Many studies have proved that bioactive components of Aloe vera have an anti-inflammatory effect and support lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, helping to maintain normal sugar and cholesterol levels in blood and normal body weight. When aloe is applied externally, it accelerates the regeneration of the damaged skin. Aloe contains antioxidants, which may increase the shelf-life and nutritional value of food; therefore, it is widely used in cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industry. An antioxidant activity was shown for leaf’s skin, flowers and gel of aloe. In this work the future of A. vera as effective antioxidants is primarily discussed and expected trends are summarised. Furthermore, the bioactive components and the health-promoting effects of A. vera are investigated.

AbstractThis article focused on the content of lycopene in fresh and dried tomatoes and tomato pomace, as well as in tomato paste at different harvest times (harvest 1 – August and harvest 2 – September). The lycopene content of tomatoes and tomato products was evaluated by using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that the highest content of lycopene was estimated in the tomato paste independent of the time of harvest (211.73 mg/100 g dm in August and 184.29 mg/100 g dm in September) and the lowest content in fresh pomace (20.45 and 16.11 mg/100 g dm in August and September, respectively). Good sources of lycopene are tomato by-products, in particularly dried tomato pomace (25.11 mg/100 g dm – harvest 1 and 19.30 mg/100 g dm – harvest 2). This study showed that tomato waste can be considered as a promising source of lycopene for the production of functional foods.

The number and proportion of older adults are increasing globally, and it is predicted that in 2020, there will be 723 million people worldwide aged 66 and older. In recent decades, numerous studies showed that healthy eating is positively associated with better nutritional status and quality of life, and the decreased incidence of noncommunicable diseases. As older adults become health conscious, the demand for foods and beverages rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds has increased. The increased demand for healthy food stimulated a recent rapid increase in designing, producing, and marketing functional foods to prevent or correct nutrient deficiencies and to improve the nutritional status of older adults. These functional products contain and/or are enriched with dietary fiber; omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; phytoestrogens; polyphenols; carotenoids such as alpha‐ and beta‐carotene; lutein and zeaxanthin; pre‐, pro‐, and synbiotics; and plant sterols and stanols. A limited number of publications have thoroughly addressed the effect of functional foods on the nutritional status of older adults. The goal of this review was to review existing recent research on the role of functional foods in healthy and active aging.

Hen eggshells are a rich and natural source of calcium and can serve as a biofunctional food ingredient. Enriching the traditional Polish bread spread (ser smażony) with micronized eggshell is an attractive proposition for consumers who require easily available calcium. The present study aimed to evaluate the use of micronized eggshells as a source of bioavailable calcium in bread spread. The study evaluated the effect of selected biocomponents on calcium bioavailability by using an in vitro digestion model. The enrichment of bread spread with eggshell, lysine, vitamin D 3 , and vitamin K enhanced all examined physicochemical variables except water activity. Enrichment with eggshells increased calcium levels >2.5-fold compared with the control sample. As an ingredient of bread spread, lysine is an important rheological factor. The bioavailability of calcium was higher in samples with lysine and vitamin K compared with samples that contained eggshell alone.

The aim of the study was to determine correlations between the concentration of thiamine in systems and indicators of the antioxidative activity of ethanol tea extracts in the presence of soybean oil. Variability of the thiamine form was assumed by comparison of the influence of thiamine hydrochloride or thiamine pyrophosphate and fermentation of ethanol tea extracts. The study provides practical knowledge about the antioxidative activity of ethanol tea extracts in products containing fat and thiamine. The study showed that all tea extracts exhibited higher antioxidative activity in the presence of thiamine amounts of 0.1 and 0.8 mg/100 g. The antioxidative activity of ethanol tea extracts was significantly reduced when the concentrations were higher than the natural level for foods (over 1.0 mg/100 g). The systems containing white tea extract were the most vulnerable, whereas those with black tea were the least vulnerable. The presence of thiamine pyrophosphate in the system was more strongly correlated with reduced activity of the extracts than the presence of thiamine hydrochloride.

This paper presents a study on the antiradical properties of red fruits commonly consumed in Europe, i.e. strawberry (Fragaria ananasa), raspberry (Rubus ideaus), blackberry (Rubus fruticosus), cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and pomegranate (Punica granatum) extracts by various in vitro tests as well as the determination of qualitative and quantitative features of their phenolic compounds. Our results indicated richness of red fruits in phenolic compounds and variability of their chemical mixtures dominated generally by anthocyanins, ellagic acid and their derivatives. The selected fruit extracts exhibited notable antiradical activity by DPPH, ABTS, ORAC and PCL assays with significant correlation to phenolic content and remarkable influence of the chemical composition. This investigation indicated that the red fruits examined constitute prosperous natural sources of antiradical substances of high value which would benefit the product quality and consumers' health.

The food industry has endeavoured to move toward the direction of clean labelling. Therefore, replacing synthetic preservatives with natural plant extracts has gained significant importance. It is necessary to determine whether products enriched with such extracts are still accepted by consumers. In this study, consumer tests (n = 246) and sensory profiling were used to assess the impact of ethanol extracts of spices (lovage, marjoram, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and basil; concentration 0.05%) on the sensory quality of pork meatballs and hamburgers. The desirability of meat products with spice extracts to consumers depended on the added extract. The highest scores were for products with lovage extract, whose sensory profile was the most similar to the control sample without the addition of an extract (with higher intensity of broth taste compared with the others). Products with rosemary and thyme extracts were characterised by lower desirability than the control. This was related to the high intensity of spicy and essential oil tastes, as well as the bitter taste in the case of products with thyme. The studied extracts of spices allow for the creation of meat products (meatballs and hamburgers) with high consumer desirability, however, the high intensity of essential oil and spicy tastes might be a limitation.

The aim of the study is to explore the possibility of vegetables being used as carriers of thiamine. The influence of carrier type (thiamine hydrochloride—TCh and thiamine pyrophosphate—TP) for the thiamine stability were investigated. Two varieties of pumpkin, Muscat and Hokkaido, as well as Cauliflower and Broccoli, were used as a matrix for the thiamine applied. The impregnated and freeze-dried vegetables were stored (230 days) with changing access to light (access to and restriction of light) and temperature (21 °C and 40 °C). The analyzed carriers were also used in the production of gnocchi dumplings. The content of thiamine was analyzed using the thiochromium method. In the study, consumer tests (n = 199) and sensory profiling were used to assess the impact of thiamine carriers on the sensory quality of gnocchi dumplings. It was found that the introduction of dried vegetables at the level of 30% allows for high sensory desirability of analyzed products, as well as suggesting the possibility of their frequent consumption. Such a product could potentially become an alternative to pork meat as a good source of thiamine. However, it should be noted that the thiamine losses may occur during the storage of dried vegetables and their culinary preparation.