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The effect of meat marinating with aqueous extract of Ilex meserveae dried leaves on dry-aged beef quality was investigated. Shear force, TBARS value, color parameters, fatty acid profile, and sensory properties were evaluated in beef cuts dry-aged for 21 days. The use of Ilex meserveae dried leaves as marinade at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0% w / v did not affect the shear force and color parameters of dry-aged beef. The marinating of beef cuts with Ilex meserveae resulted in efficient prevention of lipid oxidation without impairing sensory acceptability. Aqueous extract Ilex meserveae can be applied as a natural ingredient in meat marinade to prevent peroxidation.

The aim of the study was to analyze potential health-promoting components of 21 new cultivars of goji (Lycium barbarum L.). Polyphenols and carotenoids were identified by LC-MS-Q/TOF and quantified by UPLC-PDA. Moreover, vitamin C, sugar and organic acid profile, antioxidant (ABTS+ , FRAP) and in vitro antidiabetic potential (inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase) and anti-aging (acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase BuChE) activity were evaluated. Some new cultivars contained high amounts of polyphenols (g8, g13 and g43) and carotenoids (g11, g26 and g12), and showed antioxidant (g8, g17, g22, g23), antidiabetic (g26), and anti-aging activity (g4, g6, g37). They were also content of vitamin C (2.39 to 6.24 mg/100 g), organic acids (1.95–4.30 g/100 g), and sugars (1.59–5.11 g/100 g). In conclusion, selected new cultivars might be used for the production of functional foods, as well as for medical or/and cosmetic purposes.

Silicon supplementation may lead to positive changes in plant quality, including their appearance. The two-factorial experiment with three ornamental plant taxa Gazania rigens ‘Kiss Yellow’, Salvia farinacea ‘Fairy Queen’ and Verbena ‘Obsession Lilac’ was conducted in the years 2012-2013. The first factor was foliar application of Si in form of ortho-silicic acid stabilized with choline (YaraVita Actisil) at the concentrations of 60, 120 and 180 mg·dm-3, while the second was soil application of multinutrient fertilizer (Insol U) at the concentrations of 0.25% and 0.50%. Biometric measurements of plants were carried out at the beginning of flowering. The laboratory analyses included the determination of the content of P, K, Ca, Mg and Si as well as chlorophyll content in the leaves. Silicon had a beneficial influence on a majority of the analysed morphological features. Plants reacted best to high silicon doses (120 and 180 mg·dm-3). Particularly beneficial effects were noted with respect to improved flowering of all analysed plant taxa and to the vegetative development of Salvia and Gazania. Insol U supplementation noticeably improved the flowering of Verbena.

Oxytree is a fast-growing energy crop with C4 photosynthesis. In this research, for the first time, the torrefaction kinetic parameters of pruned Oxytree biomass (Paulownia clon in Vitro 112) were determined. The influence of the Oxytree cultivation method and soil class on the kinetic parameters of the torrefaction was also investigated. Oxytree pruned biomass from a first-year plantation was subjected to torrefaction within temperature range from 200 to 300 &deg, C and under anaerobic conditions in the laboratory-scale batch reactor. The mass loss was measured continuously during the process. The relative mass loss increased from 1.22% to 19.56% with the increase of the process temperature. The first-order constant rate reaction (k) values increased from 1.26 &times, 10&minus, 5 s&minus, 1 to 7.69 &times, 1 with the increase in temperature. The average activation energy for the pruned biomass of Oxytree torrefaction was 36.5 kJ∙mol&minus, 1. Statistical analysis showed no significant (p &lt, 0.05) effect of the Oxytree cultivation method and soil class on the k value. The results of this research could be useful for the valorization of energy crops such as Oxytree and optimization of waste-to-carbon and waste-to-energy processes.

This study aimed to identify and quantify the chemical composition and polyphenolic profile of 19 cultivars of Chaenomeles &times, superba, Chaenomeles japonica, and Chaenomeles speciosa by liquid chromatography coupled with photodiode array detector and quadrupole time-of-flight electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-PDA-QTOF-ESI-MS). Antioxidant (ABTS on-line, ABTS, FRAP, and ORAC), as well as in vitro biological activities, i.e., the ability to inhibit &alpha, amylase, &alpha, glucosidase, pancreatic lipase, acetylcholinesterase (AChE), butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LOX) were determined. Most of the Chaenomeles species and cultivars analyzed in this study have not been examined in this respect until now. Fruits contained 30.26 to 195.05 mg of vitamin C, 0.65 to 1.69 g of pectin, 0.32 to 0.64 g of ash, 0.60 to 3.98 g of sugars, and 41.64 to 110.31 g of organic acids in 100 g fresh weight. The lowest content of total polyphenols showed C. speciosa &lsquo, Rubra&rsquo, (57.84 g/kg dry weight, dw) while C. &times, superba &rsquo, Nicoline&rsquo, (170.38 g/kg dw) exhibited the highest concentration of those compounds. In the phenolic compounds, polymeric procyanidin fraction predominated (65%) with procyanidin B2, C1, and (&minus, )-epicatechin the most abundant. The antioxidant capacity measured by ABTS assay was mainly formed by polymeric procyanidins and flavan-3-ols, which was confirmed by ABTS on-line profiling. Chaenomeles fruits showed high potential for inhibition of &alpha, glucosidase and pancreatic lipase. The analyzed cultivars displayed greater potential for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibition than for butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE). The data indicate that Chaenomeles fruits could be regarded as a promising source of bioactive functional food.

The aim of this work is to compare the effect of three- and sixfold irradiation with a semiconductor laser beams of 200 mW power and wavelength equal to 670 nm and the rooting agent on the percentage and quality of rooted cuttings of leatherleaf viburnum. The most effective for root number and root length was threefold irradiation and for fresh root weight threefold irradiation applied together with the rooting agent.