Impact of sodium alginate-based film loaded with resveratrol and thymol on the shelf life of cooked sausage and the inoculated Listeria monocytogenes.

In present study, sodium alginate biodegradable films containing different concentrations of resveratrol (RES: 0.002% and 0.004%) or thymol (THY: 0.5% and 1%) and their combinations were prepared, and evaluated for their effects on spoilage-related microbial profile, lipid oxidation, sensory properties, and protective effects against Listeria monocytogenes in beef mortadella sausage during 40 days storage at 4°C. The release rate of phenolic compounds was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu test. To assess the shelf life of the product, changes in total viable count (TVC), lactic acid bacteria count (LAB), psychrotrophic bacteria count (PTC), pH levels, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) levels, and sensory characteristics (taste, color, odor, and overall acceptability) were evaluated. For the sensory evaluation, a panel of 70 semi-trained judges was selected according to their initial performance. Samples wrapped with sodium alginate films containing 1% THY (alone or combined with different concentrations of RES) exhibited lower bacterial counts compared to other experimental groups at the end of the storage period (6.01-6.35 vs. 6.71-8.17 log10 CFU/g for TVC, 5.37-5.83 vs. 6.07-7.11 log10 CFU/g for LAB, 5.08-5.18 vs. 5.40-7.23 log10 CFU/g for PTC, and 6.53-6.92 vs. 7.23-9.01 log10 CFU/g for inoculated L. monocytogenes). Sodium alginate films containing the combination of 0.004% RES and different concentrations of THY showed higher antioxidant effects than other experimental groups (TBARS values of 1.68-1.99 vs. 2.23-3.80 mg MDA/kg sample). The sodium alginate film containing 0.004% RES + 1% THY exhibited the highest antimicrobial and antioxidant activities and highest sensory scores among all treatments. These findings highlight the potential application of the sodium alginate film containing a combination of RES and THY as an active packaging material with natural preservatives in the meat products industry. This application can effectively extend the shelf life and enhance the microbial safety of clean-label cooked sausages during refrigerated storage.

Epinecidin-1 (an active marine antimicrobial peptide): Effects on the survival of inoculated Escherichia Coli O157:H7 And Staphylococcus aureus bacteria, antioxidant, and sensory attributes in raw milk.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Epinecidin-1 (Epi-1) on total viable count (TVC), total psychrotrophic count (TPC), sensory attributes, and the survival of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria inoculated in pasteurized milk samples during cold storage (4°C). Four treatments of milk samples were prepared including milk samples containing three concentrations of Epi-1 (0.0025, 0.005, and 0.01%) and control (without Epi-1). The treated milk samples were evaluated in vitro (minimum inhibitory concentration, Minimum bactericidal concentration, disk diffusion test, DPPH, reducing power assays) and in vivo (TVC, TPC, sensory properties, and enumeration of inoculated E. coli and S. aureus) during 9 days at cold storage. The best antibacterial and antioxidant power of Epi-1 was observed at a concentration of 0.01%. Based on the MICs and MBCs, the most susceptible and resistant bacteria to Epi-1 were B. cereus and S. aureus strains, respectively. The DPPH scavenging potential of Epi-1 was in the range of 77%-80%. Treated samples containing 0.01% Epi-1 had the lowest TVC and TPC and reached 3.9 and 2.96 CFU log/mL at the end day of storage. A decrease of 6 and 1.4 logs CFU/g of E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus was seen in all treatments containing Epi-1, respectively, on the last day of storage period. There are no unpleasant sensory properties in treated samples with Epi-1. Our results indicate that Epi-1 has good potential as a bio-preservative to prevent raw milk spoilage and reduction of milk-borne pathogens.

Effect of a comprehensive nutrition education program on nutritional behavior and food security of female-headed households who receive welfare support in Zanjan Province, Iran.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the food security and dietary quality of many Iranian families have deteriorated due to unprecedented inflation. Nutrition education programs can be an effective and inexpensive method to improve food quality and security. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of a comprehensive nutrition education program for low-income women who are heads of households and are covered by the Zanjan province's welfare. METHODS: The food security of 2600 female-headed households covered by the Welfare of Zanjan province was evaluated using a standard 6-item questionnaire. A total of 600 women with the highest food insecurity scores were selected for the comprehensive nutrition education program. The participants received six sessions of 1.5 h of courses about how to improve the quality of their diets and manage their budgets and be physically active. At the beginning of the study and one month after the completion of the intervention, the participants were asked to complete a questionnaire designed and validated by the investigators. The scores of each section before and after the intervention were compared using paired t-test method and p values ​​of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The prevalence of severe food insecurity among female-headed households who receive welfare support in Abhar, Khodabandeh, and Zanjan cities was 59.5%, 75%, and 62%, respectively. A total of 505 participants successfully completed the courses. After completion of the educational intervention, diet quality, physical activity, budgeting, and food safety scores of the participants increased by 6%, 4%, 4%, and 5%, respectively, which were statistically significant (p < 0.001). However, no significant difference was observed in the food insecurity scores. CONCLUSION: The comprehensive nutrition education program without financial or nutritional support can have a small but significant impact on the improvement of the nutritional behaviors and dietary quality of low-income people.

