Pomegranate Peel and Olive Leaf Extracts to Optimize the Preservation of Fresh Meat: Natural Food Additives to Extend Shelf-Life.

Quality and safety are one of the main concerns of the European Union in food preservation. Using chemical additives extends the shelf-life of fresh foods but raises consumer's concerns about the potential long-term carcinogenic effects. Using natural substances derived from agro-industrial by-products, which have significant antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, could extend the shelf-life of fresh foods such as meat. Furthermore, they can provide nutritional improvements without modifying organoleptic properties. This study analyzes the antimicrobial activity of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) and the antioxidant activity of olive leaf extract (OLE), added at concentrations of 10 mg g-1 and 0.25 mg g-1, respectively, to minced poultry and rabbit meat. PPE exhibited in vitro antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens starting at 10 mg/well. PPE and OLE determined a reduction in colony count over a storage period of 6 days at 4 °C. Additionally, the combination of PPE and OLE showed antioxidant effects, preserving lipid oxidation and maintaining pH levels. The obtained results demonstrate that PPE and OLE can be recommended as food additives to preserve the quality and extend the shelf-life of meat products.

Interface interactions driven antioxidant properties in olive leaf extract/cellulose nanocrystals/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) biomaterials.

Functional packaging represents a new frontier for research on food packaging materials. In this context, adding antioxidant properties to packaging films is of interest. In this study, poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) and olive leaf extract (OLE) have been melt-compounded to obtain novel biomaterials suitable for applications which would benefit from the antioxidant activity. The effect of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) on the PBAT/OLE system was investigated, considering the interface interactions between PBAT/OLE and OLE/CNC. The biomaterials' physical and antioxidant properties were characterized. Morphological analysis corroborates the full miscibility between OLE and PBAT and that OLE favours CNC dispersion into the polymer matrix. Tensile tests show a stable plasticizer effect of OLE for a month in line with good interface PBAT/OLE interactions. Simulant food tests indicate a delay of OLE release from the 20 wt% OLE-based materials. Antioxidant activity tests prove the antioxidant effect of OLE depending on the released polyphenols, prolonged in the system at 20 wt% of OLE. Fluorescence spectroscopy demonstrates the nature of the non-covalent PBAT/OLE interphase interactions in π-π stacking bonds. The presence of CNC in the biomaterials leads to strong hydrogen bonding interactions between CNC and OLE, accelerating OLE released from the PBAT matrix.

Eco-Friendly Sanitization of Indoor Environments: Effectiveness of Thyme Essential Oil in Controlling Bioaerosol Levels and Disinfecting Surfaces.

Bioaerosols and pathogens in indoor workplaces and residential environments are the primary culprits of several infections. Techniques for sanitizing air and surfaces typically involve the use of UV rays or chemical sanitizers, which may release chemical residues harmful to human health. Essential oils, natural substances derived from plants, which exhibit broad antimicrobial properties, could be a viable alternative for air and surface sanitation. The objective of this study has been to investigate the efficacy of thyme essential oil (TEO) in environmental sanitation processes. In Vitro assays through agar well diffusion, disk volatilization and tube dilution methods revealed significant antimicrobial activity of TEO 100% against foodborne and environmental isolates, with both bacteriostatic/fungistatic and bactericidal/fungicidal effects. Therefore, aqueous solutions of TEO 2.5% and 5% were formulated for air sanitation through nebulization and surface disinfection via direct contact. Bioaerosol samples and surface swabs were analyzed before and after sanitation, demonstrating the efficacy of aqueous solutions of TEO in reducing mesophilic and psychrophilic bacteria and environmental fungi levels in both air and on surfaces. The obtained results prove the antimicrobial potential of aqueous solutions of TEO in improving indoor air quality and surface cleanliness, suggesting thyme essential oil as an effective and safe natural sanitizer with minimal environmental impact compared to dangerous chemical disinfectants.

Antibacterial and Antibiofilm Efficacy of Thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) Essential Oil against Foodborne Illness Pathogens, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Typhimurium and Bacillus cereus.

Nowadays, the wide spread of foodborne illness and the growing concerns about the use of synthetic food additives have shifted the focus of researchers towards essential oils (EOs) as possible antimicrobials and preservatives of natural origin. Thanks to their antimicrobial properties against pathogenic and food spoilage microorganisms, EOs have shown good potential for use as alternative food additives, also to counteract biofilm-forming bacterial strains, the spread of which is considered to be among the main causes of the increase in foodborne illness outbreaks. In this context, the aim of this study has been to define the antibacterial and antibiofilm profile of thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) essential oil (TEO) against widespread foodborne pathogens, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhimurium and Bacillus cereus. TEO chemical composition was analyzed through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Preliminary in vitro antibacterial tests allowed to qualitatively verify TEO efficacy against the tested foodborne pathogens. The subsequent determination of minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) values allowed to quantitatively define the bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects of TEO. To evaluate the ability of essential oils to inhibit biofilm formation, a microplate assay was performed for the bacterial biofilm biomass measurement. Results suggest that TEO, rich in bioactive compounds, is able to inhibit the growth of tested foodborne bacteria. In addition, the highlighted in vitro anti-biofilm properties of TEO suggest the use of this natural agent as a promising food preservative to counteract biofilm-related infections in the food industry.

Towards Green Strategies of Food Security: Antibacterial Synergy of Essential Oils from Thymus vulgaris and Syzygium aromaticum to Inhibit Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus Pathogenic Food Isolates.

Foodborne diseases continue to represent an important public health issue. The control of food spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms is achieved mainly by synthetic chemicals, unfortunately associated to several undesirable aspects. The growing requirement for new and safe alternative strategies has resulted in the research of agents from natural sources with antimicrobial properties, such as essential oils (EOs). This study's purpose was to define the antibacterial profile of thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and cloves (Syzygium aromaticum) essential oils against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative important foodborne pathogenic bacteria. Gas chromatography mass spectrometry analysis was performed for EOs' chemical composition. Qualitative in vitro antimicrobial assays (i.e., agar well diffusion method and disk-volatilization method) allowed for verification of the efficacy of EOs, used individually and in binary combination and both in liquid and vapor phase, against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli food isolates. Minimal inhibitory concentrations and minimal bactericidal concentration values have been used to quantitatively measure the antibacterial activity of EOs, while the fractional inhibitory concentration index has been considered as a predictor of in vitro antibacterial synergistic effects. The microbiological tests suggest that thyme and cloves EOs, rich in bioactive compounds, are able to inhibit the growth of tested foodborne bacteria, especially in vapor phase, also with synergistic effects. Results provide evidence to consider the tested essential oils as promising sources for development of new, broad-spectrum, green food preservatives.