Ayşegül Erdoğan

The replacement of synthetic additives with sustainable, marine‐derived bioactives represents a critical step toward meeting the growing consumer demand for clean‐label and functional confectionery products. This study aimed to investigate the functional potential of Ulva lactuca extract as a natural colorant and antioxidant in sugar‐based confectionery (fondant) and aerated desserts (meringue). The green macroalga, rich in phenolic compounds and pigments, was incorporated at different concentrations to assess its impact on chromatic properties, antioxidant capacity, physicochemical stability, texture, and sensory acceptability. Comprehensive analyses included CIE L * a * b * colorimetry, dry matter content, water activity, DPPH/ABTS radical scavenging assays, total phenolic quantification, FT‐IR, SEM, texture profile analysis, and hedonic sensory evaluation. Ulva extract significantly enhanced total phenolic content and antioxidant activity for both model matrices in a dose‐dependent manner. The meringue matrix showed a ≈7‐fold increase in phenolic levels, reaching up to 150.95 mg GAE/100 g dry matter at 0.63% extract, while maximum antioxidant capacities achieved were 33.42 μM TEAC/g dry matter and 53.28 μM TEAC/g dry matter for ABTS and DPPH assays, respectively. Chromatic shifts toward green‐yellow hues aligned with chlorophyll and carotenoid profiles, while textural analysis revealed significant alterations. Sensory evaluation identified matrix‐specific optimal thresholds, with fondants demonstrating higher resilience (up to 0.31%) compared to meringues (0.08%–0.16%) in balancing enrichment with acceptability. Overall, meringues exhibited superior functional performance, achieving a substantially higher phenolic fortification and antioxidant surge compared to the fondant matrix. These findings position Ulva lactuca extract as a sustainable, multifunctional ingredient for sugar‐based confections, offering antioxidant fortification and natural pigmentation. The study underscores the importance of concentration thresholds to harmonize functional benefits with sensory quality, advancing the development of clean‐label, marine‐derived functional foods.

Monofloral bee pollen, collected by honeybees from a single dominant botanical source, enables a precise and reproducible evaluation of elemental composition due to high taxonomic purity and reduced matrix variability. This study aimed to (i) elucidate the relationships between botanical origin, physicochemical properties, and mineral and PTE accumulation in monofloral pollen samples (MP1–MP10) collected from Bingöl, Türkiye, and (ii) the non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks for adults and children under realistic daily intake scenarios. Melissopalynological analysis confirmed high monoflorality (≥ 98%). ICP-MS results showed significant inter-species differences ( p < 0.05), particularly for Mg, Fe, and Mn, indicating strong botanical and geochemical control over mineral uptake. XPS profiling verified a conserved C/O-rich exine structure while supporting surface-level chemical fingerprinting across pollen types. Target Hazard Quotient (THQ) and cumulative Hazard Index (HI) values confirmed that all adult and child exposure cases remained within safe limits (HI < 1). Carcinogenic risk estimates for Cd, Ni, Pb, and As were below acceptable thresholds for adults (CR < 1 × 10 ^− 4 ), whereas Cr exceeded the standards in certain child groups (CR > 1 × 10 ^− 4 ), reflecting age-dependent sensitivity despite trace-level occurrence. Several monofloral pollens supplied nutritionally relevant Fe and Mn contributions toward RDA (%), reinforcing their dietary value.

In the original publication [...].

This study evaluated the phenolic, carotenoid, and elemental compositions of three hawthorn species—Crataegus: C. tanacetifolia (yellow), C. orientalis (orange), and C. microphylla (red)—collected from Şebinkarahisar, Türkiye. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS-MS) analysis revealed that C. microphylla had the highest phenolic content, notably epicatechin, gallic acid, and quercetin. It also showed the highest levels of β-carotene and lutein, highlighting its nutraceutical potential. C. orientalis was rich in rutin and taxifolin. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) results showed significant mineral content, including Fe, Mn, Ca, and Se. About 60 g of dried hawthorn could meet 7–8% of daily selenium needs. In C. tanacetifolia, toxicological tests showed no substantial health hazards, with target hazard quotient (THQ) values below 1 and carcinogenic risk (CR) values within tolerable levels (e.g., Ni-CR: 4.68 × 10⁻⁵). Lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) levels were below detection thresholds in all samples, indicating that hawthorn fruits from this location are safe. The study also shows how species-specific and geographical factors affect hawthorn fruit nutrition and safety.