Melamine in Iranian foodstuffs: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and health risk assessment of infant formula.

The presence of melamine in food is one of the most significant threats to consumer health and food safety now confronting the communities. The goal of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the melamine content of different food products available on the Iranian market. The pooled melamine concentration (95% confidence interval) on 484 samples of animal-based foodstuffs was as follows: 0.22 (0.08, 0.36 mg kg-1) for milk, 0.39 (0.25, 0.53 mg kg-1) for coffee mate, 1.45 (1.36, 1.54 mg kg-1) for dairy cream, 0.90 (0.50, 1.29 mg kg-1) for yoghurt, 1.25 (1.20, 1.29 mg kg-1) for cheese, 0.81 (-0.16, 1.78 mg kg-1) for hen eggs, 1.28 (1.25, 1.31 mg kg-1) for poultry meat, 0.58 (0.35, 0.80 mg kg-1) for chocolates, and 0.98 (0.18, 1.78 mg kg-1) for infant formula. Based on the results of health risk assessment study on toddlers under 2 years old who ingested infant formula (as a melamine-sensitive group), all groups of toddlers are at an acceptable level of non-carcinogenic risk (THQ ≤ 1). Toddlers were classified according to their ILCR (carcinogenic risk) levels due to infant formula consumption as follows: under 6 months (0.0000056), 6-12 months (0.0000077), 12-18 months (0.0000102), and 18-24 months (0.0000117). The melamine carcinogenicity in infant formula for children had an ILCR value of 0.000001-0.0001 in the investigation, which was considerable risk. According to the findings, Iranian food products (notably infant formula) should be analyzed for melamine contamination on a regular basis.

Effect of heating on disposal point of main edible oils available in Iran market.

Deep frying is the most common method used for food preparation worldwide, which can lead to several chemical changes in used fat or oil in frying process including oxidation and polymerization. This study aimed to determine the effect of heating and different storage conditions on the disposal point of four types of the most common edible oils available in the Iranian market without and with the presence of food in terms of acid value (AV) and total polar compounds (TPC). AV and TPC of three types of marketed sunflower oil (especially for frying, cooking, solid vegetable) and ghee heated at 110, 150, 180, and 200°C with a portable oil meter DOM-24 (ATAGO, Japan) were determined. They were measured without the presence of food at four different temperatures and four different times in five storage conditions and with the presence of frying food (chicken and potatoes) at 110°C for 20 min in three replicates. The results showed that the AV and TPC contents in the case of ghee were above national and international standards without the presence of food. Also, in the process of frying chicken and potato, the reusability of all the studied oils was not possible for the second time and reached the disposal point. The increase in the rate of AV and TPC of oils was: ghee (Kermanshahi oil) > liquid cooking oil > frying oil ≥ solid vegetable oil.

New perspectives on electrospun nanofiber applications in smart and active food packaging materials.

Packaging plays a critical role in determining the quality, safety, and shelf-life of many food products. There have been several innovations in the development of more effective food packaging materials recently. Polymer nanofibers are finding increasing attention as additives in packaging materials because of their ability to control their pore size, surface energy, barrier properties, antimicrobial activity, and mechanical strength. Electrospinning is a widely used processing method for fabricating nanofibers from food grade polymers. This review describes recent advances in the development of electrospun nanofibers for application in active and smart packaging materials. Moreover, it highlights the impact of these nanofibers on the physicochemical properties of packaging materials, as well as the application of nanofiber-loaded packaging materials to foods, such as dairy, meat, fruit, and vegetable products.

Electrospinning is a flexible method for smart and active packaging fabrication.Nanofibers can improve mechanical, barrier, and optical properties of packaging.Electrospun fibers can control the release of functional agents to food products.Incorporation of additives in nanofibers makes respond to environmental changes.Application of nanofibers result in improved controlling of food properties.

