Stabilization of Sunflower Oil with Biologically Active Compounds from Berries

Sunflower oil (Helianthus annuus) contains a rich concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are susceptible to rapid oxidative processes. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stabilizing effect of lipophilic extracts from two types of berries, sea buckthorn and rose hips, on sunflower oil. This research included the analysis of sunflower oil oxidation products and mechanisms, including the determination of chemical changes occurring in the lipid oxidation process via LC-MS/MS using electrospray ionization in negative and positive mode. Pentanal, hexanal, heptanal, octanal, and nonanal were identified as key compounds formed during oxidation. The individual profiles of the carotenoids from sea buckthorn berries were determined using RP-HPLC. The influence of the carotenoid extraction parameters ascertained from the berries on the oxidative stability of sunflower oil was analyzed. The dynamics of the accumulation of the primary and secondary products of lipid oxidation and the variation of the carotenoid pigment content in the lipophilic extracts of sea buckthorn and rose hips during storage demonstrated good stability at 4 °C in the absence of light for 12 months. The experimental results were applied to mathematical modeling using fuzzy sets and mutual information analysis, which allowed for the prediction of the oxidation of sunflower oil

Deepening EU-Moldovan relations : what, why and how?

The signing of the Association Agreement and DCFTA between Moldova and the European Union in 2014 was a strategic political act to deepen the realisation of Moldova’s ‘European choice’. Of all the EU’s eastern neighbours, Moldova is objectively the most European on several accounts, including sharing a common history, language, culture and border with its direct neighbour and now EU member state Romania. This signifies highly positive foundations for making a success of the Agreement, notwithstanding the major political and economic challenges that contemporary Moldova faces. The purpose of this Handbook is to make the legal content of the Association Agreement clearly comprehensible. It covers all the significant political and economic chapters of the Agreement, and in each case explains the meaning of the commitments made by Moldova and the challenges posed by their implementation. A unique reference source for this historic act, this Handbook is intended for professional readers, namely officials, parliamentarians, diplomats, business leaders, lawyers, consultants, think tanks, civil society organisations, university teachers, trainers, students and journalists. The work has been carried out by two teams of researchers from leading independent think tanks, CEPS in Brussels and the Expert-Grup in Chişinău, with the support of the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida). It is one of a trilogy of Handbooks, with the other two volumes examining similar Association Agreements made by the EU with Ukraine and Georgia. For more information on the project, see http://www.3dcftas.e