Joanna Bryś

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are widely recognized for their nutritional and health benefits, yet their high susceptibility to oxidative degradation remains a major challenge in the development of stable food-grade delivery systems. Protein–polysaccharide-based microencapsulation provides an effective strategy for protecting omega-3-rich oils while modulating their release and accessibility during gastrointestinal digestion. However, the relationships among processing conditions, wall-material composition, resulting structural organization, and functional performance remain insufficiently integrated, limiting the establishment of general design principles for omega-3 delivery systems. This review critically examines these relationships from a processing–structure–function perspective, with particular attention to molecular interactions, interfacial organization, matrix architecture, drying and coacervation processes, oxygen transport, lipid oxidation, and gastrointestinal transformations. The reviewed evidence indicates that encapsulation efficiency alone is insufficient to predict functional performance. Instead, oxidative stability arises from the combined effects of interfacial organization, surface-oil distribution, matrix continuity, and oxygen transport, while gastrointestinal functionality depends on structural transformations that regulate lipid release, bile-salt-mediated interfacial remodeling, lipase accessibility, and bioaccessibility. Importantly, increasing interfacial or matrix resistance can improve oxidative or gastric protection but may also restrict intestinal lipid digestion, revealing a structure-dependent trade-off between protection and digestive accessibility. Effective omega-3 delivery systems therefore require structures that provide sufficient protection during processing and storage while allowing controlled reorganization during gastrointestinal digestion. This processing–structure–function framework can support the rational selection of wall-material combinations and processing conditions for omega-3-fortified foods and functional ingredients.

Oats (Avena sativa L.) are an analytically demanding cereal. They carry a lipid fraction of roughly 5–9% together with high lipase and lipoxygenase activity, a protein fraction dominated by globulins, a high-molecular-weight (1→3), (1→4)-β-D-glucan, and avenanthramides that occur in no other grain. Each of these fractions changes during kilning, milling, storage, and fermentation, and each change affects a quality attribute of commercial consequence. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, interpreted with chemometric models, offers a rapid and non-destructive route to several of these attributes from a single measurement. This review draws the oat-specific literature together. It covers the identification, classification and authentication of oat material, including: the separation of oats from gluten-containing cereals, the discrimination of cultivars and of commercial milled forms, and the grading of grain; the prediction of quality parameters and the compositional analysis of moisture, β-glucan, protein, starch and lipid; the molecular changes that accompany processing and storage—β-glucan depolymerisation, lipid oxidation and hydrolysis, thermally induced protein aggregation, avenanthramide degradation and starch retrogradation—and the spectral features by which sound and deteriorated oat material can be discriminated; and the portable and handheld instruments now bringing the measurement closer to the production line. Reported calibrations are frequently accurate but rest on limited sample sets, and multi-site validation together with shared reference spectra remains the principal requirement before routine industrial use.

Fruit seeds generated during fruit processing are promising sources of valuable oils and bioactive compounds, but extraction conditions can strongly affect the quality of the recovered lipid fraction. This study compared Soxhlet extraction, room-temperature hexane extraction, and the Folch method for extracting oils from rosehip, Japanese quince, grape, and strawberry seeds. The extracted oils were evaluated for extraction yield, physicochemical quality, fatty acid composition, nutritional lipid indices, pigment content, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, and oxidative stability measured by pressure differential scanning calorimetry. Oil extraction yield ranged from 4.34% to 10.76% and depended mainly on seed type. All oils were rich in unsaturated fatty acids, with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) predominating in rosehip, strawberry, and grape seed oils, whereas Japanese quince seed oils showed the highest monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) fraction. The Folch method generally enhanced recovery of carotenoids, chlorophyll-related pigments, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity, but it also resulted in higher acid value (AV), peroxide value (PV), para-anisidine value (p-AnV), Total Oxidation Value (TOTOX), and Integral Oxidation Value (INTOX). Japanese quince seed oils, especially those obtained by Soxhlet and room-temperature hexane extraction, showed the highest oxidative stability, whereas Folch-extracted grape and strawberry seed oils were the least stable. Overall, extraction method affected oil quality and bioactive compound recovery more strongly than fatty acid composition.

Oat beverages are widely consumed as dairy alternatives; however, there is still limited understanding of how the source and structural organization of added lipids influence their physicochemical functionality and sensory perception. This study aimed to evaluate whether the type of lipid source used in commercial oat-based products can explain variability in lipid quality and consumer acceptability. Lipid fractions were extracted from 10 commercial oat-based products available on the Polish market, including 5 ready-to-drink beverages and 5 powdered products reconstituted with water. The extracted lipids were analyzed for fatty acid (FA) composition, positional distribution of FAs in triacylglycerols, melting behavior, and oxidative stability, complemented by sensory evaluation. Marked differences were observed among samples, primarily driven by the lipid source rather than product form. Products containing sunflower oil exhibited a favorable FA profile characterized by a high proportion of unsaturated FAs and relatively good oxidative stability. In contrast, oat-only formulations showed lower oxidative stability and reduced sensory performance, particularly in terms of taste and texture. The sample containing coconut fat demonstrated the highest oxidative stability (τ_max = 333.48 min) but the least favorable nutritional profile due to a predominance of saturated FAs (85.43% SFA). The highest overall sensory acceptance was recorded for sample L1 (overall desirability = 7.00). Overall, the findings demonstrate that lipid source is a key determinant of the nutritional, physicochemical, and sensory properties of oat beverages, while product format (liquid vs. powder) plays a secondary role. These results address the knowledge gap regarding the relationship between lipid origin and functional performance in plant-based beverages and highlight formulation strategy as a critical factor in product optimization.

