Total and individual carotenoids, fatty acid composition of total lipids, and main lipid classes of 16 fresh bee-collected pollen samples from Romania were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with photodiode array detection and capillary gas chromatography with mass detection. Analyzed samples were found rich in lutein, whereas β-criptoxanthin and β-carotene were present in a wide range of amounts correlated with predominant botanical origin of the samples. High amounts of lutein were correlated with the presence of Callendula officinalis, Taraxacum officinale and Anthylis sp. The highest amount of total lipids was found in samples where pollen from Brassica sp. was predominant. Lipid classes were dominated by polyunsaturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids were determined in variable amounts. Lipid and carotenoid contents present great variability, explained by the various botanical species present in the samples.

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Nowadays, one of the most important research directions that concerns the scientific world is to exploit the earth’s resources in a sustainable way. Considering the increasing interest in finding new sources of bioactive molecules and functional products, many research studies focused their interest on demonstrating the sustainability of exploiting marine macroalgal biomass as feedstock for wastewater treatment and natural fertilizer, conversion into green biofuels, active ingredients in pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, or even for the production of functional ingredients and integration in the human food chain. The objective of the present paper was to provide an overview on the recent progress in the exploitation of different macroalgae species as a source of bioactive compounds, mainly emphasizing the latter published data regarding their potential bioactivities, health benefits, and industrial applications.

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Edible coatings and films represent an alternative packaging system characterized by being more environment-and customer-friendly than conventional systems of food protection. Research on edible coatings requires multidisciplinary efforts by food engineers, biopolymer specialists and biotechnologists. Entrapment of probiotic cells in edible films or coatings is a favorable approach that may overcome the limitations linked with the use of bioactive compounds in or on food products. The recognition of several health advantages associated with probiotics ingestion is worldwide accepted and well documented. Nevertheless, due to the low stability of probiotics in the food processing steps, in the food matrices and in the gastrointestinal tract, this kind of encapsulation is of high relevance. The development of new and functional edible packaging may lead to new functional foods. This review will focus on edible coatings and films containing probiotic cells (obtaining techniques, materials, characteristics, and applications) and the innovative entrapment techniques use to obtained such packaging.Polymers 2020, 12, 12 2 of 15 are biopolymers, proteins, lipids or composites. Thus, even if they are not consumed with food, they can be more rapidly and easily degraded with respect to plastic materials [5].The main difference between coating and film is in their preparation and application process. Indeed, edible films are usually obtained in parallel to food and then applied to the surface, whereas coatings are directly prepared on food surface [6]. Both coatings and films can entrap live probiotic microorganisms.Due to handling and hygienic limitations, EP can be combined with ecofriendly non-EP [6][7][8].The utilization of films for food preservation dates back to the 12th century in China, where wax was utilized to delay moisture loss from fruits. Sixteen centuries ago, the first edible films made from soymilk were used in Japan for fruits preservation and in order to obtain a shiny surface [9,10]. Due to the narrow variety of materials used to protect fruits and vegetables at that time, no big interest was shown to this type of package. Refrigeration, controlled/modified atmosphere, heat or radiation sterilization, smoking have ever received stronger attention than edible packaging. Of course, food conservation methods have considerably increased and have offered unlimited opportunities to prepare, store and consume any type of food in any season. However, EP can currently be applied to a large variety of food products, with unique, tailored and innovative ways of action than conventional food preservation techniques [1].Among various roles played by EP, physical protection [11] amplification and protection of food properties, carriers of food additives and prolongation of shelf life are the most important ones.EP may be categorized according to the class of their constituent material. Hydrocolloids (polysaccharides and proteins) and lipids are the most used materials. Among these, polysaccharides are the easiest to pu...