Antioxidant Activity and Molecular Docking Study of Volatile Constituents from Different Aromatic Lamiaceous Plants Cultivated in Madinah Monawara, Saudi Arabia.

A comparative study of volatile constituents, antioxidant activity, and molecular docking was conducted between essential oils from Mentha longifolia L., Mentha spicata L., and Origanum majorana L., widely cultivated in Madinah. The investigation of volatile oils extracted by hydrodistillation was performed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). A total number of 29, 42, and 29 components were identified in M. longifolia, M. spicata, and O. majorana representing, respectively, 95.91, 94.62, and 98.42, of the total oils. Pulegone (38.42%), 1,8-cineole (15.60%), menthone (13.20%), and isopulegone (9.81%) were the dominant compounds in M. longifolia oil; carvone (35.14%), limonene (27.11%), germacrene D (4.73%), and ß-caryophyllene (3.02%) were dominant in M. spicata oil; terpin-4-ol (42.47%), trans-sabinene hydrate (8.52%), γ-terpinene (7.90%), α-terpineol (7.38%), linalool (6.35%), α-terpinene (5.42%), and cis-sabinene hydrate (3.14%) were dominant in O. majorana oil. The antioxidant activity, assessed using DPPH free radical-scavenging and ABTS assays, was found to be the highest in O. majorana volatile oil, followed by M. spicata and M. longifolia, which is consistent with the differences in total phenolic content and volatile constituents identified in investigated oils. In the same context, molecular docking of the main identified volatiles on NADPH oxidase showed a higher binding affinity for cis-verbenyl acetate, followed by ß-elemene and linalool, compared to the control (dextromethorphan). These results prove significant antioxidant abilities of the investigated oils, which may be considered for further analyses concerning the control of oxidative stress, as well as for their use as possible antioxidant agents in the pharmaceutical industry.

Physicochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Instant Mushroom Soup Enriched with Jerusalem artichoke and Cauliflower.

The present study aimed to develop instant mushroom soup fortified with mixed Jerusalem artichoke and Cauliflower powders (JACF) instead of wheat flour at different levels (5, 10, 15, and 20%) based on dry weight as natural sources of protein, ash, fiber, inulin, and bioactive components. Based on the proximate analysis, adding JACF with 20% recorded the highest contents of protein, ash, fibers, and inulin as 24.73, 3.67, 9.67, and 9.17%, respectively. In the same line, macro- and microelements and essential amino acids showed a significant increase during fortification with 5-20% JACF compared to the control. In contrast, the total carbohydrate content and caloric values were decreased with the raised JACF concentration in the soup. The highest content of total phenolic acids, flavonoids, glucosinolates, carotenoids, and ascorbic acid was detected in mushroom soup with a 20% JACF mixture, which coincides with the highest antioxidant activity. Gallic (20.81-94.34 mg/100 g DW) and protocatechuic (13.63-58.53 mg/100 g) acids predominated among the phenolic acids identified in the mushroom-JACF soup samples, while rutin was the main flavonoid (7.52-18.2 mg/100 g). The increase of the JACF mixture in the soup significantly enhanced the rehydration ratio, total soluble solids, color parameters, and the sensory properties of the samples. In conclusion, using JACF in mushroom soup is necessary to improve the physicochemical characteristics and nutritional impact by containing phytochemicals and enhancing the organoleptic properties of the food product.

Mayonnaise Enriched with Flaxseed Oil: Omega-3 Fatty Acids Content, Sensory Quality and Stability during the Storage.

