Osmotic Dehydration Model for Sweet Potato Varieties in Sugar Beet Molasses Using the Peleg Model and Fitting Absorption Data Using the Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer Model

This study investigates the applicability of the Peleg model to the osmotic dehydration of various sweet potato variety samples in sugar beet molasses, addressing a notable gap in the existing literature. The osmotic dehydration was performed using an 80% sugar beet molasses solution at temperatures of 20 ◦C, 35 ◦C, and 50 ◦C for periods of 1, 3, and 5 h. The sample-tosolution ratio was 1:5. The objectives encompassed evaluating the Peleg equation’s suitability for modeling mass transfer during osmotic dehydration and determining equilibrium water and solid contents at various temperatures. With its modified equation, the Peleg model accurately described water loss and solid gain dynamics during osmotic treatment, as evidenced by a high coefficient of determination value (r2 ) ranging from 0.990 to 1.000. Analysis of Peleg constants revealed temperature and concentration dependencies, aligning with previous observations. The Guggenheim, Anderson, and de Boer (GAB) model was employed to characterize sorption isotherms, yielding coefficients comparable to prior studies. Effective moisture diffusivity and activation energy calculations further elucidated the drying kinetics, with effective moisture diffusivity values ranging from 1.85 × 10−8 to 4.83 × 10−8 m2/s and activation energy between 7.096 and 16.652 kJ/mol. These findings contribute to understanding the complex kinetics of osmotic dehydration and provide insights into the modeling and optimization of dehydration processes for sweet potato samples, with implications for food processing and preservation methodologies

Inhalation and Topical Application of Rose Essential Oil – A Systematic Overview of Rosa damascena Aromatherapy

The purpose of this systematic overview is to establish the impact of inhalation and topical application of Rosa damascena essential oil in aromatherapy practice. A bibliometric analysis using the different scientific databases was conducted to examine scientific documents related to “rose aromatherapy” and “Rosa damascena aromatherapy”. Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer software were used to extract and visualize information. Founded on a review of 93 papers, the scent of rose essential oil has applications in aromatherapy for reducing anxiety, alleviating pain, improving sleep quality, as well as alleviating physiological symptoms during menopause and PMS. It aids in mitigating stress and reducing stress and reducing depression and fatigue, for relaxation and improving cognitive function, among other benefits. Ultimately, rose essential oil is safe and suitable for self-administration via inhalation or topical application, either alone or with other essential oils

Agricultural parameters and essential oil content composition prediction of aniseed, based on growing year, locality and fertilization type - an artificial neural network approach

Predicting yield is essential for producers, stakeholders and international interchange demand. The majority of the divergence in yield and essential oil content is associated with environmental aspects, including weather conditions, soil variety and cultivation techniques. Therefore, aniseed production was examined in this study. The categorical input variables for artificial neural network modelling were growing year (two successive growing years), growing locality (three different locations in Vojvodina Province, Serbia) and fertilization type (six different treatments). The output variables were morphological and quality parameters, with agricultural importance such as plant height, umbel diameter, number of umbels, number of seeds per umbel, 1000-seed weight, seed yield per plant, plant weight, harvest index, yield per ha, essential oil (EO) yield, germination energy, total germination, EO content, as well as the share of EOs compounds, including limonene, cis-dihydro carvone, methyl chavicol, carvone, cis-anethole, trans-anethole, β-elemene, α-himachalene, trans-βfarnesene, γ-himachalene, trans-muurola-4(14),5-diene, α-zingiberene, β-himachalene, β-bisabolene, trans-pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate and epoxy-pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate. The ANN model predicted agricultural parameters accurately, showing r2 values between 0.555 and 0.918, while r2 values for the forecasting of essential oil content were between 0.379 and 0.908. According to global sensitivity analysis, the fertilization type was a more influential variable to agricultural parameters, while the location site was more influential to essential oils content

Volatile profile of garden rose (Rosa hybrida) hydrosol and evaluation of its biological activity in vitro

