This research effort aimed at isolating and phenotypically characterizing lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolates from a spontaneous rye sourdough manufactured following traditional protocols, as well as at evaluating their antimicrobial and antifungal properties as key features for future industrial applications. Thirteen LAB strains of potential industrial interest were isolated and identified to species-level via PCR. Most of the sourdough isolates showed versatile carbohydrate metabolisms. The Leuconostoc mesenteroides No. 242 and Lactobacillus brevis No. 173 demonstrated to be gas producers; thus, revealing their heterofermenter or facultative homofermenter features. Viable counts higher than 7.0 log10 (CFU/mL) were observed for Lactobacillus paracasei No. 244, Lactobacillus casei No. 210, L. brevis No. 173, Lactobacillus farraginis No. 206, Pediococcus pentosaceus No. 183, Lactobacillus uvarum No. 245 and Lactobacillus plantarum No. 135 strains, after exposure at pH 2.5 for 2 h. Moreover, L. plantarum No. 122, L. casei No. 210, Lactobacillus curvatus No. 51, L. paracasei No. 244, and L. coryniformins No. 71 showed growth inhibition properties against all the tested fifteen pathogenic strains. Finally, all LAB isolates showed antifungal activities against Aspergillus nidulans, Penicillium funiculosum, and Fusarium poae. These results unveiled the exceptionality of spontaneous sourdough as a source of LAB with effective potential to be considered in the design of novel commercial microbial single/mixed starter cultures, intended for application in a wide range of agri-food industries, where the antimicrobial and antifungal properties are often sought and necessary. In addition, metabolites therefrom may also be considered as important functional and bioactive compounds with high potential to be employed in food and feed, as well as cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications.

The present research study aims to prepare prototypes of beverages from milk permeate (MP) using fermentation with 10 different strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) showing antimicrobial properties (L. uvarum LUHS245, L. casei LUHS210, L. curvatus LUHS51, L. plantarum LUHS135, P. acidilactici LUHS29, L. plantarum LUHS122, L. coryniformins LUHS71, L. paracasei LUHS244, P. pentosaceus LUHS183, L. faraginis LUHS206) and MP with (AppMP) or without (MP) the addition of 8% (w/w) apple by-products (App). Two groups of prototypes of beverages were prepared: fermented MP and fermented MP with App (AppMP). Acidity parameters, LAB viable counts, lactose and galactooligosaccharides (GOSs) content, antimicrobial properties against 15 pathogenic and opportunistic bacterial strains, overall acceptability and emotions induced of the final fermented beverages for consumers were evaluated. Results showed that all LAB grew well in MP and LAB strain exhibited a significant (p ≤ 0.05) influence on galactobiose and galactotriose synthesis in the fermentable MP substrate. The highest total content of GOS (26.80 mg/100 mL) was found in MPLUHS29 fermented beverage. In addition, MPLUHS245, MPLUHS210 and AppMPLUHS71 fermented beverages showed high antimicrobial activity, inhibiting 13 out of 15 tested microbial pathogens. The overall acceptability of AppMP fermented beverages was 26.8% higher when compared with fermented beverages without App (MP), and the most intensive “happy” emotion was induced by MPLUHS71, MPLUHS24, MPLUHS183 and MPLUHS206 samples. Finally, very promising results were also attained by the bioconversion of MP with selected LAB and App addition into the prototypes of antimicrobial beverages enriched with GOS.

