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The valorisation of biomass generated along the agri-food chain into co-products represents a valid approach to produce alternative and sustainable feed ingredients. Although to date, some co-products have already been included in the diets of livestock animals, the characterisation of hemp co-products (Cannabis sativa L.) is still at an early stage. For this, the aim of this this work was to investigate the nutritional and functional profile [total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity (ABTS, FRAP)] of hemp co-products [mix flowers and leaves (MFL), hulls (HLs) and hempseeds cake], after green chemical extraction (0% EtOH; 50% EtOH; 100% EtOH) and ex vivo digestion process. High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography was performed on 50% EtOH chemical extracts to identify the main phenolic compounds. The results reported an interesting nutritional profile, although dependent on the processing to obtain the co-product. The functional aspect of the chemical extracts showed a higher TPC for MFL, especially after 50% EtOH extraction (3551.12 ± 98.54 mg TAE/100 g) identifying Quercetin, Kaempferol, Rutin, Chlorogenic acid, Ferulic acid, Cannabigerol and α-tocopherol as the main compounds present, a profile similar to that of HLs. This was also observed for ABTS (6950.10 ± 546.82 mg TE/100 g) and FRAP (130.05 ± 4.67 mg FeSO4/100 g). Ex vivo digestion confirmed the high functional profile of the two matrices. Despite this, it is important to emphasise that processing co-products are characterised by a high variability that may lead to different results and effects on the health and performance of monogastric animals.

In recent years, microalgae, particularly Euglena gracilis, have been candidates for the food/feed industry thanks to their nutritional and functional properties. However, the inclusion of E. gracilis in the diet of livestock animals is little studied, especially regarding its antioxidant activity. Furthermore, microalgae are known for their variability in nutritional quality and functional properties, mainly due to cultivation conditions. For this reason, the aim of the present work was to investigate the nutritional and functional aspects (total phenolic content TPC, Folin-Ciocalteu assay); antioxidant activity (ABTS and FRAP assays) of E. gracilis, grown in three different media, following chemical extraction (H2O:EtOH) and ex vivo digestion method. The microalgae growth media were characterised as follows: EgM (standard medium); ETX (standard medium + aminoacidic-extract); DOE-ETX (ETX + microelements). The results showed an interesting nutritional profile for all the microalgae analysed, although the values were modulated by media nutrients. Although EgM (6.94 ± 0.25 g/L) was characterised by a significant higher growth yield than ETX (5.75 ± 0.14 g/L) and DOE-ETX (4.72 ± 0.17 g/L), results also confirmed by the paramylon content (4.35 ± 0.13; 3.16 ± 0.08; 2.25 ± 0.05 g/L, respectively) (p