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In the recent decades, algae have proven to be a source of different bioactive compounds with biological activities, which has increased the potential application of these organisms in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, animal feed, and other industrial sectors. On the other hand, there is a growing interest in developing effective strategies for control and/or eradication of invasive algae since they have a negative impact on marine ecosystems and in the economy of the affected zones. However, the application of control measures is usually time and resource-consuming and not profitable. Considering this context, the valorization of invasive algae species as a source of bioactive compounds for industrial applications could be a suitable strategy to reduce their population, obtaining both environmental and economic benefits. To carry out this practice, it is necessary to evaluate the chemical and the nutritional composition of the algae as well as the most efficient methods of extracting the compounds of interest. In the case of northwest Spain, five algae species are considered invasive: Asparagopsis armata , Codium fragile , Gracilaria vermiculophylla , Sargassum muticum , and Grateulopia turuturu . This review presents a brief description of their main bioactive compounds, biological activities, and extraction systems employed for their recovery. In addition, evidence of their beneficial properties and the possibility of use them as supplement in diets of aquaculture animals was collected to illustrate one of their possible applications.

Wild edible plants (WEPs) have been consumed since ancient times. They are considered as non-domesticated plants that grow spontaneously in nature, particularly in forests and bushlands, where they can be found and collected to be incorporated into human nutrition. Increasingly, WEPs are gaining importance as they are potential sources of food due to their nutritional value, besides showing positive health effects and offer innovative applications in haute cuisine. As these autochthonous plants grow naturally in the environment, they are more suitable to adapt to different climatic conditions as well as biotic and abiotic factors. Therefore, a door has been opened for their possible cultivation as they seem to require fewer expenses than other commercially cultivated plants. Moreover, the consumers demand for new products of natural origin that are sustainable and ecologically labeled have also boosted WEPs' recovery and incorporation into the market. In addition, they are considered as promising sources of essential compounds needed not only in human diet including carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids but also of other minor compounds as phenols, vitamins, or carotenoids that have shown numerous beneficial bioactivities such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, or anti-tumor activity. The use of these plants rich in bioactive molecules could be beneficial from the health point of view as the human body is not always capable of producing enough defenses, for instance, preventing oxidative damage. In particular, the presence of phenolic compounds in these vegetal matrices is supposed to provide a prophylactic effect against further pathogenesis and disorders related to aging or oxidative stresses. Regarding all this information based on traditional knowledge and ethnobotanical data, different WEPs found in the Northwestern region of Spain were selected, namely, Mentha suaveolens, Glechoma hederacea, Prunus spinosa, Apium nodiflorum, Artemisia absinthium, Silybum marianum, Picris hieracioides, Portulaca oleracea, Crithmum maritimum, and the genus Amaranthus. However, even though tradition and popular knowledge are excellent tools for the exploitation of these plants, it is necessary to develop regulations in this aspect to assure safety and veracity of food products. This article aims to review the main aspects of their bioactive properties, their traditional use, and the possibility of their incorporation into the market as new functional foods, looking at innovative and healthy gastronomic applications.

A combination of physical-chemical analysis has been used to monitor the aging of red wines from D.O. Toro (Spain). The changes in the chemical composition of wines that occur over the aging time can be used to distinguish between wine samples collected after one, four, seven and ten months of aging. Different computational models were used to develop a good authenticity tool to certify wines. In this research, different models have been developed: Artificial Neural Network models (ANNs), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) models. The results obtained for the ANN model developed with sigmoidal function in the output neuron and the RF model permit us to determine the aging time, with an average absolute percentage deviation below 1%, so it can be concluded that these two models have demonstrated their capacity to predict the age of wine.

Honey samples (101) from Galicia (N.W. Spain) were analyzed by gas chromatography (electron capture and flame ionization) for the presence of acaricides (amitraz, bromopropylate, coumaphos, and fluvalinate). Seventy-three samples were free from detectable residues. Bromopropylate residues were found in 16 samples in levels ranging from 5 to 60 microg/kg. Fluvalinate residues were found in 11 samples in levels ranging from 10 to 40 microg/kg. One sample contained 100 microg of fluvalinate per kg. Neither amitraz nor coumaphos residues were detected.