This study aimed to produce healthy mayonnaise with a protective effect against cardiovascular diseases, containing omega-3 fatty acids (FA), using flaxseed oil (FXO), which includes a high percentage of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3n-3). The mayonnaise was prepared by replacing soybean oil with FXO at 20, 30, and 40% levels. The effect on the organoleptic, physical, and chemical quality was studied compared to a control, prepared only with soybean oil (70%). The oxidative and microbial stability during 12 weeks of storage at 25 and 7 °C was also evaluated. The results showed that the use of FXO in mayonnaise (20, 30, and 40%) led to an increase in TUFA (from 79.37 (control) to 82.48, 85.49, and 87.66%, respectively), particularly in PUFAn-3, due to the rise of ALA (from 6.5 to 18.38, 24.02 and 37.87%, respectively) and a decrease in TSFA (from 20.63 to 17.52, 14.51 and 12.34%, respectively). The panelists did not perceive significant differences in the sensory characteristics of the "new" mayonnaise. A decrease in the oxidation rates of the "new" mayonnaise during the storage period was observed. A significant effect on microbial growth was not reported, although the permissible limits were not exceeded after 12 weeks of storage, even at 25 °C.

Antifungal Activity of Some Essential Oils Emulsions Against Fungi Contaminating Ras Cheese.

<b>Background and Objective:</b> Ras cheese is one of the important dairy products that are consumed in great quantities. But this cheese is vulnerable to the growth of fungi during ripening and selling until consumption. Therefore, research aimed to detect fungi contaminating Ras cheese and try to resist them. <b>Materials and Methods:</b> The effect of various concentrations (0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 and 3%) of essential oils emulsions of clove (<i>Syzygium aromaticum</i>), thyme (<i>Thymus vulgaris</i>) and peppermint (<i>Mentha piperita</i>) severally on the mycelial growth of the isolated fungi as compared to the control sample was tested <i>in vitro.</i> <b>Results:</b> The results indicated that many fungal species belonging to the genera <i>Aspergillus</i>, <i>Mucor</i>, <i>Eurotium</i> and <i>Mortierella</i> were isolated from the infected Ras cheese. Ochratoxin A was found in two samples whereas recorded the highest level in sample number 1 (2.1 µg kg¹). Aflatoxin M1 was found in few levels ranged between 0.012 and 0.360 µg kg¹in cheese samples, while aflatoxin B1 and B2 weren't detected in all samples. Clove essential oil emulsion completely inhibited the growth of all tested fungi at the concentration of 0.5%, followed by thyme essential oil emulsion which inhibited the fungal growth of all fungi at the concentration of 1%, while peppermint essential oil emulsion was less effective. <b>Conclusion:</b> The research recommends that clove and thyme essential oils emulsions can be used to resist the fungi of Ras cheese. Also, suggests that more research could be done on these essential oils emulsions to produce safe foods free of fungi.

Effect of Exopolysaccharides-producing Starter Culture on the Flavor Profile and Characteristics of Low Fat Ras Cheese.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The application of the exopolysaccharide-producing starter culture for improving the texture and technical properties and evaluating flavor profile of low-fat Ras cheese was studied. The experimental design was performed to compare flavour compounds of traditional and exopolysaccharide producing starters (EPS) for different levels of fat milk cheese. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Control (4% fat) with traditional starter, T1 (0% fat) with EPS, T2 (1% fat) with EPS), T3 (2% fat) with EPS and T4 (3% fat) with EPS were used. The physicochemical, textural profile analysis and organoleptic properties of fresh and stored cheeses (4 months) were determined. Also, the microscopic structural changes in fresh low-fat Ras cheese with EPS were evaluated. RESULTS: The results indicated that addition of EPS producing cultures with decreasing fat of cheese milk lead to an increase in the moisture of treatments as well as hardness, cohesiveness, springiness, chewiness and gumminess of the resultant cheese. The data indicated that control cheese (full-fat and without EPS-producing cultures) had the lowest values of acidity. The changes in pH values among all cheese treatments and during storage period followed opposite trend to that of titratable acidity. There were negative correlation between the rate of fat reduction and the values of SN (soluble nitrogen). CONCLUSION: Addition of EPS-producing cultures in Ras cheese milk improved sensory evaluation of resultant cheese, whereas cheese with 3% fat and EPS-producing culture (T4) selected as best Ras cheese sample.