Prevalence, genotyping and antibiotic resistance of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli in fresh beef and chicken meats marketed in Zanjan, Iran.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The aim of present study was to evaluate the prevalence of Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli, characterization and antimicrobial resistance of their serotypes and genotyping profiles in fresh beef and poultry meats marketed in Zanjan, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 90 (45 chicken and 45 beef) samples were collected from January to June 2018 focusing on retail meat stores of Zanjan city, Iran. Foodborne pathogen detection and antimicrobial resistance of isolates performed by PCR and disc diffusion methods, respectively. Simplex PCR method was used for screening hly and uidA genes in L. monocytogenes and E. coli isolates, respectively. RESULTS: Findings revealed high contamination in beef and chicken meats with E. coli (68.89% and 88.89%, respectively) and L. monocytogenes (53.33% and 46.67%, respectively). The most likelihood of E. coli isolates belonged to E. coli 13479 serotype. All L. monocytogenes isolates from beef and chicken meat samples had high similarity with serotypes L. monocytogenes strain NCTC 10357 and strain MF 4545, respectively. Multi drug resistance (MDR) was seen in both L. monocytogenes and E. coli isolates. CONCLUSION: This study shows an insight of the current status of beef and chicken meat contamination maketed in Zanjan, Iran with E. coli and L. monocytogenes isolates (high contamination rate), their genotypic profile, epidemiological relationship and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that should be considered as a significant public health concern in Zanjan, Iran.

Evaluation of the Synergistic Antioxidant Effect of Resveratrol and Zataria multiflora Boiss Essential Oil in Sodium Alginate Bioactive Films.

BACKGROUND: Biodegradable films are appropriate alternatives to synthetic polymers due to their potential to enhance food safety and their function as a carrier for wide a range of food additives especially natural antioxidants. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the potential antioxidant activities of sodium alginate films containing resveratrol (RES) alone and in combination with Zataria multiflora essential oil (ZEO) using an in vitro model. METHODS: At first, the major chemical compositions of ZEO were evaluated by GC/MS. Then, the amount of phenolic compounds of sodium alginate films were evaluated by total phenolic contents assay and antioxidant activities of films were evaluated by 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) assays. Finally, the concentrations of ZEO and RES which showed better antioxidant activities in sodium alginate films were incorporated to films in combination forms to evaluate their synergistic effects. RESULTS: According to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis, 35 compounds of ZEO were identified and Thymol (37.94%), p-Cymene (9.50%) and 3-Carene (4.98%) were the most important compounds of essential oil, respectively. The results of the radical scavenging evaluations, showed better antioxidant activities of the films containing RES than the films containing ZEO and Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Also, the combined uses of ZEO and RES into alginate films had the synergistic effects (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Therefore, it can be concluded that alginate films incorporated with the combination of ZEO and RES is the appropriate option to postpone the oxidative reactions and can be used as natural antioxidant in the food packaging industry.

Antioxidant capacity, antimicrobial activities and chemical composition of Pistacia atlantica subsp. kurdica essential oil.

This study aimed to evaluate the composition, antioxidant capacity and antibacterial effects of Pistacia atlantica subsp. kurdica (baneh) essential oil on some important bacteria in food safety. Essential oil was derived using hydro-distillation method of the baneh fruits. Essential oil composition was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiaziline-6-sulfonate; ABTS) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) methods were used to evaluate antioxidant activity and Folin-Ciocalteu method was used to determine total phenolic content of essential oil. The antibacterial effect of the essential oil against six pathogen bacteria was determined using minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration and disc diffusion methods. Monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons were main compounds of total identified constituents in the essential oil (approximately 93.50% and 5.45%, respectively). The main compounds were α-pinene, myrcene, limonene, ß-pinene and γ-terpineol, respectively. The mean concentration of essential oil providing 50.00% inhibition was 7.54 ± 0.01 mg mL-1. Dose-dependent and scavenging activities were seen in DPPH and ABTS tests and total phenolic content within test range of concentrations (0.0625 to 4.00 mg mL-1). The highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (48.67 ± 0.84%) was seen at a concentration of 4 mg mL-1. The responses of essential oil concentrations to ABTS assay were quite similar to the DPPH reaction, especially in higher concentrations. Both antimicrobial methods demonstrated that the essential oil had broader antibacterial effects against the Gram-positive bacteria than the tested Gram-negative bacteria. Essential oil of Pistachia atlantica subsp. kurdica can be one of the performing essential oils to be used as a preservative in food industry to increase food safety and reduce food pathogens risks.

