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Nowadays, due to a higher resistance to drugs, antibiotics, and antiviral medicaments, new ways of fighting pathogens are intensively studied. The alternatives for synthesized compositions are natural products, most of which have been known in natural medicine for a long time. One of the best-known and intensively investigated groups are essential oils (EOs) and their compositions. However, it is worth noting that the method of application can play a second crucial part in the effectiveness of the antimicrobial activity. EOs possess various natural compounds which exhibit antimicrobial activity. One of the compositions which is based on the five main ingredients of eucalyptus, cinnamon, clove, rosemary, and lemon is named “five thieves’ oil” (Polish name: olejek pięciu złodziei) (5TO) and is used in natural medicine. In this study, we focused on the droplet size distribution of 5TO during the nebulization process, evaluated by the microscopic droplet size analysis (MDSA) method. Furthermore, viscosity studies, as well as UV-Vis of the 5TO suspensions in medical solvents such as physiological salt and hyaluronic acid, were presented, along with measurements of refractive index, turbidity, pH, contact angle, and surface tension. Additional studies on the biological activity of 5TO solutions were made on the P. aeruginosa strain NFT3. This study opens a way for the possible use of 5TO solutions or emulsion systems for active antimicrobial applications, i.e., for surface spraying.

Changes in the odor of meat during its storage are one of the basic indicators affecting its assessment and possible disqualification. The aim of the study was to determine whether the addition of essential oils may affect the composition and concentration of volatile compounds included in the aroma of stored turkey meat. We investigated the effect of adding essential oil (EO) of caraway (0.02% v/w), rosemary (0.02% v/w) and a mixture of the two (0.01% each) on the composition of volatile compound fractions formed during 10-day storage of vacuum-packed minced turkey meat. The EOs used were also evaluated for their influence on microbial contamination (total viable count and lactic acid bacteria count), sensory quality (odor and taste) and the level of fat rancidity (acid value, peroxide value and p-anisidine value) and pH in chill-stored samples. In terms of sensory indicators, the greatest beneficial effect of adding EOs was noted in the odor of raw meat. Use of the HS-SPME/GC-MS (headspace-solid phase microextraction/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry) method showed that the addition of essential oils significantly reduced the amounts of benzeneacetaldehyde, 2-octenal and ethyl 2-methyloctanoate compared with the control sample. In addition, in the presence of essential oils of rosemary and caraway, decreases were noted in benzaldehyde and 9-octadecenal, respectively. These changes may potentially affect the reception of the odor. There was a beneficial effect of the EOs in reducing the levels of fat oxidation indicators, including peroxides. However, the oils at applied concentrations had no significant effect on the total viable count and LAB count.

The effects of Pulsed Light (PL) technology on the anthocyanin condensation reaction in model wine solutions were investigated. Model wine solutions containing malvidin-3-O-glucoside, cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, and delphinidin-3-O-glucoside were separately prepared with the presence of (-)-epicatechin and acetaldehyde. The solutions were subjected to PL treatment with 2, 4, and 8 J/cm

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of selected types of LED (light emitting diodes) lighting on the quality of alfalfa sprouts. In the experiment, cold white, warm white and multicolour: (red, green, blue-RGB) LEDs were applied, and dispersed sunlight was used as a control. The product was examined for the yield and the contents of dry matter, total polyphenols, ascorbic acid, chlorophylls, β-carotene, lutein, neoxanthin and violaxanthin. Cotyledons' mass in the whole plant increased under LED illumination and was up to 50% greater for sprouts grown in RGB light compared to those cultivated in dispersed sunlight. The highest chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment contents in cotyledons were observed under RGB LED and cold white treatments. Similarly, RGB LEDs allows one to obtain the product with the highest level of total phenolic compounds. The highest ascorbic acid content was observed in sprouts growing under sunlight, followed by RGB.

Background In stored freeze-dried orange carrots, carotenoids are not stable compounds. The aim of the work was to evaluate the stability of carotenoids in products obtained from polyphenol-rich purple carrots which additionally contain anthocyanins. Methods This study compares the effect of air-drying and freeze-drying as well as 6-month storage on the content of carotenoids, anthocyanins and total phenolics in dried products obtained from purple carrot. Results The phenolic compounds found in the greatest amounts in carrot were ferulic acid cyanidin 3-xylosylglucosylgalactoside, p-coumaric acid cyanidin 3-xylosylglucosylgalactoside, chlorogenic acid, and caffeic-quinic acid. Freeze-drying did not significantly reduce levels of carotenoids and anthocyanin content, while air-drying led to substantial losses of carotenoids, anthocyanins and polyphenols. 6-month storage of freeze-dried products caused losses of carotenoids, anthocyanins and total polyphenols of 42%, 33% and 53% respectively when compared with the raw material. In air-dried products, the losses were 66%, 33% and 36%, respectively. Conclusions The results indicate that the combined effect of freeze-drying and 6-month storage was reduced losses of carotenoids compared to traditionally dried products.

