NFS Journal最新文献

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of thyme extracts in preventing the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in frozen vegetables. In order to investigate the microbiological properties of thyme extracts, Listeria strains were isolated from frozen vegetables and identified, as well as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of thyme extracts (in vitro study) and their activity in vegetable samples (in vivo study) were determined. Thyme extracts were prepared using ethanol, acetone, and water (cold and hot) from whole plants and different morphological parts of the thyme plant (seeds, leaves, and stems). Selected thyme extracts were assessed for their content of bioactive compounds (total phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carotenoids, and chlorophylls). Furthermore, the profiles of phenolic acids and flavonoids were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The study results showed that 67.2% of the vegetable samples were contaminated by L. monocytogenes strains, with carrots and stir fry mixtures being the most infected samples. The ethanolic and acetone extracts from thyme leaves and seeds were effective bactericidal agents at a concentration of 0.5 of the mean MIC values and proved effective in reducing L. monocytogenes at <2 log CFU/g. The strongest antibacterial activity was found for the acetone extracts from leaves, while the ethanolic extract from seeds exhibited the lowest activity. However, the ethanolic extract from leaves was more effective at a lower concentration. The greatest number of bioactive compounds (including phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and chlorophylls) were determined in the ethanolic and acetone extracts from thyme leaves.

Fermentation can be a powerful tool for developing new sustainable foods with increased nutritional value and fermented microbial biomass derived from filamentous fungi is a promising example. This study investigates the nutritional profile of edible Aspergillus oryzae biomass produced under submerged fermentation (SmF) using oat flour as a substrate. The fermentation occurred in a 1m³ airlift bioreactor during 48 h at 35 °C and the nutritional profile of the produced fungal biomass in terms of amino acids, fatty acids, minerals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn), vitamins (E, D₂), and dietary fiber was compared to oat flour as well as pure fungal biomass grown on semi-synthetic medium. The total amount of amino acids increased from 11% per dry weight (dw) in oat flour to 23.5% dw in oat fungal biomass with an improved relative ratio of essential amino acids (0.37 to 0.42). An increase in dietary fibers, minerals (Fe, Zn, Cu), vitamin E, as well as vitamin D₂ were also obtained in the oat fungal biomass compared to oat flour. Moreover, the short chain omega-3 α-linolenic acid (ALA) and omega-6 linoleic acid (LA) values increased from 0.6 to 8.4 and 21.7 to 68.4 (mg/g dry weight sample), respectively, in oat fungal biomass. The results indicate that fungal biomass grown on oat flour could have a potential application in the food industry as a nutritious source for a wide variety of products.

Herbal preparations can have beneficial effects to counteract cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Inhibition of platelet aggregation have been shown to be effective in CVD treatment. Medicinal plants contain beneficial compounds that could be a useful source of dietary phytochemicals. In this study, it was evaluated whether the hydroethanolic extract of Lampaya medicinalis Phil. (HEL) and two of its components, genipin and picein, are capable of reducing human platelet aggregation and whether such effect could be associated with the reduction of platelet activation markers. HEL significantly inhibited platelet aggregation stimulated with ADP and TRAP-6 (58 and 80%, respectively). The antiplatelet potential of HEL was reached from 250 μg/mL and at 1000 μg/mL when TRAP-6 and ADP, respectively, were used as agonist. The extract also inhibited GPIIb/IIIa activation at the highest concentration tested (1000 μg/mL). On the other hand, genipin at 20 μM significantly reduced P-selectin expression and GPIIb/IIIa activation, while picein decreased P-selectin expression as well as GPIIb/IIIa activation at 10 μM and 50 μM, respectively. Lampaya medicinalis Phil. might be a good candidate for cardiovascular protection, however further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanism by which this extract inhibits antiplatelet activity.

Fermented milk has been associated with the improvement of human health for decades. Food-grade Lactococcus lactis NZ3900 is a potential host for producing and delivering various biologics, including oral vaccines, hence it could enhance the functionality of fermented milk as a starter culture. A cultured fermented milk product was developed in this study using the food-grade recombinant L. lactis NZ3900 harboring plasmid pNZ8149. Response surface methodology was used to optimize the inoculum concentration (5–15% v/v), fermentation temperature (23–37 °C), and fermentation time (18–30 h) to enhance the viability, acidification activity, viscosity, and minimize syneresis of the L. lactis NZ3900-fermented milk using response surface methodology. The optimal inoculum concentration and fermentation conditions for L. lactis NZ3900-fermented milk are 12.5% (v/v) inoculum, 28 °C fermentation temperature, and 30 h of fermentation time, resulting in higher viability (9.64 log₁₀ CFU/mL), acidification activity (pH 4.42, 0.78% titratable acidity), viscosity (11,096.9 mPa·s), and comparable syneresis (63.62%) against commercial fermented milk products. This shows that food-grade L. lactis NZ3900 can be used as a starter culture, and NZ3900-fermented milk could be used as a functional drink for oral vaccine delivery.