Prevalence of liver flukes infections and hydatidosis in slaughtered sheep and goats in Nishapour, Khorasan Razavi, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Food-borne trematode infections and hydatidosis are endemic diseases caused by helminths in Iran that are responsible for great economic loss and getting public health at risk. AIM: Aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of fasciolosis, dicrocoeliasis, and hydatidosis infections in slaughtered sheep and goats in Nishapour, Khorasan Razavi province of Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was implemented on 130,107 sheep and goats slaughtered at an abattoir in Nishapour (Neyshbur) city, north central Khorasan Razavi Province, Iran, to determine the prevalence of fascioliasis, dicrocoeliosis and presence of hydatidosis. RESULTS: During a 1-year period of study, among 130,107 of sheep and goats slaughtered at Nishapour abattoir, 1064 and 7124 livers were condemned totally and partially, respectively. A total of 255 (0.19%), 181 (0.12 %), and 7751 (5.95%) of livers were condemned due to cysts of Echinococcus granulosus, flukes of Fasciola spp., and Dicrocoelium dendriticum, respectively. Totally, 1932 (1.48%) lungs were condemned due to hydatidosis. The significant seasonal pattern was seen for fasciolosis, dicrocoeliosis, and hydatidosis, statistically (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: According to this study, it seems that Neyshabour is considered as an endemic region for Fasciola spp. and D. dendriticum infections and D. dendriticum is the most widespread liver fluke found in sheep and goats.

Pseudomoniasis phytotherapy: a review on most important Iranian medicinal plants effective on Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative, aerobic bacterium found in water and soil. It is a normal flora in skin and gastrointestinal tract of human beings. P. aeruginosa as an opportunistic pathogen involved in nosocomial infections having multiple pathogenic factors and shows high rate of resistance to different antibiotics. The aim of this study was to identify the most important native medicinal plants of Iran effective on P. aeruginosa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All required information was obtained by searching keywords such as P. aeruginosa, medicinal plant extracts or essential oils in published articles in authentic scientific databases such as Science Direct, Wiley-Blackwell, Springer, Google scholar, Scientific Information Database (SID) and Magiran. RESULTS: According to the literature review, our results showed 12 different native medicinal plants were effective against P. aeruginosa in Iran including Eucalyptus camadulensis, Marticaria chamomilla, Ferula gummosa Boiss, Lawsonia inermis, Ocimumgra tissimum, Allium sativum, Satureja hortensis L, Satureja bachtiarica Bunge, Satureja khuzestanica (Jamzad), Thymus daenensis Celak, Thymus carmanicus Jalals and Camellia sinensis. CONCLUSION: Phytochemical analysis has shown that bioactive compounds of medicinal plants with their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties can be good alternatives for the synthetic medicines in food and drug industry.

A review on most important herbal and synthetic antihelmintic drugs.

Parasites and parasitic diseases are widely spread in the world. Their adverse effects on health and social-economic society cause tremendous public health problems. Parasitic infections in different ways (water, soil, food and vegetables) can affect humans and induce other complications such as gastrointestinal disorders, malnutrition, anemia and allergies and sometimes even life threatening. Medicinal plants are being widely used, either as a single drug or in combination with synthetic drugs. These medicinal plants are considered as a valuable source of unique natural products and drugs for development of medicines against various disorders and diseases. In this article the recently published papers about medicinal plants and parasites were reviewed, using scientific sites such as Medline, PubMed and Google Scholar. The used terms included: herbal medicine, medicinal plants, and antihelmintic drugs, antinematoda, anticestoda, antitrematoda. From the above collected literature it might be concluded that these plants are promising potential sources for preparation of new drugs or for pharmacological and therapeutic applications.

Identification of medicinal plants affecting on headaches and migraines in Lorestan Province, West of Iran.

OBJECTIVE: To identify medicinal plants witch are used for headaches and migraines treatment in Lorestan province of Iran. METHODS: Traditional medical herbs information was acquired from indigenous people with the cooperation of health centers of Doroud, Borujerd, Khorramabad, Aleshtar Poldokhtar, Aligoodarz, Nourabad and Kouhdasht cities. The prepared questionnaires were given to trained health volunteers. They attended in the villages and recorded people beliefs in herbal therapy by the questionnaires. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that people used 15 herbs traditionally to treat headaches. Because of the importance of the medicinal plants in the study area, it is neccessary to determine sociological studies the plenty of plant species. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the widespread use of traditional medicinal plants and high tendency to herbal medicine and traditional medicine, more extensive researches should be designed in several areas of pharmacy and pharmacology of medicinal plants to prepare proper information for pharmaceutical industries.

