Olive oil displays remarkable organoleptic and nutritional features, which turn it into a foodstuff appreciated by consumers, and a basic component of the Mediterranean diet. Indeed, the noticed benefits of including olive oil in the diet have been assigned to the presence of diverse bioactive compounds with different molecular structures. These compounds confer a wide range of biological properties to this food matrix, including the prevention of distinct human diseases as well as the modulation of their severity. The most relevant bioactive compounds present in olive oil correspond to benzoic and cinnamic acids, phenolic alcohols and secoiridoids, and also flavonoids. Over the last decades, several studies, devoted to gaining a further insight into the relative contribution of the separate groups and individual compounds for their biological activities, have been conducted, providing relevant information on structure–activity relationships. Therefore, this paper critically reviews the health benefits evidenced by distinct phenolic compounds found in olive oils, thus contributing to clarify the relationship between their chemical structures and biological functions, further supporting their interest as essential ingredients of wholesome foods.

Currently, the sustainability of agro-food systems is one of the major challenges for agriculture and the introduction of new pulse-based products can be a good opportunity to face this challenge. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) is a nutritionally important crop and has the particularity that the aerial section of the plant is entirely edible. The current research determines the nutritional composition of the alternative cowpea food sources immature pods and grains comparatively to dry grains through the evaluation of protein, minerals and different polyphenolic contents, and antioxidant capacity. Ten cowpea genotypes were analyzed during two harvest seasons. Cowpea immature pods and grains revealed high levels of total protein and K, Ca, Zn and Fe contents. In general, most of the genotypes produced cowpea of high nutritional value, with a high variation observed between them. Our results showed the potential of the introduction of new cowpea new products in the market allowing a healthy and variable diet and at the same time a better use of the crop under the scenario of climate change.

Candied fruits produced with healthier ingredients for obtaining low glycemic index, low energy and/or dietary fiber enriched products were develop by substituting the traditionally used osmotic dehydration sugars sucrose and glucose by fructose, sorbitol, maltitol, fructooligosaccharides and galactooligosaccharides. Quality of candied fruits was evaluated chemically, rheologically and sensorially. For all fruits the final composition was dependent on the osmotic dehydration agent used and, in all cases, the final composition show that fruits can be impregnated successfully with the healthier ingredients.Each of the different osmotic dehydration agents significantly influenced the texture and sensorial profile of the candied fruits, but the changes were dependent on the fruits, with the texture and sensorial quality of some products being better and other poorer than the commercial candied fruits. For all fruits tested, the osmotic dehydration agent sorbitol imprinted peculiar characteristics. The chemical composition of the final products show that candied fruits obtained with these alternative osmotic dehydration agents are suitable healthier alternatives of the traditional candied fruits. Still, only a consumer's trial would assess the palatability of the different fruits/osmotic dehydration agents tested. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSOne of the main objectives of food processing is the preservation of perishable foods. Candying of fruits results in a decrease of water activity by osmotic dehydration, prolonging fruits shelf-life. This process changes the textural and sensorial properties but also has an impact on its dietary value, due to sucrose and glucose used in candying, accused for being responsible for various illness. Therefore, the candying industry is looking for substitutes, those so called "healthy ingredients" that can be used for osmotic dehydration and yield products with similar or even better quality properties (structural, textural and organoleptic). Fructose, sorbitol, maltitol, and dietary fiber oligosaccharides, are possible candidates for substitution of sucrose in the candying industry. With this work we aim to increase the knowledge about modifications at the textural and sensorial level occurring on these fruits after the candying process to adequately control candying and improve the quality of candied fruits.