Discovery of Novel Plant-Food-Derived Compounds with Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activities

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 July 2023) | Viewed by 4724

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Environmental Sciences and Nutrition, Higher Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology of Mahdia, University of Monastir, Monastir 5000, Tunisia
2. Laboratory of Biotechnology and Plant Improvement, Centre of Biotechnology of Sfax, P.O. Box 1177, Sfax 3018, Tunisia
Interests: phytochemistry; biochemistry; microbiology; oxidative stress; natural product and antimicrobial activities

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Interest in the employment of antioxidants and antimicrobials from natural sources for application in human health is considerably enhanced with regard to consumer preference for natural ingredients and concerns about the toxic effects of synthetic compounds.

Different varieties of plants are able to produce a large number of secondary metabolites, such as carotenoids, polyphenols, and essential oils, which display a wide range of therapeutic properties due to their antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. This peculiarity may mainly depend on geographical and seasonal variations, genetic diversity and/or abiotic stress, and for this reason, numerous studies have been carried out to increase the knowledge in this field and optimize the recovery of natural derived compounds from plants.

Natural preservatives can be obtained through plant, microbial, and animal sources. A natural preservative can be any bioactive compound with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. This Special Issue welcomes original research articles, short communications, mini-reviews, and reviews covering topics including but not limited to the following:

  • Natural compounds from plants, microbes, and animal sources;
  • Different technologies for the extraction and characterization of natural bioactive compounds;
  • Antioxidants, antimicrobials, etc.;
  • Activities of natural bioactive compounds;
  • Application of natural bioactive compounds in different food systems and their storage;
  • Food safety and the effect of natural bioactive compounds on different food characteristics.

Dr. Anis Ben Hsouna
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • antioxidant
  • oxidative stress
  • antimicrobial activities
  • polyphenols
  • essential oils

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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23 pages, 2054 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical Characterization and Antioxidant Properties of Essential Oils of M. pulegium (L.), M. suaveolens (Ehrh.) and M. spicata (L.) from Moroccan Middle-Atlas
by Nadia Zekri, Hanane Elazzouzi, Atika Ailli, Aman Allah Gouruch, Fatima Zahrae Radi, Mohammed Alaoui El Belghiti, Touriya Zair, Gema Nieto, Juan A. Centeno and José M. Lorenzo
Foods 2023, 12(4), 760; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040760 - 09 Feb 2023
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2163
Abstract
The cosmetics and food fields are based on the use of synthetic substances to protect their products against oxidation. However, synthetic antioxidants were reported to have negative effects on human health. The interest to develop natural antioxidants from plants has been growing in [...] Read more.
The cosmetics and food fields are based on the use of synthetic substances to protect their products against oxidation. However, synthetic antioxidants were reported to have negative effects on human health. The interest to develop natural antioxidants from plants has been growing in recent decades. The aim of this study was to determine the antioxidant properties of three essential oils (EOs) of M. pulegium (L.), M. suaveolens (Ehrh.) and M. spicata (L.) from the Azrou and Ifrane regions. The organoleptic characteristics, yields and physical properties were determined for the selected EOs. Their chemical compositions were identified using GC-MS; then, their antioxidant activities were evaluated using the DPPH free radical scavenging activity and were compared with the ascorbic acid standard. The determined physicochemical parameters of dry matter and EOs demonstrated their good quality. The analysis of the EOs showed the dominance of pulegone (68.86–70.92%) and piperitenone (24.81%), piperitenone oxide (74.69–60.3%), and carvone (71.56–54.79%) and limonene (10.5–9.69%) for M. pulegium, M. suaveolens and M. spicata, respectively, from Azrou and Ifrane. Additionally, the antiradical tests demonstrated the remarkable power of these EOs, especially M. pulegium EO (IC50 = 15.93 mg/mL), which recorded the best activity compared with ascorbic acid (IC50 = 8.849 mg/mL). The obtained results indicated that these EOs could be applied as natural antioxidants in the food industry. Full article
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Review

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24 pages, 5842 KiB  
Review
Recent Advances in the Incorporation of Polysaccharides with Antioxidant and Antibacterial Functions to Preserve the Quality and Shelf Life of Meat Products
by Boutheina Ben Akacha, Monika Michalak, Basma Najar, Francesca Venturi, Isabella Taglieri, Miroslava Kačániová, Rania Ben Saad, Wissem Mnif, Stefania Garzoli and Anis Ben Hsouna
Foods 2023, 12(8), 1647; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12081647 - 14 Apr 2023
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2212
Abstract
Meat and meat products are susceptible to various types of natural processes such as oxidative degradation due to their high content of protein and essential amino acids. However, finding solutions to maintain the nutritional and sensory quality of meat and meat products is [...] Read more.
Meat and meat products are susceptible to various types of natural processes such as oxidative degradation due to their high content of protein and essential amino acids. However, finding solutions to maintain the nutritional and sensory quality of meat and meat products is unavoidable. Hence, there is a pressing need to investigate alternatives to synthetic preservatives, focusing on active biomolecules of natural provenance. Polysaccharides are natural polymers of various sources that exhibit antibacterial and antioxidant properties via a variety of mechanisms, owing to their diversity and structural variation. For this reason, these biomolecules are widely studied in order to improve texture, inhibit the growth of pathogens, and improve the oxidative stability and sensory characteristics of meat products. However, the literature has not addressed their biological activity in meat and meat products. This review summarizes the various sources of polysaccharides, their antioxidant and antibacterial activities (mainly against pathogenic food strains), and their use as natural preservatives to replace synthetic additives in meat and meat products. Special attention is given to the use of polysaccharides to improve the nutritional value of meat, resulting in more nutrient-rich meat products with higher polysaccharide content and less salt, nitrites/nitrates, and cholesterol. Full article
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