Application Prospects of Natural Antimicrobials and Antioxidants in Food Industry

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Quality and Safety".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 September 2023) | Viewed by 11662

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Technology and Biotechnology, Faculty of Chemistry and Technology, University of Split, 21000 Split, Croatia
Interests: food microbiology; green extraction technologies; chemical characterisation; in vitro antioxidant; antimicrobial activity; application of bioactive compunds in foods
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Despite considerable technological progress in the food industry and improved hygiene practices and temperature-regulated distribution chains, food safety and food spoilage are still a major problem. Because of this, large amounts of raw materials and ready-to-eat products are wasted every year. At the same time, the demand for safe, minimally processed and high-quality foods is growing, as well consumer concerns about the use of synthetic preservatives. In the search for alternative compounds that can be used for food preservation, phytochemicals from natural extracts and essential oils obtained from plants, agro-food byproducts, as well as marine algae have shown strong biological potential. The high antioxidant and/or antimicrobial activity (against foodborne and spoilage bacteria) makes their application in food preservation of great interest. Current studies emphasize the phytochemical profile of many natural sources; however, there is a need for further research on their extraction and application in the food: directly in food models to access quality, safety and prolongation of shelf life, application in food packaging materials, etc. In this Special Issue of Foods, you are invited to submit recent research of applications of natural antimicrobials and antioxidants in food models and packaging materials, as well as review articles dealing with state-of-the-art knowledge on the topic.

Dr. Danijela Skroza
Dr. Vida Šimat
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • natural preservatives 
  • natural antioxidants 
  • natural antimicrobials 
  • phenolics 
  • functional foods 
  • food application studies 
  • quality improvement 
  • shelf-life prolongation 
  • agro-food byproducts

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

33 pages, 3055 KiB  
Article
Effects of Ginger and Garlic Powders on the Physicochemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Fruit Juices during Storage
by Ancuța Elena Prisacaru, Cristina Ghinea, Eufrozina Albu and Florin Ursachi
Foods 2023, 12(6), 1311; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12061311 - 19 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5733
Abstract
Natural preservatives such as garlic and ginger can be added to the formulation of fresh fruit juices to encourage the consumption of health-promoting foods. In this study, the influence of garlic and ginger and the storage conditions on physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of [...] Read more.
Natural preservatives such as garlic and ginger can be added to the formulation of fresh fruit juices to encourage the consumption of health-promoting foods. In this study, the influence of garlic and ginger and the storage conditions on physicochemical and microbiological characteristics of fruit juices were investigated. The fruit juice assortments were produced from apple, apple and pumpkin, and apple and pomegranate and were treated with 0.5 g garlic powder, 0.5 g ginger powder, and 0.25 g mix of garlic and ginger powders. A total of 12 unpasteurized samples were produced, of which 3 were control samples. Samples stored at 20 and 4 °C were analyzed at 0, 3, 6, and 9 days for water activity (aw), pH, titratable acidity (TA), total soluble solids (TSS), electrical conductivity (EC), vitamin C, color parameters, total number of germs, yeasts, and molds, Listeria, Enterobacteriaceae, and Escherichia coli. Results showed that aw, pH, TSS, and vitamin C content decreased during storage of fruit juice samples, while TA increased. The lowest increase in total number of aerobic mesophilic germs was determined for the apple and pumpkin juice with garlic and ginger and apple juice with garlic. Full article
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14 pages, 1506 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus in Chicken Fillets and Its Bio-Control Using Different Seaweed Extracts
by Gamal Hamad, Amr Amer, Ghada Kirrella, Taha Mehany, Reham A. Elfayoumy, Rasha Elsabagh, Eman M. Elghazaly, Tuba Esatbeyoglu, Ahmed Taha and Ahmed Zeitoun
Foods 2023, 12(1), 20; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12010020 - 21 Dec 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2570
Abstract
This study aims to assess the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in chicken fillets and to control its growth using various lyophilized seaweed extracts (i.e., Halimeda opuntia (HO), Actinotrichia fragilis, and Turbinaria turbinata) by an agar disk diffusion assay in vitro. Results [...] Read more.
This study aims to assess the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in chicken fillets and to control its growth using various lyophilized seaweed extracts (i.e., Halimeda opuntia (HO), Actinotrichia fragilis, and Turbinaria turbinata) by an agar disk diffusion assay in vitro. Results showed that prevalence of S. aureus in breast and thigh samples reached of 92% and 84%, respectively. Lyophilized HO extract was the only seaweed that showed the antibacterial activity against S aureus with a significant difference at p < 0.05. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of HO extract was 1.5%, with an inhibition zone of 8.16 ± 0.73 mm. Regarding 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity, IC50 was recorded at 55.36 μg/mL, whereas cytotoxic IC50 of the lyophilized HO extract on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was 33.7 µg/mL; a higher IC50 of HO extracts permits their use as a safe food additive in meat products. Moreover, total phenolic compounds and total flavonoids compounds recorded 20.36 ± 0.092 and 16.59 ± 0.029 mg/mL, respectively. HPLC analyses of phenolic compounds profiles exhibited many bioactive substances and the higher ratio was daidzein with 10.84 ± 0.005 µg/mL and followed by gallic acid with a value of 4.06 ± 0.006 µg/mL. In a challenge study, chicken fillet (CHF) experimentally inoculated with S. aureus (ST) and treated with the lyophilized HO algal extract at 4% and 6% (CHF/ST/HO) showed a complete reduction of S. aureus count on the 6th and 4th days in chicken fillet stored at 4 °C, respectively. Moreover, CHF/ST/HO at 4% and 6% of HO extract enhanced the sensory attributes of grilled un-inoculated chicken fillet. Thus, lyophilized HO extracts are promising antibacterial and antioxidant candidates in the chicken meat industry. Full article
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10 pages, 1442 KiB  
Article
Antibacterial Mechanism of Linalool against Pseudomonas fragi: A Transcriptomic Study
by Yuansong Li, Fei Ren, Da Chen, Haiming Chen and Wenxue Chen
Foods 2022, 11(14), 2058; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11142058 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2292
Abstract
Pseudomonas fragi is the dominant spoilage bacterium that causes the deterioration of chilled meat. Our previous study showed that linalool has potent antibacterial activity against P. fragi, but its antibacterial mechanism is unclear. To explore the antibacterial mechanism of linalool against P. [...] Read more.
Pseudomonas fragi is the dominant spoilage bacterium that causes the deterioration of chilled meat. Our previous study showed that linalool has potent antibacterial activity against P. fragi, but its antibacterial mechanism is unclear. To explore the antibacterial mechanism of linalool against P. fragi, this study used RNA-seq technology to perform transcriptome analysis of P. fragi samples with or without linalool treatment (1.5 mL/L) for 2 h. The results showed that linalool treatment disrupted the extracellular lipopolysaccharide synthesis pathway in P. fragi and activated fatty acid metabolism and ribosomal function to compensate for cell membrane damage. The energy metabolism of P. fragi was severely disturbed by linalool, and multiple ATP synthases and ATP transportases were overexpressed in the cells but could not guarantee the consumption of ATP. The simultaneous overexpression of multiple ribosomal functional proteins and transporters may also place an additional burden on cells and cause them to collapse. Full article
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