Carotenoids are hydrophobic pigments produced exclusively by plants, fungi, and specific microbes. Microalgae are well suited for the production of valuable carotenoids due to their rapid growth, efficient isoprenoid production pathway, and ability to store these compounds within their cells. The possible markets for bio-products range from feed additives in aquaculture and agriculture to pharmaceutical uses. The production of carotenoids in microalgae is affected by several environmental conditions, which can be utilized to enhance productivity. The current study focused on optimizing the extraction parameters (time, temperature, and extraction number) to maximize the yield of carotenoids. Additionally, the impact of various nitrogen sources (ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, and urea) on the production of lutein and loroxanthin in Scenedesmus obliquus was examined. To isolate the carotenoids, 0.20 g of biomass was added to 0.20 g of CaCO₃ and 10.0 mL of ethanol solution containing 0.01% (w/v) pyrogallol. Subsequently, the extraction was performed using an ultrasonic bath for a duration of 10 min at a temperature of 30 °C. This was followed by a four-hour saponification process using a 10% methanolic KOH solution. The concentration of lutein and loroxanthin was measured using HPLC–DAD at 446 nm, with a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min using a Waters YMC C₃₀ Carotenoid column (4.6 × 250 mm, 5 μm). The confirmation of carotenoids after their isolation using preparative chromatography was achieved using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) with an atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) probe and UV–vis spectroscopy. In summary, S. obliquus shows significant promise for the large-scale extraction of lutein and loroxanthin. The findings of this study provide strong support for the application of this technology to other species.

Polymers are widely employed in biomedical applications, pharmaceutical product formulation, and drug delivery systems. Since every polymer has its own distinct properties, polymer blends will have novel chemical and physical properties. Functionally, the purpose of blending polymers is to improve, customize, or maximize material performance. In this study, polyaniline and polyphenol red polymer mixtures were prepared electrochemically and characterized with XPS imaging and SEM whether their distribution was homogeneous. The mixture of aniline and phenol red was deposited glassy carbon electrode (GCE) surface using the cyclic voltammetry technique in the potential range of -0.80 V to 2.00 V with 50 mV/s scan rate for 25 cycles. The phase separation of the two polymers was demonstrated by a combination of spectroscopic imaging and microscopy. For this purpose, the X-ray spot size and step number were set to 50μm. 1 x 1 mm2 area scan of the polymer mixtures was performed, and spectra were obtained at each pixel in an array of 20 x 20 pixels. Chemical imaging was obtained by applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to collected XPS survey spectra. For the morphological characterization, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed, and images were obtained at magnifications of 5000 x. The results obtained in the mixtures prepared with 5%, 10% and 25% were better compared to the mixture prepared with 50% polyphenol red. Since the X-ray spot size is limited, the desired image resolution could not be obtained. It was shown that XPS imaging studies could also be used for examining the distribution of different and unknown polymer mixtures together with SEM.

Amaç: Ortopedi ve travmatoloji alanında, tanı aşamasında nükleer tıp görüntüleme yöntemlerine sıkça başvurulmaktadır. Ortopedi ve travmatoloji hekimlerinin rutin klinik uygulamada hasta yönetiminde etkili olabilmesi için nükleer tıp konusunda temel bilgilere sahip olması gerekmektedir. Bu müdahale araştırmasının amacı mezuniyet sonrası nükleer tıp konusunda sürekli eğitim seminerinin önemini vurgulamaktı. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Görev yapan ortopedi ve travmatoloji hekimlerine, bir nükleer tıp hekimi tarafından klinik pratikte sık başvurulan güncel ve temel nükleer tıp uygulamaları hakkında sunum içeren bir eğitim semineri gerçekleştirildi. Ortopedi ve travmatoloji hekimlerine sunum öncesi ve sonrası 15 çoktan seçmeli sorudan oluşan bir test uygulandı. Soruların 6’sı görüntülü klinik olgu sunumu şeklindeydi. Sunum öncesi ve sunum sonrası aynı test sonuçları değerlendirildi. Bulgular: Bu çalışmaya ortalama 9 yıl klinik tecrübesi olan 16 ortopedi ve travmatoloji uzmanı (16 erkek, ortanca yaş 40) katıldı. Tüm katılımcıların eğitim öncesi ve sonrası doğru cevap ortalamaları karşılaştırıldı. Doğru cevap ortalaması eğitim öncesi 6.9±3.0 iken, eğitim sonrası 10.1±2,8 olarak bulundu (p

