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This research was aimed to make biolayer coatings enriched with orange peel essential oil (OPEO) on synthetic laminate, oriented poly(ethylene-terephthalate)/polypropylene (PET-O/PP). Coating materials were taken from biobased and renewable waste sources, and the developed formulation was targeted for food packaging. The developed materials were characterized for their barrier (O 2 , CO 2 , and water vapour), optical (colour, opacity), surface (inventory of peaks by FTIR), and antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, the overall migration from a base layer (PET-O/PP) in an acetic acid (3% HAc) and ethanol aqueous solution (20% EtOH) were measured. The antimicrobial activity of chitosan (Chi)-coated films was assessed against Escherichia coli . Permeation of the uncoated samples (base layer, PET-O/PP) increased with the temperature increase (from 20 °C to 40 °C and 60 °C). Films with Chi-coatings were a better barrier to gases than the control (PET-O/PP) measured at 20 °C. The addition of 1% ( w / v ) OPEO to the Chi-coating layer showed a permeance decrease of 67% for CO 2 and 48% for O 2 . The overall migrations from PET-O/PP in 3% HAc and 20% EtOH were 1.8 and 2.3 mg/dm 2 , respectively. Analysis of spectral bands did not indicate any surface structural changes after exposure to food simulants. Water vapour transmission rate values were increased for Chi-coated samples compared to the control. The total colour difference showed a slight colour change for all coated samples (ΔE > 2). No significant changes in light transmission at 600 nm for samples containing 1% and 2% OLEO were observed. The addition of 4% ( w / v ) OPEO was not enough to obtain a bacteriostatic effect, so future research is needed.

The goal of this review is to provide an overview of the current findings on the major carotenoids and their content in pumpkin products and by-products. The content of total carotenoids and the composition of carotenoids in pumpkins depend mainly on the species and cultivar, pedoclimatic conditions, the part of the plant (pulp, peel or seed), extraction procedures and the type of solvent used for extraction. The major carotenoids identified in pumpkins were β-carotene, α-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin. β-Carotene is the major carotenoid in most pumpkin species. The number and content of total carotenoids are higher when minor carotenoids and ester forms are considered. The use of carotenoids in the development of functional foods has been the topic of many versatile studies in recent years, as they add significant value to foods associated with numerous health benefits. In view of this, pumpkin and pumpkin by-products can serve as a valuable source of carotenoids.

In the last decade both scientific and industrial community focuses on food with the highest nutritional and organoleptic quality, together with appropriate safety. Accordingly, strong efforts have been made in finding appropriate emerging technologies for food processing and packaging. Parallel to this, an enormous effort is also made to decrease the negative impact of synthetic polymers not only on food products (migration issues) but on the entire environment (pollution). The science of packaging is also subjected to changes, resulting in development of novel biomaterials, biodegradable or not, with active, smart, edible and intelligent properties. Combining non-thermal processing with new materials opens completely new interdisciplinary area of interest for both food and material scientists. The aim of this review article is to give an insight in the latest research data about synergies between non-thermal processing technologies and selected packaging materials/concepts.

Chamomile ( Matricaria chamomilla L.) dried flowers contain a group of interesting biologically active compounds such as sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, coumarins, vitamins, phenolic acids and glucosides. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to characterize the composition in bioactive compounds (specialized metabolites) present in water and ethanol extracts of chamomile flowers, together with monitoring the impact of different extraction techniques (conventional vs. ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)) on the parameters under investigation. UAE treatment significantly decreased the extraction time of bioactive compounds from herbal material. Polyphenolic compounds content and antioxidant capacity were significantly higher in UAE extracts. Moreover, solvent type had a significant impact on the specialized metabolites content, while the highest vitamin C and polyphenols content were recorded in 50% ethanol ( v / v ) extracts. Optimization of basic extraction factors: solvent type, temperature and technique is crucial for obtaining the extracts with the highest content of specialized metabolites and antioxidant capacity.

In this study, the influence of stevia addition and sonication processing parameters on the phenolic content and profile as well as the steviol glycosides of strawberry juice-based samples was investigated. For this purpose, three matrices-control samples of strawberry juices without green stevia powder (CS), strawberry juices with green stevia powder (JGSP), and sonicated juices with green stevia powder (SJGSP)-were prepared. For sonication purposes, different conditions regarding probe diameters (7 mm and 22 mm), amplitudes (50%, 75%, and 100%), and time (15 min, 20 min, and 25 min) were tested. The results that were obtained upon the measurement of the total phenolic content, total flavonoids, steviol glycosides, and antioxidant capacity showed significant differences according to the matrices evaluated, obtaining overall higher values in the samples with stevia added. Moreover, when sonication was evaluated, it was found that a higher amplitude (100%), a larger probe diameter (22 mm), and a longer sonication period (25 min) led to higher values. Flavones such as luteolin and apigenin were identified and quantified in JGSP and SJGSP, while they were not found in CS. Besides these phenolic compounds, kaempferol, quercetin, pyrogallic acid, 4-methylcatechol, and 4-methoxybenzoic acid were also identified and quantified. Similarly to the total phenolic compounds, total flavonoids, and total antioxidant capacity, an increased amount of these compounds was found in SJGSP, especially after using the most intense sonication conditions. Therefore, the use of sonication together with stevia added could be a useful tool to preserve strawberry juices, increasing at the same time the sweetness and the antioxidant value of the beverages., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflict of interest to disclose.