The world's non-renewable energy resources continually decline and therefore there is an urgent need to seek and use any available renewable energy sources. An alternative to conventional fuels can be the usage of plant biomass for energy purposes. This particularly relates to plants with C4 photosynthesis, a large increase in biomass, low habitat requirements, and high resistance to diseases and pests. All these characteristics are met, among others, by switchgrass which in many countries occurs as a common wild plant. In agricultural production, switchgrass does not pose many agronomic problems; moreover, it is a very durable plant that can be used in one stand for even 10 years and can be grown in all soils, even contaminated ones. Effective use of switchgrass for bioethanol, biogas or syngas production provides measurable ecological benefits and in the long term offers a chance to maintain a sustainable national energy balance, given the continuously shrinking non-renewable fuel resources. Due to the multifaceted use of this plant and a number of features important from the point of view of the power generation industry, it is worth having a closer look at the possibility of spreading the cultivation of this species.

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The study assesses impact of malting process duration on malting losses and quality of malts obtained from three varieties of winter wheat, i.e., Elixer, Rockefeller and Gimantis. The findings show that increased duration of the malting process (from 4 to 7 days) corresponded to greater total weight loss, with the most significant differences observed between 5-day and 6-day wheat malts. The qualitative analysis of the malts was carried out in accordance with EBC methodology. The assessments showed that the 5-day long malting process applied to the relevant wheat varieties resulted in production of high-quality malt with optimum malting losses observed in the case of Elixer and Rockefeller varieties. Slightly higher malting losses were identified in the case of Gimantis, and the malt obtained from this variety had very high contents of soluble protein (on average 5.34% d.m.) and Kolbach Index (average of 50.49%), which reflects high proteolytic activity during the grain malting process and a need to modify the malting process for this variety.

A b s t r a c t An experiment, conducted over the period [2008][2009][2010], evaluated the effect of tillage system on the occurrence and species composition of anthropophytes in winter wheat, maize and spring wheat. Regardless of crop plant and tillage system, anthropophytes (73.9%), represented by archaeophytes and kenophytes, were the main component of the flora in the crops studied, whereas apophytes accounted for the remaining 26.1%. Most archaeophytes (13 species) were found in the spring wheat crop under no-tillage, while their lowest number (6 species) occurred in the spring wheat crop under conventional tillage. The only kenophyte, Conyza canadensis, was found to occur in the spring wheat and maize crops in the no-tillage system. The following taxa were dominant species among archeophytes: Geranium pusillum, Anthemis arvensis, and Viola arvensis (regardless of tillage system and crop plant), Anthemis arvensis (in spring wheat -conventional tillage), Echinochloa crus-galli and Setaria glauca (in maize -reduced tillage and no-tillage), Chenopodium album (in maize -no-tillage) as well as Apera spica-venti, Anthemis arvensis and Papaver rhoeas (in winter wheat -no-tillage).

Kamchatka berry (Lonicera caerulea var. kamtschatica) and haskap (Lonicera caerulea var. emphyllocalyx) fruit are important sources of bioactive compounds, mainly polyphenols, but also macro- and microelements. Physico-chemical analysis showed that wheat beers with added fruit were characterised by an average 14.06% higher ethanol content, lower bitterness and intense colour compared to the control, which was a wheat beer without added fruit. Wheat beers enriched with kamchatka berry fruit, including the “Aurora” variety, had the highest polyphenolic profile (e.g., chlorogenic acid content averaged 7.30 mg/L), and the antioxidant activity of fruit-enriched wheat beers determined by the DPPH method showed higher antioxidant activity of wheat beers enriched with kamchatka berry fruit, while those determined by the FRAP and ABTS methods showed higher antioxidant activity of wheat beers enriched with haskap fruit, including the “Willa” variety. Sensory evaluation of the beer product showed that wheat beers enriched with kamchatka berry fruits of the “Duet” variety and haskap fruits of the “Willa” variety were characterised by the most balanced taste and aroma. On the basis of the conducted research, it follows that both kamchatka berry fruits of the “Duet” and “Aurora” varieties and haskap fruit of the “Willa” variety can be used successfully in the production of fruity wheat beers.

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The study investigates rheological properties of dough and baking process made from flour obtained by milling grains from ancient varieties of wheat (einkorn, emmer and spelt), compared to common wheat flour dough (Arkadia variety). The findings show that einkorn flour dough and emmer flour dough present poor tolerance to mechanical processing and prolonged fermentation. These types of dough should be mixed through relatively short, and fermentation time should not exceed 80 minutes for einkorn dough and 45 minutes in the case of emmer dough. In the case of spelt flour dough, the optimum duration of mechanical processing and fermentation amounted to 10 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively. In terms of technological and baking parameters, spelt flour was most similar to the flour obtained by milling conventional wheat, and the superiority of the former was in fact identified in the case of selected factors. A one-stage method was used in the baking process and the bread was then subjected to organoleptic and physicochemical assessments and to texture profile analysis (TPA). Measurements were also performed to determine the indicators reflecting the quality of the baking processes, including dough yield, baking loss and bread yield. The physical parameters of the bread produced were significantly related to the wheat variety. The loaves made from einkorn and spelt flour were of good quality, comparable to the bread made from the conventional wheat, while their baking quality indicators were satisfying. Bread dough made from emmer flour did not meet the required parameters mainly related to the organoleptic assessment and selected physical properties of the bread crumb. However, the one-stage production method should not be applied to doughs made from emmer flour. Given the specific characteristics of the breads produced from the ancient wheat varieties, including their pleasant taste and aroma, as well as attractive colour in the case of einkorn bread, these baked products may be an interesting addition to the assortment of breads on offer from bakeries, restaurants and agritourist farms.