In recent years, popularity of radiofrequency (RF) has increased significantly. They are characterized by a low risk of complications and relatively high effectiveness. RF use high-frequency currents causing oscillating motion of ions resulting in temperature rise stimulating skin regeneration processes. The aim of this work was the thermographic evaluation of the skin exposed to RF of different intensity. The dynamic thermal imaging was used to study the temperature of the skin exposed to RF. The research was carried out in two locations with different adipose tissue content: abdomen (ROI1) and forearm (ROI2). In the ROI1 area, RF was applied at nominal power range from 250 to 1750 W, while in ROI2 area: from 250 to 1000 W. The obtained thermographic data were fitted to exponential functions. A clear dependence of obtained thermokinetic parameters with the anatomical location of exposure to RF was demonstrated. Thicker layer of adipose tissue directly under the skin resulted in obtaining higher maximum temperatures of the skin surface during the procedure (maximum obtained temperature equaled 40.8°C). The temperature of the skin under the head of the device does not translate to subjective patient experiences. In anatomic locations filled with less adipose tissue mass, tolerance to RF is much lower. The dynamics of skin temperature changes, after the RF treatment, can be described by means of a single exponential function where the key parameter is the time constant t defining the dynamics of skin temperature changes. The depth of the RF influence is slightly correlated with the RF power.

Ostatnie badania potwierdzają prozdrowotne właściwości czekolady, chociaż historia kakao jako leku sięga kilku tysięcy lat. Drzewo kakaowca rosnące w klimacie równikowym, w wierzeniach starożytnych Majów i Azteków, było boskim darem dla ludzkości zapewniającym mądrość i wiedzę uniwersalną. Z jego ziaren uzyskiwany jest proszek kakaowy służący do produkcji czekolady zawierającej wiele składników bioaktywnych, w tym witaminy, składniki mineralne, polifenole i kwasy tłuszczowe. Czekolada pozytywnie wpływa na nastrój, zmniejsza podatność na stany depresyjne oraz stres oksydacyjny. Spożycie czekolady w trakcie ciąży może poprawić stan psychiczny przyszłych matek i zmniejszyć negatywny wpływ matczynego stresu na niemowlę. Dzięki wysokiej zawartości flawanoli wykazuje właściwości przeciwzapalne, przeciwalergiczne, przeciwwirusowe oraz przeciwnowotworowe. Pozytywnie wpływa na pamięć i umiejętności poznawcze, może zmniejszyć ryzyko demencji. Regularne spożywanie produktów zawierających kakao zmniejsza ryzyko zgonu z przyczyn sercowo-naczyniowych, a zwłaszcza udaru mózgu, oraz może zmniejszyć obwodową oporność na insulinę u kobiet z cukrzycą typu 2. Działa pobudzająco po wysiłku psychicznym lub fizycznym. Zapewnia uczucie sytości, dlatego była dodawana do żołnierskich racji żywnościowych w czasie I wojny światowej. Należy jednak pamiętać, że spożycie czekolady podnosi poziom kwasu szczawianowego w moczu oraz może prowadzić do zaostrzenia objawów trądziku pospolitego. Jest toksyczna dla zwierząt. Czekolada zawiera również związki, których znaczenie dla zdrowia nie zostało szczegółowo poznane. S Ł O W A K L U C Z O W Eczekolada, zdrowie, kakao, flawonoidy, metyloksantyny, samopoczucie AB ST R ACTRecent research confirms the healthy properties of chocolate. However, the history of cocoa as a drug dates back several thousand years. The cocoa tree growing in the equatorial climate in the beliefs of the ancient Maya and Aztecs was a divine gift for humanity providing wisdom and universal knowledge. From its grains, cocoa powder is obtained for the production of chocolate, which contains many bioactive components, including vitamins, minerals, polyphenols

Food product packaging should block light to protect nutrients, color and active ingredients in functional food from degradation. Currently, packages are not optimized in terms of the solar radiation impact on the products they contain. The aim of this study was to develop a method of quantifying the interaction of food products with solar radiation, which would enable the optimization and selection of packaging that would protect the product from the spectral range specifically absorbed by it. In order to determine the reflectance of chocolate, the total reflectance ratio was measured. For this purpose, a SOC 410 Solar DHR reflectometer from Surface Optics Corporation, San Diego, USA was used. Directional reflectance was measured for seven discrete spectral ranges from 335 to 2500 nm, which correspond to the spectrum of solar radiation. The value of total reflectance for chocolate differed significantly in the studied spectral ranges. The highest reflectance ratio, averaged for all the tested chocolate, was recorded for the spectral range 700–1100 nm and the lowest for the 335–380 nm range. The total reflectance was significantly correlated with the cocoa content and the brightness of the chocolate. The proposed method of hemispheric directional reflectance enables the measurement of the total reflectance of food products. It can be used as a measure of exposure to radiation. Thus, it is possible to design a package that will protect the product from the spectral range that is most harmful for it.

Functional foods represent one of the most intensively investigated and widely promoted areas in the food and nutrition sciences’ market today. The purpose of this work is to determine the possibility of using computed microtomography to assess the homogeneity of distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (vitamins K and D and calcium) throughout chocolate. Algorithms for analyzing of microtomographic images were proposed to quantify the distribution of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in chocolate: the Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix, quadtree decomposition and hyperspectral imaging. The use of the methods of analysis and processing of microtomographic images allows for a quantitative assessment of the homogeneity of the distribution of components throughout the sample, without a 3D reconstruction process. In computer microtomography analysis, it is possible to assess the distribution of those components whose density differs by at least a unit in the accepted scale of gray levels of images and for grain sizes not smaller than the voxel size. The proposed image analysis algorithms, Gray Level Co-Occurrence Matrix, quadtree decomposition and hyperspectral imaging, allow for the assessment of distribution of active ingredients in chocolate.