Hazelnut has become an important commercial product in recent years due to its worldwide applications in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in the confectionery and food industry. In addition, hazelnut shell is a waste material obtained after hazelnut harvest and mainly used as heating sources. However, its bioproducts are essentially a very important phytochemical source. In this study, the composition of phenolic compounds, carotenoids, tocopherols and fatty acids of different bioproducts of hazelnut plant were investigated. The highest phenolic compound content (2630.84 µg/g), and lutein amount (73.05 µg/g) were determined in green leafy cover. The major fatty acids were found to be as oleic acid (81.493%), linoleic acid (7.778%) and palmitic acid (6.408%), respectively. Total tocopherol concentration of hazelnut kernel was determined as 364.1 µg/g. In the present study, the antibacterial activity of hazelnut bioproducts was determined using eight pathogenic bacteria. They showed strong antimicrobial activity against the Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria which might be attributed to the rich phytochemical composition of hazelnut bioproducts. This work comprehensively summarized the chemical composition of hazelnut bioproducts and their antibacterial activity potential grown in Giresun-Türkiye region which had an important place in the global market.

The biologically important potential of polyphenols and carotenoids from plants motivates the exploration of new natural sources and medicinal uses for these chemicals. Plants with colorful flowers are used not only for the benefits of bioactive compounds but also for smart textile materials and as colorants. In this study, quantification of phenolic compounds and carotenoids in Rhododendron luteum Sweet and Ferula communis L. subsp. communis flowers were determined. The flowers of these plants were analysed for the first time in Türkiye. While catechin (297.36±3.42 µg/g), 4-OH benzoic acid (179.28±2.87 µg/g) and salicylic acid (178.98±2.42 µg/g) are found to be relatively higher in R. luteum Sweet flowers compared to other phenolic compounds, relatively higher amounts of rutin (335.95±4.32 µg/g) and ferulic acid (367.10±4.11 µg/g) were found in F. communis L. subsp. communis flowers. On the other hand, lutein and β-carotene were detected in both species, whereas astaxanthin (4.46±0.21 µg/g) was found only in R. luteum. This phytochemical information may be important for the proper utilization of these plants as sources of phenolic compounds and carotenoids for a variety of possible commercial applications.

Microalgae produce a variety of high-value chemicals including carotenoids. Fucoxanthin is also a carotenoid that has many physiological functions and biological properties. For this reason, the cost-effective production of fucoxanthin at an industrial scale has gained significant attention. In the proposed study, fucoxanthin production was aimed to be increased by altering the culture conditions of N. shiloi. The effect of light intensity aeration rate, different nitrogen sources, and oxidative stress on the biomass and fucoxanthin productivity have been discussed. Based on these results, the fucoxanthin increased to 97.45 ± 2.64 mg/g by adjusting the light intensity to 50 µmol/m²s, and aeration rate at 5 L/min using oxidative stress through the addition of 0.1 mM H₂O₂ and 0.1 mM NaOCl to the culture medium. Fucoxanthin was then purified with preparative HPLC using C₃₀ carotenoid column (10 mm × 250 mm, 5 μm). After the purification procedure, Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) and UV-vis spectroscopy were employed for the confirmation of fucoxanthin. This study presented a protocol for obtaining and purifying considerable amounts of biomass and fucoxanthin from diatom by manipulating culture conditions. With the developed methodology, N. shiloi could be evaluated as a promising source of fucoxanthin at the industrial scale for food, feed, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries.