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The influence of different hydroxides, applied to activate carbon black, on the electrochemical properties of activated carbon was investigated. The carbon material was prepared by hydrothermal treatment of sucrose and afterwards thermally activated using KOH, NaOH and LiOH. The electrochemical properties of the obtained samples were examined by cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and correlated to their physicochemical properties. All samples showed characteristic capacitor-like behaviour. The highest specific capacitance was obtained for the KOH-treated sample, while the increase in capacitance follows the sequence of the growth of ionic radius of a metal from an alkali which is used for activation. It was found that the dependence on the type of hydroxide is due to differences in the radii of a metal. The alkalies of larger radii of metal generated make pores wider and consequently the structure of a porous layer become more accessible to the charge transfer of capacitive response.

Composites of graphene and SnO2 were successfully prepared by a single step simultaneous synthesis of SnO2 and reduction of graphene oxide (GO). Three different compositions of precursor solution resulted in different composite materials containing graphene and SnO2. The reaction was realized by microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) gave insight into the morphology and composition of the obtained materials. Good capacitive/pseudocapacitive properties of the obtained material suitable for supercapacitor application were registered by cyclic voltammetry, from where specific capacitance values up to 93 F g-1 were determined. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. 172060]

The objective of study was to investigate the relationships between maize kernel properties and carotenoid release during simulated gastrointestinal digestion of 103 hybrids of dent type. Commercial maize hybrids significantly differed in kernel hardness, chemical composition and carotenoid profile. Across all hybrids, the amount of digestible individual carotenoids increased as follows: β-carotene < α-cryptoxanthin < β-cryptoxanthin < lutein < zeaxanthin. The amount of digested carotenoids correlated negatively with amylose content and amylose-to-amylopectin ratio, while it correlated positively with the content of neutral detergent fibres and amylopectin as well as the Stenvert index. However, the content of endosperm lipids could not be related to carotenoid digestibility. Findings clearly indicate that the carotenoid release from the kernel during digestion is related to specific physical and chemical properties, leading to a better understanding of the effects of kernel matrix structure on carotenoid digestibility in dent-type maize hybrids., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This research elaborates the process of enriching table eggs with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and presents the effect of such enriched eggs on human health. The experiment was performed on 480 TETRA SL laying hens divided into three groups. Feeding mixtures contained 5% of oils (K = soybean oil, P1 = 3.5% linseed oil + 1.5% fish oil, P2 = 3% linseed oil + 2% fish oil). Referring to the content of α-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), eggs of P1 and P2 groups were significantly richer in n-3 PUFA than eggs of the control group ( p = 0.001). Atherogenic (AI), thrombogenic (TI), and hypo/hypercholesterolemic (HHI) indexes of egg yolks were more favourable in enriched eggs than in conventional eggs. Fatty acid profiles in the blood of examinees that consumed conventional and enriched eggs (treatments K and P1, respectively) differed significantly in total saturated fatty acids (ΣSFA) ( p = 0.041) and in the content of ALA ( p = 0.010). The consumption of n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs lowered the Σn-6 PUFA/Σn-3 PUFA ratio in the examinees' blood serum (27%) and had a favourable effect on some blood biochemical indicators. This research confirmed the assumption that the use of a combination of fish and linseed oil in mixtures for laying hens in an amount of up to 5% will increase the content of omega-3 in table eggs, but it was not confirmed that the consumption of these eggs in a short period of time (21 days) has a positive effect on human health.

Consumer demand for high quality and safe foods that will have a positive impact on their health has increased in recent years. Today, it is possible to meet those demands by combining the genetic potential of domestic animals and applying different feeding strategies. Nutrigenomics is one of the "omics" sciences that studies the interaction between nutrients and the genome together with their influence on metabolic and physiological processes in the body. While nutrition of domestic animals is solely based on studying the influence of nutrients on animal health and production traits, nutrigenomics integrates the fields of nutrition, genomics, molecular genetics and bioinformatics. By understanding the molecular relationships between different forms and/or concentrations of nutrients in feed and genes, it is possible to answer the question of how small changes in the diet of farm animals can produce a quality product with positive effects on human health. The aim of this article is to describe how the manipulation of adding different nutrients in the feed affects the expression of different genes in chicken and consequently alters their phenotype.

The research investigates the possibilities of enriching eggs with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, selenium, vitamin E, and lutein. The research was carried out on 100 TETRA SL laying hens divided into two groups (C and E). Hens in treatment C (control group) were fed a standard feeding mixture that contained 5% soybean oil, 0.32 mg/kg organic selenium, 25.20 mg/kg vitamin E, and 20.5 mg/kg lutein (Marigold flower extract). Hens in treatment E (experimental group) were fed a mixture in which soybean oil was replaced by 1.5% fish oil + 1.5% rapeseed oil + 2.0% linseed oil. The content of other nutricines amounted to 0.47 mg/kg organic selenium, 125.2 mg/kg vitamin E, and 120.5 mg/kg lutein. Portions of total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in enriched eggs were significantly increased when compared to conventional eggs (480.65:204.58 mg/100 g; p < 0.001). The content of selenium, vitamin E, and lutein was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in enriched eggs than in conventional eggs. The content of selenium in egg albumen was increased by 1.81 times, and in the yolk, it was increased by 1.18 times. At the same time, the content of vitamin E was 2.74 times higher, and lutein was 8.94 times higher in enriched eggs than in conventional eggs.