The emergence of some critical incidents of economic, biological type-crises, armed conflicts, natural cataclysms can affect significantly the activity of the human society. The article aims at analyzing the behavior of the Romanian consumer in the context of COVID-19 emergence. The performed research has highlighted the particularities of the emergence of this sanitary crisis at the local economy level. Although the Romanian population's infection degree has been more reduced as compared to the Western states, the strict prevention measures imposed by the authorities have determined a model of behavior of the consumer close to the one of other states affected by the infection with the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV2. The market studies performed by specialized companies have shown that imposing home isolation conditions, due to the emergency state, has significantly reduced the social activities of the Romanian consumer, the actions being oriented mainly towards covering the basic necessities. The health of the consumers (purchase of medicines or visit to the physician), procuring food or financial activities at the banking units are the main motivations for leaving the residence. By comparison, the sports activities or the visits for supporting family members have the lowest weight. A segment of consumers, advocate of traditional commerce, has been forced to appeal to modern trade methods based on online shopping, and the specialists' estimations provide the maintenance of the trade behavior. Companies will have to focus on understanding the consumer's needs and to adapt their product offer and distribution system so that to reduce the new consumption limits and to facilitate the sales act. The main orientation during the crisis towards the local products can represent an opportunity for the Romanian companies, but Government support measures are necessary for the Romanian producers. The research results are a novelty, being among the first studies conducted at national level on the complex impact of COVID-19 on the health of the population, the national economy and consumer behaviorh start.

Agriculture represents an important sector of the Romanian economy, with certain vulnerabilities under the current geo-political context and pedoclimatic changes with a direct impact upon food security at national and European levels. This paper analyzes the possibilities for revitalizing the Romanian agricultural sector, which was affected by the excessive inflation (especially via the price increases of fertilizers and fuels) and drought, both generating significant cereal and agricultural production losses. The current research highlights the main investment options for the managers of 219 Romanian agricultural cooperative companies, including the available financing alternatives. In our view, the investments realized within the agricultural cooperative companies support the creation and increase in value added and reduce specific risks, consolidating the role and status of agricultural producers within the food chain. The research evaluates the Romanian agricultural investment typologies and establishes a model of assessing these investments by correlating the information obtained from the questionnaire distributed. The research methods include analyzing the reference literature, building the database, collecting and processing the questionnaires’ observations, transforming the qualitative data into quantitative ones and modeling them with econometric instruments. The results obtained using the econometric model reveal the main investment directions to be integrating the production chains through economic association forms, including constructing and modernizing the warehouses, processing the primary products and obtaining higher value-added products, identifying various distribution channels, making the most of all available resources and focusing on digitalization, efficiency, circular economy and short supply chains. The study is of interest for the investors and managers of agricultural cooperative companies from Romania and Europe in view of securing sustainable development, enhancing the role of agricultural producers within the food chain and increasing efficiency of the agricultural activity, with a direct impact upon European food security.

Nowadays, large quantities of berries are still being dumped or used for composting and animal feeding. The objective of this study was to customize a technological design for appropriate valorization of blueberry pomace into a shelf-life-stable, dark purple multifunctional ingredient, containing lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus casei), by freeze-drying. The main anthocyanins in blueberries freeze-dried inoculated pomace are malvidin 3-O-glucoside, peonidin 3-O-glucoside, and cyanidin 3-O-glucoside. A viable cells content of 4.75×10 8 CFU/g DW was found after freeze-drying and the ability of the freeze-dried powder to inhibit the DPPH radical was 171.98 ± 1.73 mMol Trolox/g DW. The results obtained from CIElab analysis show a tendency to red and blue, characteristic of blueberry anthocyanins. The bioaccesibility of anthocyanins from blueberry powder was 37.8% and the probiotic survival rate after passing through the digestion process was 49.56%. The inhibitory potential of the obtained powder on α-amylase, pancreatic lipase, and α-glucosidase and tyrosinase was assessed. A significant antidiabetic potential of the powder was found, with IC50 values for α-amylase of 2.61 ± 0.24 mg/ml and for α-glucosidase of 1.37 ± 0.01 mg/ml, significantly lower when compared to corresponding drugs used in current practices.The powder also showed a significant potential to inhibit tyrosinase, supporting the hypothesis that the pomace resulting from juice and wine manufacturing may be successfully used to develop multifunctional ingredients with significant health benefits.

The development of new ecological materials for the construction field represents a sustainable solution for waste management as long as their properties are comparable with those of traditional materials in terms of strengths, durability, corrosion resistance etc. Considering the large amount of glass wastes that are generated (e.g. technical waste glass derived from industrial activities) a sustainable approach is to recycle them in new products. To this purpose, metakaolin-waste glass geopolymers were obtained by using 10% technical glass powder and 90% metakaolin, activated with alkaline solutions of NaOH 8M and 12M. After 24 hours of hardening in certain conditions (cured for 2 hours at 60°C respectively 90 °C in covered moulds and up to 24 hours at room temperature) the geopolymer specimens were subjected to thermal treatments at temperatures up to 700°C, in order to establish the influence of hardening conditions on mechanical performances. The transformations which occur in the geopolymer matrix during the hardening process were studied by SEM analyses and x-ray diffraction. The results showed that a higher treatment temperature improves the mechanical resistance.

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