Antibacterial activity of Enterococcus faecium derived from Koopeh cheese against Listeria monocytogenes in probiotic ultra-filtrated cheese.

Viability of probiotic bacteria in food during maintenance and time of consuming in food has become a challenge in food hygiene and technology and is important for representing their beneficial health effects. The aim of this study was to determine the survival of probiotic Enterococcus faecium derived from Koopeh cheese added to industrial Iranian ultra-filtrated (UF) cheese and screening for antimicrobial activity of Enterococcus faecium against Listeria monocytogenes during two months of cheese ripening. Physiochemical and standard microbial methods were used for isolation of Enterococcus strains in cheese samples. The initial number of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as starter culture was 6 Log g(-1) in control samples. The counts started to decrease slightly after day seven (p < 0.05) and dropped to 5 Log g(-1) at the end of 60 days. The count of LAB in the test groups decreased to 11 Log g(-1) on the day 60 of ripening. The number of Enterococcus faecium was 6 Log g(-1) on the day 60. The count of Listeria monocytogenes after 60 days of ripening in blank sample decreased 1 Log but in test samples with protective strain decreased 3 Log in 30 days and reached to zero at 45 days. There were not significant (p < 0.05) changes in chemical parameters such as fat, protein and total solid of UF cheese treatment groups. The results showed that Enterococcus faecium of Koopeh cheese was suitable for development of an acceptable probiotic UF cheese and could be adapted to industrial production of UF cheese.

Biogenic amines determination in some traditional cheeses in West Azerbaijan province of Iran.

Biogenic amines (BA) are nitrogenous compounds that possess biological activity. The source of production is the microbial decarboxylation of amino acids. This compounds are found in various types of cheese. The aim of this work was to evaluate the BA content of some traditional cheeses in West Azerbaijan province Iran. For this purpose, 70 samples of Koopeh, 10 samples of Lighvan and 5 samples of Red Salmas cheeses were obtained from local supermarkets of different cities of West Azerbaijan province. After preparation of samples, biogenic amines content was evaluated by modified HPLC method. The presence of histamine, cadaverine, putrescine and tyramine in tested cheeses were observed. Total amount of biogenic amines was highest in Red Salmas cheese with 1426.91 ppm. It followed by Lighvan cheese and Koopeh cheese with 1008.98 and 517.71 ppm, respectively. Putrescine, cadaverine, histamine and tyramine were detected in Koopeh cheese at levels up to 156.09, 282.34, 70.80, 8.48 ppm respectively. These amines were detected also in Lighvan cheese at levels up to 277.53, 342.74, 37.58, 351.12 ppm and in Red Salmas cheese samples at levels up to 438.03, 701.05, 105.21, 182.62 ppm, respectively. Large amounts of biogenic amines can indicate non hygienic conditions and contamination of used milk for cheese production.

Investigation of antibacterial, acid and bile tolerance properties of lactobacilli isolated from Koozeh cheese.

Lactobacillus strains are a major part of the probiotics, microflora of the intestine and of fermented dairy products, and are found in a variety of environments. The aim of this study was to find out the ability of bile and acid tolerance and antibacterial properties of the twenty eight isolates of three group lactobacilli namely Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus casei and Lactobacillus delbruki. For this purpose Twenty eight different Lactobacillus strains that isolated from Koozeh cheese as a traditional cheese were screened. The acid tolerance test was studied under pH 2.0 and 3.0 with 7.5 as control. The cell count for the acid tolerance test was obtained at an interval of 0, 1, 2 and 3 hours respectively and was pour plated on Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe (MRS) agar to be incubated at 37 °C for 24 hours. All cells were selected for bile tolerance test in MRS broth containing bile concentrations of 0% as control and 0.3% as test. Then cell counts were enumerated after 24 hours of incubation on MRS agar. Results showed twenty seven isolates did not have ability to tolerate acid and bile salts and antimicrobial activity against four indicator bacteria included Eshirichia coli, Listeria monocytogenesis, bacillus cereus, Salmonella entritidis. Only one Isolate namely Lactobacillus casei could tolerate acid and bile salt and had antibacterial activity against of L. monocytogenesis. Therefore we can consider this strain as a native probiotic but extra examinations was required.