pearson correlation, heatmap clustering, and principal component analysis (PCA), were employed to reveal relationships between extraction conditions, polyphenolic profiles, and antioxidant activities. The results showed strong correlations between TPC, TFC, and antioxidant activity, with compounds such as quercetin-3-D-galactoside, procyanidin A2, and rutin identified as key contributors. Among the tested conditions, extraction at 70 Hz for 45 min provided the highest polyphenol yield and bioactivity. The application of HVED demonstrated its potential as an efficient and environmentally friendly technique for obtaining phenolic-rich extracts. In addition, the use of chemometric tools provided useful insights for optimizing extraction conditions and understanding the contributions of specific compounds to bioactivity. These results support future applications in clean-label product development and contribute to broader efforts in sustainable ingredient production for the food, cosmetic, and nutraceutical sectors.