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The disposal of waste generated in the agri-food industry is one of the greatest challenges in achieving sustainable development. Although agri-food residues are a potential source of bioactive compounds with proven health benefits, they are largely unused and disposed of as organic waste. The recovery of bioactive compounds from agri-food waste to obtain products with high biological value, such as functional foods and nutraceuticals, is an idea that stems from the concept of bioeconomy and combines environmental issues with economically viable production. Some of the main agri-food wastes in Serbia that have the potential to be recycled into value-added products are apple, plum, grape, tomato, and beet pomace, and oilseed cakes. Bioactive compounds isolated from these wastes include polyphenols, fibers, essential fatty acids, minerals, various volatiles and pigments. This article focuses on the most common food wastes and the potential reuse of these undervalued material to produce value-added products such as functional foods, nutraceuticals or food additives.

Background: The uneven lipid-lowering statin effects and statin intolerance raise interest regarding the involvement of coadministration of statins and dietary supplements. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of octacosanol supplementation on markers of redox status in cardiovascular patients on chronic atorvastatin therapy. Methods: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, single-centre study was conducted. Redox status homeostasis parameters [i.e., advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), pro-oxidant-antioxidant balance (PAB), total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase activity (SOD), total protein sulfhydryl (SHgroups), and paraoxonase 1 (PO N 1) activity] were assessed in 81 patients. According to favorable changes in lipid profile, patients were classified into two groups: responders (n = 35) and non-responders (n = 46), and followed for 13 weeks. A principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to explore the effect of octacosanol supplementation and the relationship between investigated parameters as predictors of responders' and non-responders' status. Results: Significant decrease in Oxy-score value was found at the endpoint compared to baseline in responders' group (21.0 (13.4-25.5) versus 15.1 (12.4-18.0); P < 0.01). PCA analysis extracted 4 significant factors in the both groups, whereas extracted factors containing "octacosanol status" variable explained 14.7% and 11.5% of the variance in responders' and non-responders' subgroups, respectively. Conclusions: Octacosanol supplementation leads to an improvement of lipid profile and markers of redox status in responders' group. New studies are needed to validate our results in order to find the best approach for personalized supplementation as a useful adjunct to standard statin therapy.

Besides iodine deficiency, autoimmune Hashimoto thyroiditis is the leading cause of hypothyroidism globally, characterized by the increased titer of thyroid autoantibodies and destruction of thyroid cells. Graves' disease is the most common etiology of hyperthyroidism worldwide. Patients with thyroid dysfunction often require dietary modifications. Popular interventions include supplementation with certain vitamins and minerals, as well as trace elements such as iodine and selenium. The intake of food containing goitrogens should be limited. Goitrogens are substances of plant origin that interfere with the production of thyroid hormones, increasing the risk for goiter and hypothyroidism. The primary dietary sources of goitrogens are cruciferous vegetables, soy products, starchy plants, and some fruits. Beyond essential nutrients, there has been an increasing interest in using specific nutraceuticals, including myoinositol, Lcarnitine, melatonin, and resveratrol, as potential preventive and therapeutic agents in thyroid diseases. Even though current evidence promotes some beneficial outcomes of these nutraceuticals, further investigations are needed to clarify dose-dependent effects, duration of supplementation, combination in different clinical settings, and the exact mechanism of their action in thyroid disorders.

Food additive is any substance not normally consumed as a food, the intentional addition of which to food for a technological purpose results in it or its by-products becoming a component of such foods. The use of each new additive is preceded by a risk analysis consisting of three interrelated components: risk assessment, risk management and risk communication. At the international level in the Codex Alimentarius system, risk assessment is performed by the Joint (FAO/WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and risk management by Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) that, based on the results of the risk assessment, prepares international standards and recommendations that Member States incorporate into national regulations. At the level of the European Union (EU), risk assessment is performed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) as a basis for risk management by the European Commission (EC) that prepares food additive legislation, and member states authorities responsible for official control of additives on the market. Risk communication takes place between all stakeholders including academia, food producers and consumers. The regulation on additives in the Republic of Serbia is fully harmonized with the EU legislation in this area.