The novelty of this study is twofold: AgNPs were obtained and characterized using Artemisia absinthium (A. absinthium), Humulus lupulus (H. lupulus), and Thymus vulgaris (T. vulgaris) plants extracts; moreover, a green and environmentally friendly approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using aqueous extracts was developed. This paper discusses new approaches about the synthesis of AgNPs. T. vulgaris, H. lupulus, and A. absinthium, which are renewable and common plants, perfect as reducing, stabilizing, and capping agent for green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The extracts and synthesized AgNPs were characterized by various physico-chemical, phytochemical, morphological scanning electron microscope (SEM/EDS) and transmission electron microscope scanning (TEM), and antibacterial activity. The antioxidant activity of extracts and AgNPs were also assessed by 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS•+), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH•), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and trifluoperazine dihydrochloride (TFPH•) scavenging assays. Extracts/AgNPs showed significant antioxidant activity in all cases. A. absinthium/AgNPs, H. lupulus/AgNPs, and T. vulgaris /AgNPs displayed activities against DPPH• (0.14 ± 0.00; 0.11 ± 0.00 and 0.14 ± 0.00 mmol/g), ABTS•+ (0.55 ± 0.05; 0.86 ± 0.05 and 0.55 ± 0.05 mmol/g), respectively. TEM analysis confirmed the average particle size, it estimated t A. absinthium/AgNPs–46 nm, H. lupulus/AgNPs size of synthesized particles was 42 nm and T. vulgaris/AgNPs–48 nm. SEM analysis revealed that T. vulgaris/AgNPs showed in solitary cases as snowflake-like, branched, but in a general spheric shape, H. lupulus/AgNPs were wedge-shaped, and A. absinthium/AgNPs were the spherical shape of the synthesized AgNPs. EDS analysis confirmed the purity of the synthesized AgNPs with a strong signal at 3.2 keV. A. absinthium/AgNPs, H. lupulus/AgNPs, and T. vulgaris/AgNPs exhibited higher antibacterial activity against all tested bacterial strains compared to their respective pure extracts. It is concluded that AgNPs synthesized in extracts have a broad range of biological applications, which can be used as an eco-friendly material without having negative effects on the environment.

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the chemical composition, nutritional value, fatty acid composition, macro-(Na, Mg, K, Ca) and microelements, including essential (Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Fe, Zn, Se and Cu) and nonessential (Al, As, Sr, Cd, Pb and Ag) elements, in the seeds of the yellow lupine (Lupinus luteus L.) variety 'Vilčiai', the narrow-leaved lupine (L. angustifolius L.) variety 'Vilniai' and the six new hybrid lines (Nos. 1700, 1701, 1703, 1072, 1734 and 1800) bred from the narrow-leaved lupine (L. angustifolius) in Lithuania. Gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector showed that oleic and linoleic unsaturated fatty acids were the dominant fatty acids in lupine seeds, which accounted for on average 33.2% and 38.4% of the total fatty acids, respectively. The highest protein content, measured by the Kjeldahl method, was detected in the 'Vilčiai' lupine seeds (40.8%) and for the tested hybrid lines it was by 20.1-25.7% lower. The content of alkaloids in the seeds of lupine varieties 'Vilčiai' and 'Vilniai' was 0.021% and 0.030%, respectively; while in the new hybrid lines of L. angustifolius the content of alkaloids was less and varied from 0.011% to 0.012%. Analysis of macro-and microelements of lupine seeds performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry revealed that the new hybrid lines had the highest content of Na (from 1.07 to 1.19 mg g -1 dry mass (d.m.), respectively), whereas the highest content of Mg and K was found in 'Vilčiai' seeds (3.44 and 13.9 mg g -1 d.m., respectively). Among the L. angustifolius hybrid lines tested, the highest content of Mg and K in the seeds was determined for the four hybrid lines Nos. 1701, 1703, 1072 and 1734. The highest contents of Mn, Fe, Zn and Se were observed in 'Vilčiai' seeds (147.65, 73.52, 59.84 and 0.13 µg g -1 d.m., respectively). The concentration of nonessential elements in the tested lupine seeds was far below the levels that cause a health risk.