Brewers’ wort should undergo optimized fermentation in order to obtain high-quality beer that meets the specification requirements. This paper presents the impact of increasing the share of unmalted barley and spelled, which are used as adjuncts (5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%), and the effect of the mineral content of water on the wort concentration of metal ions (calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese). Worts made with a combination of deionized water and barley substitute (mainly in 5% and 25% proportions) were characterized by a higher concentration of the ions than those produced with malted barley, or technological water, or spelled. The concentrations of manganese ions in wort prepared with spelt were significantly lower. A change in the recipe with the addition of unmalted raw material, including spelt, did not affect the concentration of magnesium ions. Regardless of the type and proportion of raw material used, the concentrations of magnesium and zinc ions were relatively low in the wort.

The study examined the influence of the process of extrusion on the physical properties and nutritional composition of black chokeberry pomaces. It has been determined that the extrusion process resulted in a reduction of the content of anthocyanins and fibre, but an increase of the contribution of simple sugars. In order to assess the phase transitions occurring in the products, a state diagram was utilized, which was constructed using the freezing and vitrification curve and values characterizing the conditions of maximum cryoconcentration. The determined values of critical water activity (based on water activity concepts) indicate that pomaces and extrudates retain crispiness in storage under moderate environmental relative humidity conditions. However, in the case of the glass transition concept, the determined values of water activity indicate that products stored in room temperature must be protected against the influence of humidity.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of incandescent, fluorescent, and LED (RGB (red, green, blue), white cold, white warm) lighting on characteristics of kale sprouts. The highest concentrations of chlorophylls, β-carotene, lutein, neoxanthin and violaxanthin were found in cotyledons of sprouts growing in RGB LED light. These had the largest proportion of cotyledons to the mass of plants and the highest content of ascorbic acid. The highest contents of protein and total thiocyanates were observed in sprouts cultivated in incandescent light, followed by plants growing under RGB LED light. The application of a conventional bulb led to the lowest yield as well as the smallest amounts of chlorophylls, β-carotene, lutein and neoxanthin in fresh mass of cotyledons. Of the light sources used, RGB LED treatment allowed plants with the highest content of most of the examined compounds to be obtained.

This research studied the possibility of using hyaluronic acid (HA) as a food additive for meat emulsions to create a novel functional food with improved rheological and water binding properties. Sausages with 200 and 500 g kg-1 water addition were supplemented with 0, 0.01, 0.05 and 0.1 g kg-1 of HA and stored for 14 days in vacuum. Rheology, texture, weight losses, proximate composition and microbiological analyses were performed together with the sensory evaluation of produced sausages.; Results: Surprisingly, the results show that the addition of 0.05 and 0.1 g kg-1 HA reduced yield and the stability of meat emulsion by causing water outflow from the product and decreased the sensory scores of the produced sausages. The sausage with 500 g kg-1 water and 0.01 g kg-1 HA addition was the only economically viable option for introducing the product on the market.; Conclusion: HA has a potential of being a perfect functional food additive for meat industry, although further research regarding processing conditions should be performed. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.; © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of soaking seeds in hot water on the content of selected bioactive compounds in alfalfa sprouts. Temperature and time regimes were: 85 °C, for 10 and 40 s; 90 °C and 100 °C, for 10 s. Sprouts were examined for the contents of ascorbic acid, chlorophylls a and b, α- and β-carotene, neoxanthin, violaxanthin, lutein and total phenolics. In most cases, the treatment applied had no significant effect on the contents of lutein, violaxanthin, neoxanthin, β-carotene and total phenolics. However, disinfection at 100 °C caused a significant reduction in ascorbic acid content, an increase in total phenolic content and a rise in the proportion of cotyledons in the mass of sprouts. The treatment variants applied did not significantly affect the total chlorophyll content in cotyledons. This study revealed that seed treatment with hot water may, depending on the applied parameters, affect sprout morphology, ascorbic acid content and total phenolic content.

This research studied the possibility of using hyaluronic acid (HA) as a food additive for meat emulsions to create a novel functional food with improved rheological and water binding properties. Sausages with 200 and 500 g kgSurprisingly, the results show that the addition of 0.05 and 0.1 g kgHA has a potential of being a perfect functional food additive for meat industry, although further research regarding processing conditions should be performed. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.