Due to the presence of numerous bioactive compounds, including polysaccharides and polyphenols, mushroom-based food supplements are claimed to have many beneficial health effects. Despite their popularity, concerns have been raised in recent years over the quality of mushroom products, particularly regarding their non-standardized chemical composition. In this study, the β-glucan and total phenolic contents, as well as the antioxidant potential of mushroom-derived supplements available on the Serbian market were analyzed. The obtained results, revealing considerable differences in β-glucan and total polyphenol contents among these products, reflect variations in mushroom species, forms and recommended dosing regimens. A correlation between the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity was observed. The presence of other active ingredients, such as vitamin C, has contributed to antioxidant variability among the analyzed products. The obtained results indicate the need for the standardization of mushroom-derived food supplements to ensure their claiming effects. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. III46001]

Celiac disease (gluten sensitive enteropathy) is a chronic, lifelong inflammatory disease of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed individuals, and is characterized by a permanent specific hypersensitivity to wheat, rye, barley and oat gluten. Gluten intake in these individuals leads to damage of the small intestine mucosa, which is manifested by abdominal problems, resulting in reduced absorption of nutrients, leading to secondary disorders and diseases such as rachitis, osteoporosis, arthritis, delay in growth and development, anemia, sterility, neurological disorders, skin changes, intestinal lymphomas. The prevalence of celiac disease is about 1% in the general population. The diagnostic procedure includes histological and serological tests, and a strict gluten-free diet is a lifelong treatment of celiac disease and is a main requirement for any further treatment of the consequences of nutritional deficits. The main problems in implementing a gluten-free diet is the presence of hidden gluten in food, medicines and cosmetics, and gluten contamination during production, storage and food preparation. According to the international Codex alimentarius standard (CODEX STAN 118-1979) and national regulations, gluten-free dietary products must not contain more than 20 mg/kg of gluten.

In this paper, the influence of thermal treatment (cooking, baking and frying) on the content of acrylamide in potato was followed by gas chromatography with nitrogen - phosphorus detector (GC-NPD). Sample preparation was performed in the conventional manner, applying heat treatment as follows: in boiling water at 110 0C for 30 minutes, by baking in an oven for 30 minutes at 2200 C, and frying in oil for 15 minutes at 250 0C. Quantification of acrylamide are preceded: homogenization of the sample, extraction, and evaporation of the extract. The calibration is performed in the concentration range 0-10 mg/kg and obtained value for R2 was higher than 0,99. Llimit of detection and limit of quantification were determined and obtained values were 0,26 mg/kg and 0,41 mg/kg, respectively. Recovery values were ranged from 102% to 110% and confirmed that metod is accurate. The proposed GC-NPD method is simple, reliable, and accurate for determination of the content of acrylamide in food samples. Obtained results show that the content of acrylamide in potato prepared by heat-cooking were below LOD while for samples trathed by baking or frying were in range from 0,6 mg/kg to 2,7 mg/kg. By comparing the content of acrylamide in potato we concluded that heat treatment has a major impact on the synthesis of acrylamide and it would be desirable to develop a process for the preparation of French fries and potato chips with low or no acrylamide content with textured attractive for consummation.

Acrylamide is toxic and probably carcinogenic compound, made as a result of high-temperature thermal treatment of carbohydrate-rich foodstuffs. In this article a method is improved for the extraction and quantitation of acrylamide in foods produced based on corn flour that are represented in our traditional diet. Acrylamide extraction was carried out using reduced volume of saturated solution of bromine water and the GC - MS method for the quantification was shown. Quantification of acrylamide was preceded by: sample homogenization, acrylamide extraction using water, extract purification using solid phase extraction, bromination, using a reduced volume of bromine water solution, dehydrobromination with sodium thiosulfate and transformation of dibromopropenamide in 2,3- 2- bromopropenamide using triethylamine. Regression and correlation analysis were applied for the probability level of 0.05. Calibration is performed in the concentration range 5-80 ug/kg with a detection limit 6.86 mg / kg and the limits of quantification 10.78 ug/kg and the coefficient of determination R2 > 0.999. Calibration curve was obtained: y = 0,069x + 0,038. Recovery values were an average from 97 to 110%. Proposed GC-MS method is simple, precise and reliable for the determination of acrylamide in the samples of thermal treated foods. Our results show that the tested foods quantify the presence of acrylamide in concentrations of 18 to 77 mg/kg acrylamide depending on whether the food was prepared by cooking or baking.