Valorization of functional properties of extract and powder of olive leaves in raw and cooked minced beef meat.

BACKGROUND: Olive leaves (OL), available in huge amounts from pruning, are known to be a useful source of biologically active compounds. This study investigated the potential application of OL as a supplement to minced beef meat in order to develop a functional product. The effect of OL extract or powder (100 and 150 µg phenols g-1 meat) on the quality and stability of raw and cooked meat during refrigerated storage was examined. RESULTS: Microwave drying at 600 W gave OL with the highest antioxidant quality (evaluated by TEAC/[phenols] (mg mg-1 ) and DPPH/[phenols] (mg mg-1 )) compared with other methods. OL showed an ability to inhibit (P < 0.05) lipid oxidation (TBARS values (mg MDA kg-1 ) were reduced by 25-65%) and myoglobin oxidation (metmyoglobin production was 43-65% in control samples and 14-35% in treated samples). OL also improved the technological quality of the meat, decreasing (P < 0.05) storage loss (%) and defrosting loss (%) without affecting cooking loss (%) and Napole yield (%). Sensory properties were not modified by the added ingredient at the tested levels (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: OL (extract or powder) may have applications in the development of functional meat products of good technological quality that remain stable during storage. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Gamma irradiation of air-dried olive leaves: Effective decontamination and impact on the antioxidative properties and on phenolic compounds.

Olive leaves are commercialized for their antioxidative value due to their valuable phenolic compounds. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of gamma irradiation on microbial load, on antioxidative properties and on phenolic compounds of air-dried olive leaves. Irradiation was applied up to 25kGy (5kGy intervals) to powdered and intact samples. Total aerobic bacteria, yeast and mold, and lactic acid bacteria were counted after gamma irradiation. Decontamination was obtained at 20kGy. The radioresistance of microbial population was high with D10 values between 9.74 and 25.12kGy. Besides, gamma irradiation up to 25kGy was found to maintain the antioxidant capacity, molecular mass distribution of polyphenolics, total phenolics, ortho-diphenols, flavonoids, oleuropein, verbascoside and rutin contents. To conclude, the improvement of the microbial quality of air-dried olive leaves, without affecting phenolic composition and antioxidative properties, can be successively achieved by the application of gamma irradiation treatment.

Use of cheese whey to enhance Geotrichum candidum biomass production in olive mill wastewater.

Geotrichum candidum is a yeast-like filamentous fungus that has attracted industrial interest. The present work investigated G. candidum biomass production in agro-industrial wastewaters (olive mill wastewater (OMW) and cheese whey (CW)) as the only substrate. Different solid media (Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA), CW, OMW, and OMW/CW mixtures in different proportions) were tested. OMW/CW mixtures proved to be suitable for optimal mycelia growth of G. candidum with a very high hyphae density. The highest fungal and expansion rate growth of 83 +/- 1 mm and 12.4 day(-1), respectively, were obtained on a 20:80 mixture of OMW/CW, which was incubated for 7 days. This optimal mixture was used to study the biomass production and the OMW decolorization ability of G. candidum in the presence of CW in liquid medium. Liquid cultures were also conducted in OMW and CW separately. After 5 days of incubation, fungal biomass reached 9.26 g l(-1) in the OMW/CW mixture and only 2.83 g l(-1) in CW, while no biomass production was observed in OMW alone. OMW decolorization and dephenolization by G. candidum also improved in the presence of CW with a decolorization efficiency of 54.5% and a total phenolic reduction of 55.3%, compared with the control which yielded values of about 10% and 15%, respectively. These results suggested that OMW/CW--as the only substrate--could be used as a cost-effective medium to produce G. candidum biomass, without the need for water dilution or supplementation with other nutriments.

H2S gas biological removal efficiency and bacterial community diversity in biofilter treating wastewater odor.

The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of using a biofilter system to treat hydrogen sulfide (H2S) contaminated air and to characterize its microbial community. The biofilter system was packed with peat. During the experimental work, the peat was divided in three layers (down, middle, and up). Satisfactory removal efficiencies of H2S were proved and reached 99% for the majority of the run time at an empty bed retention time (EBRT) of 60 s. The polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) method was used to uncover the changes in the microbial community between the different layers. Analysis of SSCP profiles demonstrated significant differences in community structure from a layer to another with a strong decrease in species diversity towards the up layer. It was found that the used support was suitable for microorganism growth, and may have a potential application in H2S biofiltration system.