Garden rose, Rosa hybrida, is primarily used for decoration and has a wide range of growing area, contrary to R. damascena that has a limited area of distribution (Turkey and Bulgaria), yet it is extensively used for commercial production of valuable and expensive rose oil. Since the content of essential oil in rose petals is low (0.03–0.04%), its production is quite limited; however, during this process, a significant amount of rose hydrosol is obtained as a secondary product. The aim of this research was to determine the chemical composition of garden rose hydrosols and to evaluate their biological properties. Obtained results show that R. hybrida hydrosol containing phenylethyl alcohol, nerol, linalool, and geraniol may be used as an alternative for R. damascena hydrosol. However, the total phenolic content was quite low (4.96 µg GAE/mL), which is related to a low level of observed antioxidant activity based on different antioxidant activity assays. Furthermore, R. hybrida hydrosol did not exhibit antimicrobial activity against several gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as yeast and fungi. Anti-inflammatory activity was also low, while no antihyperglycemic activity was detected. With these results in mind, no potential is evident for the therapeutic application of rose hydrosol beyond that found in complimentary medicine such as aromatherapy

Variability in Biological Activities of Satureja montana Subsp. montana and Subsp. variegata Based on Different Extraction Methods

Winter savory (Satureja montana L.) is a well-known spice and medicinal plant with a wide range of activities and applications. Two subspecies of S. montana, subsp. montana and subsp. variegata, were used for the preparation of seven different extracts: steam distillation (essential oil (EO) and hydrolate (HY)), subcritical water (SWE), ultrasound-assisted (UAE-MeOH and UAE-H2O), and microwave-assisted (MAE-MeOH and MAE-H2O) extraction. The obtained EOs, HYs, and extracts were used for an in vitro evaluation of the antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS, reducing power, and superoxide anion methods) and in vitro antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Candida albicans. The antimicrobial screening was conducted using disk-diffusion assessment, minimal inhibitory concentration, time–kill kinetics modeling, and pharmacodynamic study of the biocide effect. The total phenolic content (TPC) was highest in EO, followed by SWE, MAE, and UAE, and the lowest was in HY. The highest antimicrobial activity shows EO and SWE for both varieties, while different UAE and MAE extracts have not exhibited antimicrobial activity. The natural antimicrobials in the S. montana extract samples obtained by green extraction methods, indicated the possibility of ecologically and economically better solutions for future in vivo application of the selected plant subspecies.Supplementary material: [https://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/5661

Enhanced Preservation of Bioactives in Wild Garlic (<i>Allium ursinum</i> L.) through Advanced Primary Processing

Medicinal and aromatic plants, such as wild garlic (Allium ursinum), are valuable sources of bioactive compounds in traditional and modern medicine. However, the challenges in cultivating wild garlic and its seasonality limit its availability primarily to early spring. To maintain the quality of wild garlic, effective postharvest practices are essential, considering the delicate nature of its leaves and their susceptibility to rapid decay. This study focuses on implementing eco-friendly postharvest practices to address the seasonality and perishability of wild garlic. Optimizing storage conditions and drying processes is essential for extending its shelf life and preserving bioactive components. Two postharvest approaches were evaluated, with vacuum packaging at 4 °C demonstrating the most effective preservation of sensory attributes and bioactive composition over a 9-day period. Additionally, different drying methods, including convective and vacuum drying at various temperatures, were investigated. When the best drying temperature was selected, the results revealed that convective drying is more efficient at preserving phenolic compounds in wild garlic leaves at 60 °C. Conversely, vacuum drying shows superior preservation of alliinase activity and total thiosulfinate content at 70 °C. Furthermore, this study explores the utilization of unused wild garlic, which is typically discarded as waste during storage. By employing suitable drying methods, this material can be preserved and provide a valuable source of phenolic compounds (7.17–10.12 g GAE/100 g) and thiosulfinate (9.35–12.72 mg AC/110 g) compounds for various extraction processes. Accordingly, this research presents significant implications for the integration of wild garlic into diverse industries, particularly in the fields of food and pharmaceutical sectors. The findings offer opportunities for sustainable utilization, economic benefits, and a more environmentally friendly and economically viable approach to wild garlic production and processing