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) oil production generates substantial quantities of seed cake, an underutilized by-product with potential as a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds. This study aimed to characterize milk thistle cakes from two industrial sources (MTC1 and MTC2) and their corresponding seeds (MTS1 and MTS2), focusing on compositional properties, fatty acid profile, and antioxidant activity assessed using the DPPH scavenging assay. Proximate analysis showed that the cakes retained significant residual oil (9.26–14.51 g 100 g⁻¹) and protein (16–19 g 100 g⁻¹), with low water activity (−1) and stronger DPPH radical scavenging activity (up to 28.07%) compared to hexane extracts, which may be attributed to a greater extraction of moderately polar phenolic compounds, including flavonolignan-type constituents potentially associated with silymarin complex. Overall, milk thistle cake represents a promising raw material for the recovery of natural antioxidants and valuable lipids, supporting its application in functional food or feed products and sustainable biorefinery processes.

Pomegranate juice production generates substantial seed residues, which can be valorized through extraction of PSO, rich in conjugated C18:3 isomers and bioactive minor constituents. This study compared three solvent-based extraction methods—MAE, Soxhlet extraction (SE), and cold solvent extraction (CSE)—for PSO recovery from juice-processing by-products. Oils were extracted using n-hexane and evaluated for yield, oxidative stability (using pressure differential scanning calorimetry), chemical quality parameters, fatty acid composition and derived nutritional indices, as well as bioactivity. Extraction method influenced oil performance: MAE combined the highest yield with the most favorable oxidative-stability metrics, SE showed intermediate results, and CSE provided lower yield but slightly better preservation of quality markers. All oils exhibited low hydrolytic degradation and limited oxidation progression, while fatty acid profiles remained largely unchanged, preserving the characteristic PSO pattern. Phenolic content and radical-scavenging capacity were moderately sensitive to extraction approach. Overall, differences in oxidative stability and bioactivity among methods were primarily driven by process conditions and minor-component retention rather than changes in major fatty acids, offering guidance for optimizing PSO recovery from juice-industry by-products.

Edible insects are a nutritionally attractive food product, also due to their high fat content and high levels of unsaturated fatty acids. In this work, the effect of pulsed electric field (PEF) pretreatment and infrared-convective (IR-CD) drying on the oil properties extracted from yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor L.) larvae was investigated. The oil from raw and dried insects was extracted via the Soxhlet method for yield determination and via the Folch method for quality analysis. The acid value (AV) and peroxide value (PV) via the titration method, fatty acid composition and its distribution in triacylglycerol (TAG) molecules via the gas chromatography method, calculation of nutritional value indices, oxidative stability via pressure differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC) method, and antioxidant activity of methanol extracts were examined. The results show that PEF may enhance the oil extraction yield from dried insects by up to 29.2%. The PEF treatment and drying method made insect oils more valuable by lowering their acid and peroxide values, increasing the MUFA content, and improving oxidative stability. Nonetheless, the nutritional properties of oils deteriorated. Our study demonstrated that oils extracted from dried yellow mealworm could be used as an ingredient in other food products to improve their nutritional value. However, more research in this area is needed to assess the impact on quality properties.

Milk thistle seed cake, a by-product of silymarin production, contains residual oil with valuable bioactive compounds. This study compared oils extracted using microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) and Soxhlet extraction. MAE produced higher yields and better preserved polyunsaturated fatty acids. It also generated oils with lower acid and peroxide values, higher total phenolic content, and greater antioxidant capacity. Oxidative stability evaluated by pressure differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC) showed longer induction times for MAE-derived oils, indicating improved resistance to oxidation. These trends are consistent with the shorter extraction times and reduced thermal exposure associated with MAE. Overall, MAE proved more effective for recovering high-quality oil from milk thistle seed cake, supporting its use as a valuable resource in waste-to-value applications.

The combination of rapeseed oil (RO) and hazelnut oil (HO) was selected to create a functional blend integrating two technologically complementary lipid matrices. RO is valued for its favorable fatty acid (FA) profile, particularly its low saturated FA content and the presence of essential polyunsaturated FAs, whereas HO is characterized by high monounsaturated FA levels and inherently greater resistance to oxidative deterioration. Blending these oils enables the formulation of mixtures that balance nutritional quality with improved physicochemical stability, without the need for chemical modification. Such an approach is relevant for applications requiring oils that retain desirable characteristics during storage and handling. In this context, the present study aimed to evaluate the quality characteristics, FA composition, triacylglycerol (TAG) structures, and oxidative stability of binary blends of RO and HO. Two commercial oils, as well as their blends in RO:HO volume ratios of 3:1, 1:1, and 1:3, were tested. The samples were stored under two temperature conditions: 4 °C (refrigeration) and 20 °C (room temperature), and analyzed after two and four months of storage. Initial MUFA content ranged from approx. 61–74%, increasing with HO proportion, whereas PUFA levels decreased accordingly (from ~28% in RO to ~10% in HO-rich blends). The sn-2 TAG position was predominantly occupied by unsaturated FAs (>80%). Statistical analysis (p < 0.05) showed that both storage time and temperature significantly affected PV, while no significant differences were observed in the overall proportions of SFA, MUFA, and PUFA. Blends with a higher proportion of RO exhibited increased AVs, suggesting greater susceptibility to hydrolytic changes, whereas mixtures enriched in HO demonstrated superior oxidative stability, as reflected by significantly lower peroxide values (p < 0.05), which can be attributed to their lower PUFA content. The 1RO:3HO blend exhibited the most favorable balance between beneficial nutritional indices and stability against quality deterioration over the storage period. The results indicated that the formulation of balanced mixtures combining the favorable FA profile of RO with the oxidative resistance of HO represents a promising approach for obtaining oils with improved functional and nutritional properties.