This study investigated the impact of sonication parameters on the efficiency of the extraction of bioactive substances from hawthorn berries. The ultrasonic treatment was performed in two modes: continuous and pulse. In the pulse mode, the samples were sonicated with the following processor settings: 1 s on-2 s off. The effective ultrasonic processor times were 5, 10, and 15 min, and the total extraction times were 15 min, 30 min, and 45 min. The content of total polyphenols and total anthocyanins was determined by a spectrophotometric method. We show that the operating mode of the processor affects extraction efficiency, energy consumption and unit energy inputs. Extraction supported by a pulsating ultrasonic field allowed saving from 20% to 51% of energy with a simultaneous higher efficiency of the process. In addition, we show that the unit energy consumption in the pulsed mode was about 40% to 68% lower than the energy consumption in the case of continuous operation.

This study investigated the effects of particle size and ultrasonic parameters on the yields of bioactive compounds extracted from the leaves and inflorescences of hemp. The total flavonoid and anthocyanin contents were determined using the spectrophotometric method. The response surface methodology (RMS) was employed to optimize the yield of bioactive substances. On the basis of the developed model, the highest flavonoid yield was obtained under the following extraction conditions: particle size, 0.59 mm; extraction time, 10.71 min; ultrasound intensity, 7.13 W∙cm⁻²; extraction yield, 9.28 mg QE∙g⁻¹; determination coefficient, R² = 0.97. The optimal conditions for extracting anthocyanins were as follows: particle size, 0.25 mm; extraction time, 15 min; ultrasound intensity, 8.60 W∙cm⁻²; extraction efficiency, 20.27 mg Cy-GE∙100 g⁻¹; determination coefficient, R² = 0.87. This study helped confirm the importance of pulsed ultrasound-assisted extraction in obtaining bioactive compounds from hemp.

The paper presents the comparison of quality of six different commercial apple juices produced in Poland. The apple juices came from two different Polish companies. From each manufacturer three various juices were selected: two cloudy and clarified one produced as a mixture of different apple varieties. The following properties were evaluated: density, soluble solid content, viscosity, total phenolic contents, phenolic acid, and antiradical activity. The obtained results showed that three from fourth cloudy juices (M1Sz, M1A and M2A) differed from clarified juices. The highest differences were noticed for total phenolic contents, phenolic acids, antiradical activity and viscosity. The values of these properties ranged between 60.72–103.6 mg GAE·100⁻¹ mL⁻¹ for phenolic contents, 78.3–90.9% for antiradical activity and 2.68–5.79 mPa·s for viscosity. The remaining cloudy juice (M2Sz) was more similar to the clarified ones. The strong correlation between total phenolic content and antiradical activity of apple juices was found. The high correlation coefficient obtained between these features indicates that both producers do not apply excessive amounts of vitamin C during the production of cloudy apple juices. There was also a strong interrelation between the density of juice and solid soluble content. However, no correlation was found between the solid soluble content and the viscosity of the tested juices.

An increase in the demand for cold-pressed vegetable oils can be observed, e.g. from sunflower. The press cake formed during sunflower oil production can also be an important source of protein, carbohydrates, and phenolic compounds. The aim of the study was to examine the quality of gluten-free breads fortified with sunflower seed cake. The fortified products were characterized by lower moisture content (49.35–48.87%). The bake loss parameter decreased after the use of the highest 15% dose of the sunflower cake. The addition of the sunflower cake caused an increase in the content of nutrients, compared to the control sample: protein (7.44–9.69%_d.b.), fat (3.41–10.72%_d.b.), crude fiber (1.23–2.34%_d.b.), polyphenols (89.3–222.3 mg·100 g_d.b.⁻¹), and soluble sugars (2.42–2.73%_d.b.). The gluten-free breads with the sunflower seed cake exhibited lower hardness, springiness, and chewiness but higher cohesiveness. The use of the additive contributed to the darkening of the gluten-free bread crumb. The appearance, consistency, aroma, and palatability of the sunflower cake-fortified gluten-free bread were found to be much more attractive than the parameters of the unmodified bread. The conducted research has shown that, thanks to sunflower cake addition, it is possible to obtain a highly nutritious product with desirable sensory quality.

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.

We report the experimental results of tests aimed at assessing the effects of different settings on the mean radius of mineral fertilizer distribution using a disc fertilizer spreader. Our aim was to improve the performance of fertilizer distribution in sustainable agriculture. Three types of mineral fertilizers with different physical characteristics, commonly used in agriculture, were considered: urea, calcium ammonium nitrate and ammonium sulfate. A complete randomization method based on a four-factor experimental model was used to study the influence of the functional and operational parameters on the mean radius of fertilizer spread. Fixed model analysis of variance showed that fertilizer type, vane configuration and disc angular velocity explained 91.74% of the variance of the spread mean radius, while linear multiple regression analysis highlighted that the fertilizer dust fraction and disc angular velocity had an overall effect of 82.72%, the former showing an inverse correlation as high as 72.77%.