Anaerobic digestion (AD) has been used widely as a form of energy recovery by biogas production from the organic fraction of municipal solid wastes (OFMSW). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the introduction of co-substrates (restaurant wastes, corn whole stillage, effluents from the cleaning of chocolate transportation tanks) on the thermophilic anaerobic digestion process of the mechanically separated organic fraction of municipal solid wastes in a full-scale mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) plant. Based on the results, it can be seen that co-digestion might bring benefits and process efficiency improvement, compared to mono-substrate digestion. The 15% addition of effluents from the cleaning of chocolate transportation tanks resulted in an increase in biogas yield by 31.6%, followed by a 68.5 kWh electricity production possibility. The introduction of 10% corn stillage as the feedstock resulted in a biogas yield increase by 27.0%. The 5% addition of restaurant wastes contributed to a biogas yield increase by 21.8%. The introduction of additional raw materials, in fixed proportions in relation to the basic substrate, increases biogas yield compared to substrates with a lower content of organic matter. In regard to substrates with high organic loads, such as restaurant waste, it allows them to be digested. Therefore, determining the proportion of different feedstocks to achieve the highest efficiency with stability is necessary.

Vinasse is the waste product from the production of ethanol that is most loaded with pollutants. Known methods of treating vinasse allow for a reduction in the pollution load, but do not remove the brown colour. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the addition of yeast extract (YE) on the decolourization of sugar beet molasses vinasse by lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus plantarum, L. casei, and Pediococcus parvulus). Experiments were performed in batch mode in a BioStat B bioreactor (working volume of 2 dm3) for 72 h at 35.8ºC and pH0 of 6.5. The medium consisted of 25% v/v vinasse, glucose (38.67 g dm-3), and different amounts of yeast extract addition (2.24, 4.48, and 8.96 g dm-3). It was observed that an increase in the YE dose in the medium was followed by a decrease in decolourization of the vinasse. The maximum decolourization was 28.36% (YE = 2.24 g dm-3). Regardless of the YE amount added to the medium, removal of invert alkaline degradation products content in all experiments was at a similar level (approx. 13%). With an increased dose of YE, an increase in the caramel content was observed. The biggest melanoidins removal (62.3%) was found in the process with the highest YE dose. The acrylamide, 4-methylimidazole, furfural, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, and 2-acetyl-4-(1,2,3,4)- tetrahydroxy-butylimidazole were completely assimilated.

Tradycja spożywania produktów na bazie soi sięga krajów Dalekiego Wschodu i niektórych rejonów Afryki, dzisiaj jednak produkty takie można spotkać na półkach sklepowych wielu krajów rozwiniętych i rozwijających się. Miso, tofu, tempe czy sos sojowy to tradycyjne produkty na bazie nasion soi lub mleka sojowego, spożywane w formie sfermentowanej bądź niesfermentowanej. Soja jest rośliną, której nasiona charakteryzują się dużą wartością odżywczą i możliwością wszechstronnego wykorzystania. Produkuje się z niej pasty, substytuty produktów zbożowych (chleb, makaron, mąkę), mleczarskich (mleko sojowe, ser) czy substytuty mięsa. Jest to surowiec wysokobiałkowy, dzięki czemu z powodzeniem zastępuje białko zwierzęce w wielu dietach. Uważa się, że azjatycka dieta bogata w soję pozwala zmniejszyć ryzyko przewlekłych chorób niezakaźnych, czyli chorób serca, osteoporozy czy niektórych form raka. Pozostaje pytanie, dlaczego soja ma tak pozytywny wpływ na organizm ludzki. Celem niniejszej pracy było przedstawienie właściwości odżywczej nasion soi, w tym białka, nienasyconych kwasów tłuszczowych, bioaktywnego peptydu – lunazyny oraz fitohormonów pod postacią izoflawonów. Oprócz prozdrowotnych właściwości soi przedstawiono także zagrożenia i negatywne efekty mogące być wynikiem spożywania produktów sojowych.

Possibilities of utilizing the solid by-products of biodiesel production - a review: As a consequence of the intended rise in the volume of the biodiesel produced by the member states of the European Union, predominantly from rapeseeds and sunflower seeds, the quantity of the by-products being generated, e.g. glycerol, rapeseed/sunflower seed straw and rapeseed/sunflower seed meal, will increase dramatically. It is therefore recommendable to find effective methods for their processing or utilization in order to reduce the costs of biodiesel production without polluting the environment by excessive wastes. As the utilization of glycerol has often been addressed in the literature ¹ , the aim of our study is to describe the potentiality for utilizing the solid by-products of biodiesel production, namely rapeseed/sunflower straw and rapeseed/ sunflower seed meal.