Achillea spp.: A comprehensive review on its ethnobotany, phytochemistry, phytopharmacology and industrial applications.

The genus Achillea genus houses more than 100 species, a number of them are popularly used in traditional medicine for spasmodic gastrointestinal, gynecological and hepatobiliary disorders, hemorrhages, pneumonia, rheumatic pain, inflammation, wounds healing etc. Members of the genus contain a wide variety of volatile and non-volatile secondary metabolites, including terpenes, polyphenols, flavonoids and others. Multiple studies have assessed the biological effects and other aspects of Achillea spp. In a number of preclinical studies, Achillea plants and their essential oils have demonstrated promising antibacterial properties against a number of human and plant pathogens. Besides, the plants have displayed strong antioxidative and potent anti-proliferative and anticancer properties in various cellular and animal models. Achillea plants have widely been used as food preservative in food industry. Clinical studies have indicated its potential against multiple sclerosis (MS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), ulcerative colitis, episiotomy wound, primary dysmenorrhea, oral mucositis etc. The present work focuses to provide a brief overview on folk knowledge, phytochemistry, biological activity and applications of Achillea plants. There is a close relationship between the traditional ethnobotanical usage and pharmacological and clinical data from different Achillea spp. The application of Achillea plants and their extracts seems to be a promising alternative for antimicrobial and antioxidant purposes in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.

Effects of process variables on some quality properties of meatballs semi-cooked in a continuous type ohmic cooking system.

Ohmic cooking of meatballs was conducted in a continuous type ohmic cooker using different voltage gradients (15, 20 and 25 V/cm) and holding times (0, 15 and 30 s). The color and textural properties and log reductions in total microbial count of the meatballs were assessed. The effects of process variables on these responses were evaluated by linear and quadratic mathematical models. Desirability function was used to determine the optimum ohmic pre-cooking condition by considering the criteria of minimizing hardness ratio, and maximizing chewiness ratio, resilience ratio, log reduction in microbial load, outside chroma ratio, inside chroma ratio and in range of springiness, gumminess and inside L ratios. The optimum ohmic pre-cooking condition was found to be a 15.26 V/cm voltage gradient with no holding time. It is concluded that application of the optimum condition in the related ohmic system offers potential for the production of high quality and safe semi-cooked meat products.