This brief historical review focuses on durum wheat domestication and breeding in the Mediterranean region. Important milestones in durum wheat breeding programs across the countries of the Mediterranean basin before and after the Green Revolution are discussed. Additionally, the main achievements of the classical breeding methodology are presented using a comparison of old and new cultivars. Furthermore, current breeding goals and challenges are analyzed. An overview of classical breeding methods in combination with current molecular techniques and tools for cultivar development is presented. Important issues of seed quality are outlined, focusing on protein and characteristics that affect human health and are connected with the consumption of wheat end-products.

Livestock production in the European Union EU is highly dependent on imported soybean, exposing the livestock farming system to risks related to the global trade of soybean. Lupin species could be a realistic sustainable alternative source of protein for animal feeding. Lupinus is a very diverse genus with many species. However, only four of them—namely, L. albus, L. angustifolius, L. luteus and L. mutabilis—are cultivated. Their use in livestock farming systems has many advantages in relation to economic and environmental impact. Generally, lupin grains are characterized by high protein content, while their oil content is relatively low but of high quality. On the other hand, the presence of quinolizidine alkaloids and their specific carbohydrate composition are the main antinutritional factors that prevent their use in animal feeding. This research is mainly related to L. albus and to L. angustifolius, and to a lesser extent, to L. lauteus and L. mutabilis. The breeding efforts are mostly focused on yield stabilization, resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses, biochemical structure associated with seed quality and late maturing. Progress is made in improving lupin with respect to the seed quality, as well as the tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. It has to be noted that modern cultivars, mostly of L. albus and L. angustifolius, contain low levels of alkaloids. However, for future breeding efforts, the implementation of marker-assisted selection and the available genomic tools is of great importance.

The physicochemical (pH, texture, Vitamin C, ash, fat, minerals) and sensory properties of banana were correlated with the genotype and growing conditions. Minerals in particular were shown to discriminate banana cultivars of different geographical origin quite accurately. Another issue relates to the beneficial properties of bananas both in terms of the high dietary fiber and antioxidant compounds, the latter being abundant in the peel. Therefore, banana can be further exploited for extracting several important components such as starch, and antioxidant compounds which can find industrial and pharmaceutical applications. Finally, the various storage methodologies were presented with an emphasis on Modified Atmosphere Packaging which appears to be one of the most promising of technologies.

The phenolic profile of Greek chamomile populations was investigated by HPLC-PDA-MS. For comparison, three commercial varieties (Banatska, Lutea and Goral) cultivated under the same conditions were included in the study. All samples exhibited similar qualitative patterns but differed in their quantitative characteristics. Overall, 29 constituents were detected, belonging to phenolic acids, flavonol glycosides, flavone glycosides (mainly apigenin derivatives) and acylated polyamines. Quantitative results showed that both Greek populations had a high content in apigenin derivatives (0.39 and 0.31 %w/w) and caffeoylquinic acids (0.96 and 0.81 %w/w), whereas they had the highest amount of flavonol glycosides among the tested samples. Greek populations were comparable to the Banatska variety, while they were superior to the Lutea and Goral varieties cultivated under the same conditions. Results demonstrate that Greek chamomile populations studied here, are an excellent source of a wide range of phenolics which contribute to the medicinal and antioxidant properties of this herbal remedy. Antioxidant tests showed that chamomile extracts from the studied materials, especially from the Greek populations possess antioxidant activity, corresponding to their polyphenol content. This is the first report on the phenolic constituents of Matricaria recutita growing in Greece and well-established chamomile varieties.