Meat products represent an important component of the human diet, their consumption registering a global increase over the last few years. These foodstuffs constitute a good source of energy and some nutrients, such as essential amino acids, high biological value proteins, minerals like iron, zinc, selenium, manganese and B-complex vitamins, especially vitamin B12. On the other hand, nutritionists have associated high consumption of processed meat with an increased risk of several diseases. Researchers and processed meat producers are involved in finding methods to eliminate nutritional deficiencies and potentially toxic compounds, to obtain healthier products and at the same time with no affecting the sensorial quality and safety of the meat products. The present review aims to summarize the newest trends regarding the most important methods that can be applied to obtain high-quality products. Nutritional enrichment with natural bioactive plant compounds (antioxidants, dietary fibers) or probiotics, reduction of harmful components (salt, nitrate/nitrite, N-nitrosamines) and the use of alternative technologies (high-pressure processing, cold plasma, ultrasounds) are the most used current strategies to accomplish this aim.

One of the agro-industry’s side streams that is widely met is the-keratin rich fibrous material that is becoming a waste product without valorization. Its management as a waste is costly, as the incineration of this type of waste constitutes high environmental concern. Considering these facts, the keratin-rich waste can be considered as a treasure for the producers interested in the valorization of such slowly-biodegradable by-products. As keratin is a protein that needs harsh conditions for its degradation, and that in most of the cases its constitutive amino acids are destroyed, we review new extraction methods that are eco-friendly and cost-effective. The chemical and enzymatic extractions of keratin are compared and the optimization of the extraction conditions at the lab scale is considered. In this study, there are also considered the potential applications of the extracted keratin as well as the reuse of the by-products obtained during the extraction processes.

The monitoring of environmental pollution requires fast, reliable, cost-effective and small devices. This need explains the recent trends in the development of biosensing devices for pollutant detection. The present review aims to summarize the newest trends regarding the use of biosensors to detect environmental contaminants. Enzyme, whole cell, antibody, aptamer, and DNA-based biosensors and biomimetic sensors are discussed. We summarize their applicability to the detection of various pollutants and mention their constructive characteristics. Several detection principles are used in biosensor design: amperometry, conductometry, luminescence, etc. They differ in terms of rapidity, sensitivity, profitability, and design. Each one is characterized by specific selectivity and detection limits depending on the sensitive element. Mimetic biosensors are slowly gaining attention from researchers and users due to their advantages compared with classical ones. Further studies are necessary for the development of robust biosensing devices that can successfully be used for the detection of pollutants from complex matrices without prior sample preparation.

Currently, a large number of scientific articles can be found in the research literature in the field focusing on the use of oleogels for food formulation to improve their nutritional properties. The present review focuses on the most representative food-grade oleogels, highlighting current trends in terms of the most suitable methods of analysis and characterization, as well as trends in their application as substitutes for saturated and trans fats in foods. For this purpose, the physicochemical properties, structure, and composition of some oleogelators are primarily discussed, along with the adequacy of oleogel incorporation for use in edible products. Analysis and characterization of oleogels by different methods are important in the formulation of innovative foods, and therefore, this review discusses the most recent published results regarding their microstructure, rheological and textural properties, and oxidative stability. Last but not least, issues related to the sensory properties of oleogel-based foods are discussed, highlighting also the consumer acceptability of some of them.

Food products contain important quantities of fats, which include saturated and/or unsaturated fatty acids. Because of a proven relationship between saturated fat consumption and the appearance of several diseases, an actual trend is to eliminate them from foodstuffs by finding solutions for integrating other healthier fats with high stability and solid-like structure. Polyunsaturated vegetable oils are healthier for the human diet, but their liquid consistency can lead to a weak texture or oil drain if directly introduced into foods during technological processes. Lately, the use of oleogels that are obtained through the solidification of liquid oils by using edible oleogelators, showed encouraging results as fat replacers in several types of foods. In particular, for meat products, studies regarding successful oleogel integration in burgers, meat batters, pâtés, frankfurters, fermented and bologna sausages have been noted, in order to improve their nutritional profile and make them healthier by substituting for animal fats. The present review aims to summarize the newest trends regarding the use of oleogels in meat products. However, further research on the compatibility between different oil-oleogelator formulations and meat product components is needed, as it is extremely important to obtain appropriate compositions with adequate behavior under the processing conditions.