Stability of food grade antioxidants formulation to use as preservatives on stored peanut

A fully green sample preparation method for synthetic antioxidants determination in edible oils based on natural feather fiber-supported liquid extraction

The current study proposed a novel feather fiber-supported liquid extraction (FF-SLE) method for extracting analytes from oil samples. The natural feather fibers were used as the oil support material and directly loaded in the plastic tube of a disposable syringe to construct the low-cost extraction device (∼0.5 CNY). The edible oil without any pretreatment including dilution was added directly to the extraction device, followed by the addition of the green extraction solvent of ethanol. As an example, the proposed method was applied to extract nine synthetic antioxidants from edible oils. The optimized extraction conditions for processing 0.5 g of oil were obtained when the syringe dimension was 5 mL, the extraction solvent was 0.5 mL of ethanol, the amount of feather fibers was 200 mg of duck feather fibers and the static extraction time was 10 min. The applications to seven kinds of feathers and seven kinds of edible oils all indicated the excellent oil removal efficiencies (>98.0%). Combined with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet, a quantification method was validated with satisfied linearity (R²≥0.994), accuracy (95.8-114.6%) and precision (≤8.3%) with the limits of detection ranging from 50 to 100 ng/g. The proposed FF-SLE method was simple, effective, convenient, low-cost, green and environmental-friendly for the extraction of analytes from oil samples prior to instrument analysis.

Novel Approaches for Encapsulation of Plant Probiotic Bacteria with Sustainable Polymer Gums: Application in the Management of Pests and Diseases

The unique attributes, biodegradability, biocompatibility, perfect accessibility, and low production costs led to the use of natural gums in a different section of our lives. Among them, we can mention gums obtained from microorganisms (xanthan gum and gellan gum), plant tissues (Arabic gum and gum tragacanth), seeds (konjac gum and guar gum), seaweeds (alginates, agar gum, and carrageenans). Gums have essential applications in the medical and pharmaceutical, food, biotechnology, and critical agricultural industries. Encapsulation is one of the new methods to increase the stability of bioactive compounds during processing and storage. Encapsulation technology using natural gums is a new way to improve the performance of microbial agents in various sciences, especially agriculture, which represents a bright future in this field.

Microencapsulated food-grade antioxidant applied as a preservative of peanut seed quality in microcosm- and pilot-scale trials

BACKGROUND

In Argentina, peanuts are stored for 3-6 months. It is important to avoid proliferation of fungi and insect pests during this period. In this study, the potential of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) microcapsules to conserve peanut kernels was evaluated in microcosms and on a pilot scale.

RESULTS

In microcosm assays, microcapsules containing BHA at a dose of 1802 µg g^-1 reduced 37% of total fungal count. Higher reductions (77-100%) were obtained with a combined treatment with BHA formulation (1802 µg g^-1 ) plus fungicide (methyl thiophanate 0.0100 g L^-1  and metalaxyl 0.0133 g L^-1 ). However, germination levels of peanut seeds treated with the BHA formulation were less than 6% throughout the incubation time. In pilot-scale trials, the storage conditions allowed the control of fungal development and insect proliferation. Quantifiable levels of BHA were also detected throughout the entire storage period. The combined treatment significantly reduced fungal contamination at 2 months of storage (C1-2015: 37.41%; C1-2016: 28.48%; C2-2016: 45.02%). Seed germination of unshelled stored peanuts was not affected by the formulation.

CONCLUSION

The application of the BHA formulation during storage combined with pre-seeding treatment could be an appropriate strategy to maintain the quality of the peanut kernels destined for seed. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

Effect of micro-encapsulated antioxidant formulations on mycobiota, residual levels, sensory analyses and insect pest attack in stored peanuts

The in situ effect of microencapsulated 2(3)-tert-butyl-4 hydroxyanisole (BHA) on stored peanuts (Arachis hipogaea) intended for human consumption was evaluated. Peanut were stored unshelled in flexible containers called "big bags" that were made of polypropylene raffia. 100 kg of peanuts were used in each big bag and stored in refrigerated cells (<18 °C) for about 5 months in two different peanut processing companies during 2015/2016 period. Fungal populations, aflatoxin accumulation, BHA residues, acidity and fatty acid profile, sensory analyses, insect damage and environmental factors variation, were evaluated. At the end of the storage period, significant (p < 0.05) fungitoxic effects of the BHA formulation were observed in the order of 30 and 15% for the first and second company, respectively. Cladosporium, yeasts, Penicillium, Fusarium, Alternaria and Aspergillus were the main fungal isolates. No aflatoxins were found for both companies and years evaluated. In addition, taste of the peanuts was not significantly affected (p < 0.05) by formulation used and insect damage was always lower than 3%. However, different levels of BHA were detected throughout the experiment in the two companies, with final levels of 2.5 for the C1 and 275 ng BHA/g peanuts in C2. Formulation did not affect acidity and organoleptic properties of peanuts. These results show that BHA formulation could be used as part of alternative strategy for control of fungal contamination storage period.

Screening for antioxidant and antibacterial activities of phenolics from Golden Delicious apple pomace

BACKGROUND

Synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobials are losing ground to their natural counterparts and therefore, the food industry has motivated to seek other natural alternatives. Apple pomace, a by-product in the processing of apples, is rich in polyphenols, and plant polyphenols have been used as food additives owing to their strong antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The goal of this study was to screen the individual polyphenols with antioxidant and antimicrobial activities from the extracts (methanol, ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, and chloroform) of Golden Delicious pomace.

RESULTS

First, the polyphenolic compounds (total phenol content, TPC; total flavonoids, TFD; total flavanols, TFL) and antioxidant activities (AAs) with four assays (ferric reducing antioxidant power, FRAP; 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity assay, DRSC; hydroxyl radical averting capacity assay, HORAC; oxygen radical absorbance capacity assay, ORAC) were analyzed. The results showed a significant positive correlation (P < 0.05) between AAs and TFD. Ethyl acetate extract (EAE) exhibited the highest TFD with a concentration of 1.85 mg RE/g powder (expressed as rutin equivalents), and the highest AAs (expressed as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) equivalents) with 2.07 mg BHT/g powder for FRAP, 3.05 mg BHT/g powder for DRSC, 5.42 mg BHT/g powder for HORAC, and 8.89 mg BHT/g powder for ORAC. Composition and AA assays of individual polyphenols from the EAE were then performed. Phloridzin and phloretin accounted for 46.70 and 41.94 % of TFD, respectively. Phloretin displayed the highest AA, followed by phloridzin. Finally, the antimicrobial activities of the EAE, phloridzin, and phloretin were evaluated. EAE displayed good inhibitory activities against Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 1.25 mg/ml and against Escherichia coli with a MIC of 2.50 mg/ml. Phloridzin and phloretin showed better inhibitory activities than the EAE, which were MICs of 0.50 and 0.10 mg/ml, respectively, against S. aureus and MICs of 1.50 and 0.75 mg/ml, respectively, against E. coli.

CONCLUSIONS

Ethyl acetate was the best solvent of choice to extract natural products to obtain the maximum antioxidant and antibacterial benefits. Phloridzin and phloretin have the potential to be used as natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants and antimicrobials.