Production of functional spreadable processed cheese using Chlorella vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Chlorella vulgaris alga is one of the most important additives for enhancing the nutritional content of conventional foods, hence positively affecting human health. This alga is known as a rich source of protein, fatty acids, fiber, essential vitamins and minerals. Also, it contains antioxidants, omega 3, antivi- ral and anticancer properties. The aim of this research is increasing the nutritional and potential therapeutic value of processed cheese by using Chlorella vulgaris alga, taking advantage of its high nutritional and health value. METHODS: The ingredients in the processed cheese blends were mature cheddar cheese, Ras cheese, butter, skimmed milk powder, Emulsifying salts (K-2394, S9s & S4), Chlorella vulgaris (in freeze- dried and slurry forms). Chemical, rheological and sensory evaluation properties were evaluated in processed cheese analogue (PCA) treatments when fresh and after three months of cold storage at 5–7°C. PCA treat- ments were enriched with 2%, 4% and 6% dried Chlorella vulgaris powder in the cheese blends and 4% Chlorella vulgaris slurry. RESULTS: The incorporation of alga into processed cheese led to an increase in their functional characteristics. The results of sensory evaluation of PCA samples demonstrated that 2% of alga addition was the best treat- ment, followed by 4%, but that the level of 6% was unacceptable to consumers. The studied alga enhanced the cheese analog with the high levels of selenium, zinc, iron, magnesium and potassium. Antioxidant activity in the cheese enhanced with Chlorella vulgaris was higher than the control sample. To improve some proper- ties of PCA, other emulsifying salts (S9S and S4) were tested and the alga was added in the form of slurry with value of 4% into the cheese blend. Both S9S and S4 emulsifying salts were good and the S4 was the best for oiling off and meltability. Also, when using the slurry of Chlorella vulgaris, the granular texture of the cheese analog completely disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the alga indeed increased nutrition values and health benefits to the processed cheese, making it a substantial functional food. Therefore, we recommend supporting the manu- facture of the processed cheese analogue with the addition of 2% Chlorella vulgaris alga in soft powder form and 4% Chlorella vulgaris alga in slurry form at the end of the processing.

Factors affecting the phase behavior and antimicrobial activity of carvacrol microemulsions.

The aim of this study was to investigate some factors that can contribute to the formulation of aqueous-based carvacrol microemulsion that can potentially be used in food preservation or disinfection. For this purpose the capacity of formation of carvacrol microemulsion was first revealed by studying the phase behavior of that compound in five different non-ionic microemulsion systems. Factors affecting that phase behavior like the type of non-ionic surfactant and presence of solubilization enhancers were also studied. The fully dilutable microemulsion system that can incorporate high carvacrol amount, as revealed from the phase diagrams, was chosen for the antibacterial evaluation study. The same microemulsion system was re-formulated in a cationic form by substituting the non-ionic surfactant, Tween 20 (T20) with the cationic cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC). The disc diffusion method was used to evaluate the activity of these microemulsion systems against different pathogenic bacteria. Results of the phase behavior study showed that carvacrol is a challenging phenolic compound which did not lend itself easily for solubilization in a fully dilutable non-ionic microemulsion. Incorporation of some solubilization enhancers like propylene glycol (PG) or short chain alcohols can fulfill this purpose however high surfactant/carvacrol ratio (9:1) was still required to solubilize only 1.0 wt% carvacrol in dilutable microemulsion. The antibacterial evaluation study at that concentration revealed that non-ionic carvacrol microemulsion formulated with T20 and a solubilization enhancer did not exhibit better antimicrobial activity than the same concentration of carvacrol formulated in surfactant-free aqueous solution composed of water/PG (1:1). On the other hand, the CPC-formulated carvacrol microemulsion showed significantly higher antibacterial activity than T20-formulated microemulsion. Results of the current investigation shed the light on the solubilization capacity and phase behavior of carvacrol in non-ionic microemulsion and the potential of using cationic carvacrol microemulsion in disinfection and decontamination applications.