Augmenting Functional and Sensorial Quality Attributes of Kefir through Fortification with Encapsulated Blackberry Juice

Kefir is a fermented dairy product claimed to confer many health-promoting effects, but its acidic taste is not appealing to some consumers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to enhance the functional and sensorial quality attributes of kefir through fortification with encapsulated blackberry juice (EBJ). The blackberry juice was successfully encapsulated via freeze-drying using lentil protein isolate (LPI) as the carrier. The encapsulated blackberry juice showed good physicochemical, functional, and morphological properties, as well as microbiological safety for use as a food additive. The kefir was fortified with EBJ in concentrations of 1, 2.5, 5, and 7.5% (w/w), stored for up to 28 days under refrigeration, and periodically evaluated. Parameters such as the viscosity, titrable acidity, and pH indicate that the kefir fortification did not affect its stability during storage. EBJ significantly increased the antioxidant properties of the kefir, depending on the fortification level. Additionally, all the fortified samples provided more anthocyanins than the daily recommended intake. Microbiological profiling demonstrated that good laboratory practice and hygiene were implemented during the experiments. Finally, the panelists showed that higher EBJ concentrations in the kefir resulted in greater overall acceptability, indicating that this encapsulate has the potential to be a substitute synthetic color additive in the dairy industry

Bioactive, Mineral and Antioxidative Properties of Gluten-Free Chicory Supplemented Snack: Impact of Processing Conditions

This study aimed to investigate the impact of chicory root addition (20&ndash;40%) and extrusion conditions (moisture content from 16.3 to 22.5%, and screw speed from 500 to 900 rpm) on bioactive compounds content (inulin, sesquiterpene lactones, and polyphenols) of gluten-free rice snacks. Chicory root is considered a potential carrier of food bioactives, while extrusion may produce a wide range of functional snack products. The mineral profiles were determined in all of the obtained extrudates in terms of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu contents, while antioxidative activity was established through reducing capacity, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) tests. Chicory root addition contributed to the improvement of bioactive compounds and mineral contents, as well as antioxidative activities in all of the investigated extrudates in comparison to the pure-rice control sample. An increase in moisture content raised sesquiterpene lactones and minerals, while high screw speeds positively affected polyphenols content. The achieved results showed the important impact of the extrusion conditions on the investigated parameters and promoted chicory root as an attractive food ingredient in gluten-free snack products with high bioactive value

Biological Potential of Alternative Kombucha Beverages Fermented on Essential Oil Distillation By-Products

The complete waste streams (solid waste residue, wastewater, and hydrolate) from the essential oil production of basil, chamomile, lavender, rosemary, and hyssop plants were used as a cultivation media for fermentations of a health-beneficial beverage called kombucha. Considering that these waste streams have not been used as a medium for obtaining kombucha, the main focus of this study was on the biological profiling and sensory analysis of newly-obtained kombucha beverages. According to fermentation parameters and advanced mathematical modelling, it can be concluded that kombucha made from chamomile essential oil by-products achieved the fastest successful kombucha fermentation, with a maximal titratable acidity of 7.2 g/L and a minimal pH value of 2.8. The results of other kombucha fermentations varied between the chosen plant and the waste stream used for beverage production. The obtained phenol and flavonoid contents were in the range of 12.4&ndash;56.46 mg GA/100 mL and 0.25&ndash;5.07 mg RU/100 mL, respectively. Higher antioxidant capacity as well as anti-inflammatory and antihyperglycemic activities of all kombucha beverages were observed compared to controls. Briefly, achieved DPPH, ABTS, and reducing power values were in the range 30.28&ndash;73.70, 192.25&ndash;683.29, and 19.37&ndash;82.76 mmol TE/100 mL, respectively. According to sensory analysis, the best performance or complete acceptability was noted for kombucha beverages made from lavender and hyssops (in the case of solid waste stream mixed with hydrolate) as well as basil (in the case of concentrated wastewater and hydrolate)