The present study determined the concentration of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in fish feed, cattle feed, poultry feed, fish, Poultry chicken meat, egg, Cow milk and beef and assessed the potential human health risks due to consumption of foods from animal sources. Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS/MS) was used to detect the presence of OCPs residues. Several OCPs residues including Aldrin, p’,p’-DDD, p’,p’-DDT and Endosulfan sulfate were detected in fish; Aldrin, p’,p’-DDE, Heptachlor, p’,p’-DDT and HCH were detected in poultry chicken meat; Aldrin, p’,p’-DDE and DDD were detected in egg; Aldrin, p’,p'DDE and p’,p’-DDT were detected in cow milk and Aldrin, p’,p’-DDE, p’,p’-DDT, Endrin and HCH were detected in beef. OCPs residues were detected within the range of EU/FAO's recommended maximum residue limits (MRLs). The Health risk index (HI) values of detected OCPs were ranged from 0.295914 to 0.834996; 0.00059628 to 0.09085834; 0.087882 to 0.090889; 0.05462 to 0.312114 and 0.008468 to 0.179828 for fish, Poultry chicken meat, egg, cow milk and beef respectively. The HI values of simultaneous exposure to different OCPs from the total food of animal origin (cow milk, beef, fish, chicken meat and egg) were 0.829889954, 0.825673025, 0.035987457, 0.0557969 and 0.179828343 for aldrin, Σ p,p-DDE, DDD and DDT, Heptachlor, HCH and Endrin respectively which are also below than 1. HI value of lower than 1 indicates no potential health risks while more than 1 HI value indicates potential health hazardous. This work provided information about the occurrence of OCPs traces in animal feed and animal derived food items and their impact on public health.

The study aimed to produce natural additive-free powder from date fruits (Phoenix dactylifera L.). Dehydration of two date fruit varieties, i.e., Sukkari (semi-dry) and Barakawi (dry) was perforned at 65, 70 and 75 °C up to 72 h using a cabinet dryer. A temperature of 70 °C was found optimum for drying of both varieties by considering drying rate, total phenolic content, and hydroxymethylfurfural content. Barakawi date powder was found better than the Sukkari counterpart on comparing the water activity and clumping, mainly due to a low initial moisture content of the corresponding date fruit. To overcome the issue of clumping, the powders were compressed into tablets and cubes. The solubilities of the tablets/cubes were around 20% compared to 70–75% for powders. The article also presents a comprehensive comparison of fine and coarse fractions of date fruit powders for various physical parameters.

Chickpea is a rich source of dietary protein and human health promoting phenolic bioactives and globally used as food and food ingredients in contemporary and ethnic cuisines. This makes chickpea an excellent target as source of functional food ingredients for high-value and health-focused food and nutraceutical applications. Important specific interest is targeting counter measures to health risks associated with non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs). Therefore, beneficial lactic acid bacteria (LAB) based fermentation strategy was recruited to improve phenolic-bioactive linked antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic properties of select chickpea varieties (Myles, CDC-Anna, Dwelley, and B-90) which were initially screened for high baseline phenolic content. Aqueous extracts of chickpea flour were fermented with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum for 72 h. Total soluble phenolic (TSP) content, specific phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, anti-hyperglycemic property relevant α-amylase and α-glucosidase, and anti-hypertensive property relevant angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activities of unfermented (control), and fermented (with natural acidic pH and adjusted neutral pH) samples were analyzed using rapid in vitro assay models at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h fermentation time points. Overall, TSP content slightly decreased over time, while total antioxidant activity improved with fermentation and specifically at 24 h time point. Higher, α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory activities were also observed in fermented samples with natural acidic pH. However, anti-hypertensive relevant ACE inhibitory activity was only found in unfermented samples. Therefore, results indicated that LAB-based fermentation can be targeted strategically to improve antioxidant and anti-hyperglycemic relevant functional qualities in select chickpea varieties supporting NCD-linked health-focused food ingredient applications.

