The study aimed at assessing effects of partial replacement (0–40%) of wheat flour with roasted flaxseed flour (RFSF) on the quality attributes of biscuits. Nutritional, antioxidative, volatile and sensory properties, as well as texture analysis and the contents of macroelements and microelement were studied. Increasing RFSF content in biscuits resulted in a significant increase (p < 0.05) in protein (from 8.35% to 10.77%), fat (from 15.19% to 28.34%) and ash (from 1.23% to 2.60%) while the hardness and spread factor of the biscuits decreased with the increased level of roasted flaxseed flour. Moreover, the addition of 40% RFSF registered a positive influence on the fibre content of the final baked biscuits, increasing its value about 6.7-fold than in the control sample. Total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and biscuits’ aroma volatile profile increased their amounts with RFSF addition. The nutritional, textural and sensorial results of the present study demonstrated that 25% RFSF could be added in the biscuits manufacturing without affecting the biscuits aftertaste, offering promising healthy and nutritious alternative to consumers.

Nowadays, the pandemic situation has encouraged the idea of sustainable healthy foods leading to new trends in food consumption. Brewers spent grain (BSG) represents a potential functional food rich in fiber, protein, lipids, mineral and phenols that needs to be further exploited. In this vein, five different BSG types were collected from local breweries and valorized in cookies manufacturing. Thus, proximate composition (protein, minerals, lipids, ash, crude fiber and carbohydrates) was analyzed using AACC (American Association of Cereal Chemists) methods, DPPH (2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl), and Folin Ciocalteu methods were used to determined antioxidant activity and total phenols, while minerals and aroma volatile compounds were performed using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and ITEX/GC-MS (in tube extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) respectively. Color and physical characteristics, together with sensorial analysis, were also evaluated. The results highlighted a significant difference between BSG samples, mainly from the total phenols, antioxidant activity and aroma volatile compounds point of view. BSG volatiles compounds from the aldehydes group such as 2-methyl-propanal, 3-methyl-butanal and 2-methyl-butanal were identified also in the final baked goods, leading to a pleasant and appreciated consumers’ taste and aroma. Furthermore, cookies sensorial analysis emphasized that the sample manufactured with BSG from light and dark malt mixture was more appreciated by consumers, attaining the highest hedonic scores.

Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 was used to ferment quinoa flour, in order to evaluate its influence on the nutritional and rheological characteristics of both the sourdough and muffins. The quantification of carbohydrates and organic acids was carried out on a HPLC-RID system (high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with with refractive index detector), meanwhile HPLC-UV-VIS (high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with UV-VIS detector), AAS (Atomic absorption spectrophotometry), aluminum chloride colorimetric assay, Folin–Ciocalteu, and 1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (DPPH) methods were used to determine folic acid, minerals, flavonoids, total phenols, and radical scavenging activity, respectively. Two types of sourdough were used in this study: quinoa sourdough fermented with L. plantarum ATCC 8014 and quinoa sourdough spontaneous fermented. The first one influenced the chemical composition of muffins in terms of decreased content of carbohydrates, higher amounts of both organic acids and folic acid. Furthermore, higher amounts of flavonoids, total phenols and increased radical scavenging activity were recorded due to the use of Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC 8014 strain. These results indicate the positive effect of quinoa flour fermentation with the above strain and supports the use of controlled fermentation with lactic acid bacteria for the manufacturing of gluten free baked products.

The current trend is represented by replacing solid fats with structured liquid oil while maintaining the plastic properties of food products. In this study, the behavior of refined sunflower oil structured with various agents (carnauba wax-CRW, β-sitosterol:beeswax-BS:BW, β-sitosterol:lecithin-BS:LEC, and glycerol monostearate-GM) was evaluated in the process dynamics of oleogel-based tender dough products. The oleogel with the mixture of β-sitosterol:beeswax (OG_BS:BW) displayed the highest capacity to retain oil inside the matrix with a percentage of oil loss as low as 0.05% and also had a significantly higher hardness (6.37 N) than the reference, a commercial margarine (MR—3.58 N). During cooling from 90 to 4 °C, the increase in oleogel’ viscosity results from oleogelator’s liquid–solid phase transition. As demonstrated by the frequency sweeps performed, storage modulus G′ was higher than loss modulus G″, no cross-over points were observed, and the strongest gel network was for the oleogel with glycerol monostearate (OG_GM). Regarding the dough, the sample prepared using the oleogel with carnauba wax (D_CRW) showed the strongest hardness (92.49 N) compared to the reference (D_MR—21.80 N). All the oleogel-containing doughs had elastic solid-like behavior. The samples with margarine (D_MR) and the mixture of β-sitosterol:lecithin (D_BS:LEC) presented the lowest value of both moduli of G’ and G” during the frequency sweep. The biscuits formulated with commercial margarine (B_MR) registered a hardness of 28.74 N. Samples with oleogels showed a specific tenderness for tender dough products, thus being suitable for this type of product (11.22–20.97 N).

Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum), commonly known as Reishi or Lingzhi, is a medicinal mushroom with a rich history in traditional Asian medicine. This review examines diverse bioactive components supporting therapeutic properties, including polysaccharides, triterpenoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, peptides and proteins, vitamins, minerals, and sterols. The mushroom offers numerous health benefits, including immunomodulation, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, liver protection, and anti-cancer activities. In addition, it shows potential in managing diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and viral infections. Advances in extraction technologies, such as ultrasound and microwave-assisted methods, have improved the bioavailability and efficacy of compounds. While G. lucidum is an excellent functional food and therapeutic agent it remains an unexploited source of nutrients. Further research is needed to optimize the industrial applications and evaluate the safety in specific populations.

One of the biggest challenges in managing the food sector during a pandemic crisis is sustaining a robust food security system and adopting the right strategies in correlating the consumers’ needs and requirements with those of food safety, the producers, the distribution chain, the economic environment, and waste management. The restrictions on people’s global movement, commodities, and services and the measures taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have disrupted food environments around the world and forced us to collectively redesign and optimize our systems using existing resources from a more sustainable perspective. This paper offers an overview of the implications of COVID-19 for the food supply chain and discusses several potential strategies for tackling short- and long-term adverse effects resulting from the pandemic.