In this study, the presence of antibiotics ( ANB ) residues was evaluated in poultry meat purchased from German and Lithuanian markets. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of 13 lactic acid bacteria ( LAB ) strains, 2 essential oils ( EO ) ( Thymus vulgaris and Origanum vulgare L.), and their compositions were tested for the purpose of inhibiting antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp. ANB residues were found in 3 out of the 20 analyzed poultry meat samples: sample no. 8 contained enrofloxacin (0.46 μg/kg), sample no. 14 contained both enrofloxacin and doxycycline (0.05 and 16.8 μg/kg, respectively), and sample no. 18 contained enrofloxacin (2.06 μg/kg). The maximum residue limits ( MRLs ) for the sum of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin and for doxycycline in the poultry muscle are 100 μg/kg. Finally, none of the tested poultry meat samples exceeded the suggested MRLs; however, the issue of ANB residues still requires monitoring of the poultry industry in Germany, Poland, and Lithuania, despite the currently established low ANB concentrations. These findings can be explained by the increased use of alternatives to ANB in the poultry industry. Our results showed that an effective alternative to ANB, which can help to reduce the occurrence of antibiotic-resistant salmonella, is a composition containing 1.0% of thyme EO and the following LAB strains: Lactobacillus plantrum LUHS122, Enteroccocus pseudoavium LUHS242, Lactobacillus casei LUHS210, Lactobacillus paracasei LUHS244, Lactobacillus plantarum LUHS135, Lactobacillus coryniformins LUHS71, and Lactobacillus uvarum LUHS245, which can be recommended for poultry industry as components of feed or for the treatment of surfaces, to control the contamination with Salmonella strains. However, it should be mentioned that most of the tested LAB strains were inhibited by thyme EO at the concentrations of 0.5 and 1.0%, except for LUHS122, LUHS210, and LUHS245. Finally, it can be noted that the agents responsible for the inhibitory effect on Salmonella are not the viable LAB strains but rather their metabolites, and further studies are needed to identify which metabolites are the most important.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different origin (Venezuela, Ghana, Peru) dark chocolates on emotions induced for consumers, and to analyse the relationships among overall acceptability (OA), emotions, and physicochemical attributes of the chocolate (fatty acids (FAs) and volatile compounds (VC)). Chocolate-elicited emotions were measured with FaceReader 8 software, scaling 10 emotion patterns (neutral, happy, sad, angry, surprised, scared, disgusted, contempt, valence, arousal). The OA was carried out by using a 10-point hedonic scale, ranging from 1 (extremely dislike) to 10 (extremely like). The obtained results showed that, among all chocolate-elicited emotions, the intensity of “happy” was the highest. In most cases, the influence of the different origin chocolate on the emotions induced for consumers was significant (except on emotions “neutral”, “scared”, and “disgusted”). Significant differences between the tested chocolates OA were not found. The origin of chocolate had a significant effect on most of the identified VC and the content of the main FAs (methyl palmitate, methyl stearate, cis,trans-9- oleic acid methyl ester, and methyl linoleate). Significant correlations between chocolate-elicited emotions and separate FAs and VC were found. Finally, this study showed that the origin of dark chocolate significantly influenced most of chocolate-elicited emotions and physicochemical attributes of chocolate, while separate FAs or VC can be used as chocolate quality indicators related to the chocolate OA, as well as chocolate-elicited emotions.

Processed wheat bran (W) is of great importance for food and feed. Consequently, the biosafety of W should be evaluated and improved with valorisation strategies. This study tested a design combining extrusion (at temperature of 115 and 130 °C; screw speeds of 16, 20, and 25 rpm) and fermentation with Lactobacillus plantarum and L. uvarum strains for the valorisation of W to provide safer food and feed stock. The influence of different treatments on biogenic amine formation, mycotoxin content, and free amino acids, as well as acidity, microbiological parameters, and sugar concentration, were analysed. This research showed that a combination of extrusion and fermentation with selected strains can change several aspects of W characteristics. There was a significant effect of applied treatments on acidity and the microbiological parameters of W, as well as biogenic amines content. The lowest total mycotoxin concentration (29.8 µg/kg) was found in extruded (130 °C; 25 rpm) and fermented with L. uvarum sample. Finally, the combination of the abovementioned treatments can be confirmed as a prospective innovative pre-treatment for W, capable of potentially enhancing their safety characteristics and composition.

Summary The aim of the work was to evaluate the profile of free amino acids (FAA) as the possible precursors of biogenic amines (BAs) in different varieties and hybrid lines of Lupinus luteus and Lupinus angustifolius and its changes during fermentation. Lupins have high amounts of FAA, and therefore, significant contents of BAs by the action of bacterial amino acid decarboxylases can be formed. In view of this, the effect of three Pediococcus pentosaceus strains KTU05‐8, KTU05‐9 and KTU05‐10 on BA formation during lupin fermentation was studied. The formation of BAs was monitored during 48‐h fermentation at solid‐state conditions and compared with that in samples after submerged fermentation and in the control nonfermented samples. The lupin variety, fermentation conditions and the Pediococcus strain were found to have the significant effect on the FAA profile and BA contents in fermented lupin; the interaction between analysed factors was F(5.989) = 1755.321 (P < 0.0001) and F(5.660) = 130.736 (P < 0.0001), respectively. A weak correlation was found between amino acid His and histamine (r = 0.3709; P = 0.0005) and between Phe and phenylethylamine (r = 0.3914, P = 0.0002) in lupin samples, but the significant correlations between amino acid Tyr and tyramine and between Lys and cadaverine were not found. By optimising the fermentation technology, it is possible to increase the nutritional value and functionality of lupin.