Olive stone and olive pomace were first identified as black pepper adulterants at the end of the 19th century. Nowadays, there is a worldwide boom in olive oil consumption. The olive oil and table olive industry generate tremendous volumes of olive wastes and this is presenting fraudsters with significant opportunities to use olive oil by-products as bulking agents in other foods such as black pepper. Despite the development of analytical methods for black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) authentication, it has been difficult to both detect and identify the specific fraudulent addition of Olea europaea L. waste by-products to this well-known spice. As such, there is a need for the development of a targeted method to address this issue. In this study, a secoiridoid phenolic biomarker of olive oil by-products, oleuropein, was identified as a target for the development of a novel analytical method, coupling ASE®) extraction and LC-MS/MS analysis for the identification of phenolic compounds as biomarkers of black pepper adulteration with olive wastes. The described operating conditions were used for the quantitation of oleuropein in olive oil by-products as well as the qualitative detection and identification of oleuropein in black pepper as a proof of the presence of olive waste addition as a bulking agent. Oleuropein was detected and quantified in all the olive oil by-product samples, even those subjected to processes such as olive-pomace extraction with hexane and sterilisation with steam heat-treatment. The method was validated for the qualitative detection of oleuropein in black pepper with selectivity and specificity values equal to 1 for 1.5% of olive pomace addition. The proposed method is simple and automated, requiring no purification step and can be applied as a rapid routine analysis to arm the industry against this potential fraud.

The development of biofunctional non-dairy beverages with probiotics and prebiotics is a challenge and a frontier goal prompted by current consumers demand of health promoting foods, in particular from those with dietary restrictions related to dairy products. This study aimed to evaluate the survival of two commercially available probiotic strains, Lactobacillus rhamnosus LGG® and Lactobacillus paracasei (Lactobacillus casei 431), in a commercial sterile purple pitaya juice during storage at 5 °C. Additionally, the prebiotic effect of inulin (6.25 mg/ml) on the survival of L. rhamnosus, the most promising strain, was assessed. Physicochemical parameters such as betalain and soluble solids contents, pH, and color were also monitored during storage. Populations of L. rhamnosus and L. paracasei decreased from 11 to 7 log CFU/ml after 12 ± 1 and 0.93 ± 0.05 d, respectively. No changes on the individual betalain contents, as well as for total betalain concentrations (28 ± 3 μg/ml) were observed after probiotic inoculation nor during storage for all experimental trials and regardless of the strain evaluated (P < 0.05). Moreover, the addition of inulin did not significantly (P > 0.05) influence the survival kinetics of L. rhamnosus in the juice during storage and the juice color, pH and soluble solids content remained unaffected as well. Purple pitaya juice represents therefore a promising non-dairy food matrix for probiotics delivery.

Traditional fermented foods with unique nutritional profiles are affordable and accessible dietary sources that support basic nutritional needs of many communities around the world. Ogi is a fermented combined cereal (Maize/Sorghum/other Millets) -based food of Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa, widely used as breakfast food for adults and weaning food for infants. However, during Ogi processing from cereal grains into slurries, significant losses of essential nutrients occurs, which affect overall nutritional quality. Therefore, improving specific health-targeted functional qualities of Ogi using novel food synergies with local plant based edible sources that are rich in essential nutrients and other health protective bioactives have significant dietary and health relevance. In this study, locally grown underutilized edible plants, like tigernut (Cyperus esculentus) and sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) seeds in different proportions (20 and 30 g) were separately synergized into maize and sorghum (80 and 70 g) and these food synergies were allowed to ferment spontaneously for 48 h. Physiochemical properties, proximate composition, and microbial population count of fermented food synergies were investigated at 0, 24, and 48 h time points. Additionally, total soluble phenolic content, phenolic profile, antioxidant activity, and anti-hyperglycemic property relevant α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory activity of dried fermented food synergies were determined using rapid in vitro assay models. Food synergy with sesame seeds and natural fermentation resulted in improvement of crude protein, fat, and vitamin C content in both maize and sorghum based Ogi. Furthermore, higher soluble phenolic content and high antioxidant activity were observed in food synergies with sesame seeds and specifically after 24 h of fermentation. High anti-hyperglycemic property relevant α-glucosidase enzyme inhibitory activity was also observed in fermented sorghum synergized with sesame seeds and tigernut. Therefore, integration of food synergy into traditional fermentation process is an effective bioprocessing strategy to improve overall nutritional profile and human health protective functional qualities in cereal-based fermented foods like Ogi targeting dietary and health benefits of wider communities.