Unlike odorants that mask odors, natural zeolite acts as a molecular sieve that captures and eliminates odors. Different treatment methods can be applied to influence the properties of the natural zeolites. To enhance the odor adsorption capacities of the natural zeolite two types of treatment methods were applied: chemical (acid, basic) and thermal. The initial natural zeolites and the activated one were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX). Two experiments were performed to establish the odor adsorption capacity of the activated natural zeolites. The best zeolite for the adsorption of humidity, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide was the 1–3 mm zeolite activated through thermal treatment. For the adsorption of PAHs, the best zeolite was the one activated through basic treatment, with an adsorption capacity of 89.6 ng/g.

Circular economy principles are based on the use of by-products from one operation as the raw materials in another. The aim of this work is to obtain extracts with high antioxidant capacity and resveratrol content for the superior capitalization of the biomass of Feteasca regala leaves obtained during vineyard horticultural operations in spring. In order to obtain a high-quality extract at an industrial level, an optimal extraction process is needed. Central composite design (CCD) was used for the experiment design, which contained three independent variables: the ratio of extraction solvent to solid matter, temperature (°C) and time (minutes). The evaluation of extracts was done by measuring the total antioxidant capacity of the extracts using photo-chemiluminescent techniques, and the resveratrol content using liquid chromatography. Process optimization was done using response surface methodology (RSM). Minitab software version 17.0 was used for the design of experiments and data analysis. Regression analysis showed that the model predicts 87.5% of the variation for resveratrol and 96% for total antioxidant capacity (TAC). The temperature had the biggest influence on the extraction yield. The optimal operational conditions for the extraction method applied had the following conditions: ratio e/m 2.92; 43.23 °C and 55.4 min. A maximum value of 34,623 µg ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE) /mL total antioxidant capacity and 182.4 µg/mL resveratrol content were obtained when the optimal extraction parameters where used. The values obtained in experiments proved that by using RSM an accurate model can be obtained for extraction of Feteasca regala leaves.

Trees are considered to be an effective tool for metal pollution biomonitoring. In the present study, the concentration of metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Co, Ni, Fe, Mn, and Al) in black poplar leaves (Populus nigra L.), together with the concentration of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, PM₁, and total suspended particles (TSP), was used for the air pollution biomonitoring in 12 sites from various areas of Cluj-Napoca city, Romania. The concentration of PM₁₀ in the air was high, but their metal content was low. However, Cu, Pb, and Zn were moderately enriched, while Cd was highly enriched in PM₁₀ due to anthropogenic sources. The average metal concentration in leaves decreased in the order Zn>>Fe>Mn>Al>Pb>Ni>Cu>Co>Cd and increased with the increase of PM₁₀ concentration, indicating that poplar leaves are sensitive to air pollution. The principal component analysis indicated that traffic, waste burning, road dust resuspension, and soil contamination are the main anthropogenic sources of metals in poplar leaves. The results indicated that black poplar leaves are a suitable biomonitoring tool for metal pollution, in urban environments.

In response to the growing demand for sustainable protein sources, this study explores the valorization of sunflower meal—a by-product of oil extraction—as a protein-rich ingredient suitable for human nutrition. The aim was to optimize the extraction process and assess the nutritional and safety profile of the resulting protein flour. Mechanical stirring, ultrasound-assisted, and CO₂-assisted extraction methods were evaluated, with mechanical stirring selected for optimization due to its scalability and energy efficiency. A Taguchi L9 orthogonal array was employed to evaluate the effects of pH, temperature, and sample mass on protein content. A first-order regression model was developed and validated (R² = 0.86, p < 0.05), identifying optimal conditions at pH 10.0, 30 °C, and 60 g per 500 mL of distilled water. Under these conditions, protein content reached 49.87%. The extracted protein flour exhibited improved nutritional quality with high protein content, moderate solubility (53.4%), and favorable amino acid composition—particularly rich in glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and arginine. Safety analyses confirmed the absence of detectable aflatoxins and very low PAH levels. These results support the use of sunflower protein concentrate as a sustainable, nutritionally valuable, and safe ingredient for functional food applications. Further studies are recommended to improve functional properties and assess sensory acceptance.

The content and composition of dietary supplements is of great interest due to their increasing consumption and variety of available brand offered in the market. Accurate determination of vitamins is important for the improvement of dietary supplement quality and nutrition assessments. In this regard, the simultaneous determination of vitamin D3 (calcitriol—CT and cholecalciferol—CHL) and K2 (menaquinone-4—MK-4 and menaquinone-7—MK-7) in dietary supplements was developed by using ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC). The overall runtime per sample was above 35 min, with the retention times of 2.40, 6.59, 7.06, and 32.6 min for vitamin D3 (CT and CHL) and vitamin K2 (MK-4 and MK-7), respectively. The limits of detection and limits of quantification for the target nutritional compounds ranged between 0.04–0.05 µg/mL, respectively. The validation results indicated that the method had reasonable linearity (R² ≥ 0.9990), good recovery (>82%), satisfactory intra-day precision (≤1.9%) and inter-day precision (≤3.5%), and high selectivity and specificity. The validated UHPLC method was demonstrated to be precise, accurate, and robust for the simultaneous determination of vitamins D3 (CT and CHL) and K2 (MK-4 and MK-7) in dietary supplements.

Prunus spinosa L. (blackthorn) is a widely distributed wild fruit species in Romania with considerable, yet underexplored, potential as a functional food ingredient and natural source of bioactive compounds. This study aimed to characterize the phytochemical composition, mineral and contaminant profiles, and antioxidant capacity of P. spinosa fruits collected from five sites in the Cluj region with contrasting land-use conditions (forest-edge, rural, suburban, and roadside). Fruits were harvested in three sampling campaigns (October 2018, October 2019, and November 2019). Analytical determinations included total polyphenol content, antioxidant capacity, fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs), dietary fibers, chlorophyll, water content, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, 15 congeners), and metal concentrations (ICP-OES/MS). A composite Ecotoxic Pressure Index (EPI) integrating metal and PAH data was computed per site. Total polyphenol content ranged from 124 to 1172 mg GAE·kg⁻¹ DW, while antioxidant capacity ranged from 116 and 1184 µg AAE·mg⁻¹. One-way ANOVA revealed significant location effects on Cu, Zn, Mn, Ca, Mg, Na and K (p < 0.05). PCA (65–70% explained variance) discriminated rural/forest-edge samples (high polyphenols, low EPI) from urban/roadside samples (elevated metals and PAHs). Multiple linear regression demonstrated that polyphenols were the dominant positive predictor of antioxidant capacity (β = +0.78, p < 0.001), while Fe and total PAHs were inversely associated with antioxidant capacity (β = −0.31 and −0.28, respectively; R² = 0.80). The observed biochemical and contaminant profiles varied according to geographical origin and land-use context, although these associations cannot be attributed exclusively to pollution exposure. Rural and forest-edge samples showed favorable descriptive profiles for several bioactive parameters, but further controlled studies are required before site-specific superiority for functional food applications can be established.