Analysis and antibacterial activity of Nigella sativa essential oil formulated in microemulsion system.

The Essential oil (EO) of Nigella sativa (black cumin) was extracted from the crude oil and the volatile constituents were characterized using gas chromatographic analysis. The EO was formulated in water-based microemulsion system and its antibacterial activity against six pathogenic bacteria was evaluated using the agar well diffusion method. This activity was compared with two other well known biologically active natural and synthetic antimicrobials namely eugenol and Ceftriaxone(®). Results showed that N. sativa EO microemulsion was highly effective against S. aureus, B. cereus and S. typhimurium even at the lowest tested concentration of that EO in the microemulsion (100.0 µg/well). Interestingly, the EO microemulsion showed higher antibacterial activity than Ceftriaxone solution against S. typhimurium at 400.0 µg/well and almost comparable activity against E. coli at 500.0 µg/well. No activity was detected for the EO microemulsion against L. monocytogenes and P. aeruginosa. Eugenol which was also formulated in microemulsion was less effective than N. sativa EO microemulsion except against P. aeruginosa. The synthetic antibiotic (Ceftriaxone) was effective against most of the six tested bacterial strains. This work is the first report revealing the formulation of N. sativa EO in microemulsion system and investigating its antibacterial activity. The results may offer potential application of that water-based microemulsion in controlling the prevalence of some pathogenic bacteria.

Chemical compositions and antioxidant/antimicrobial activities of various samples prepared from Schinus terebinthifolius leaves cultivated in Egypt.

Essential oil, dichloromethane extract, and ethanol extract were prepared from fresh Schinus terebinthifolius leaves cultivated in Egypt. The essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The essential oil comprised 4.97% monoterpenes, 56.96% sesquiterpenes, 34.37% oxygenated monoterpenes, and 3.32% oxygenated sesquiterpenes. The major compounds in the essential oil were cis-beta-terpineol (GC peak area%, 17.87%), (E)-caryophyllene (17.56%), beta-cedrene (9.76%), and citronellal (7.03%). The major phenolic compounds identified in the ethanol extract were caffeic acid (5.07 mg/100 mg extract), coumaric acid (1.64 mg), and syringic acid (1.59 mg). The antioxidant activity of ethanol extract, which was comparable with that of butylhydroquinone, was superior to essential oil and dichloromethane extract in 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl and beta-carotene/bleaching assays. The dichloromethane extract exhibited the greatest antimicrobial activity against 6 strains, followed by the ethanol extract and the essential oil.

Chemical composition of volatile extract and biological activities of volatile and less-volatile extracts of juniper berry (Juniperus drupacea L.) fruit.

Volatile chemicals in a dichloromethane extract from a steam distillate of juniper berry fruit (Juniperus drupacea L.) and its two column chromatographic fractions (eluted with hexane and ethyl ether) were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The major compounds in the dichloromethane extract were alpha-pinene (23.73%), thymol methyl ether (17.32%), and camphor (10.12%). A fraction eluted with hexane contained alpha-pinene (44.24%) as the major constituent. A fraction eluted with ethyl ether had thymol methyl ether (22.27%) and camphor (19.65%) as the main components. Three samples prepared from the distillate and two additional samples prepared by petroleum ether and ethanol extraction directly from juniper berry fruits exhibited clear antioxidant activities with dose response in both 1,2-diphenyl picrylhydrazyl and beta-carotene assays. All samples except the hexane fraction showed comparable activities to that of the synthetic antioxidant t-butyl hydroquinone at a level of 200 microg/mL in the two testing systems. The extracts of dichloromethane, petroleum ether, and ethanol exhibited appreciable antimicrobial activities against six microorganisms with minimum inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.5 mg/mL (volatile extract against Candida albicans ) to 1.2 mg/mL (ethanol extract against Aspergillus niger ). The results of the present study suggest that this fruit could be a natural antioxidant supplement for foods and beverages.