Progress and Prospective of the Industrial Development and Applications of Eco-Friendly Colorants: An Insight into Environmental Impact and Sustainability Issues

Color is the prime feature directly associated with the consumer's attraction and choice of their food. The flavor, safety, and nutritional value of any food product are directly associated with the food color. Natural and synthetic colorants (dyes and pigments) have diversified applications in various sectors such as food, feed, pharmaceutical, textiles, cosmetics, and others. Concerning the food industry, different types of natural and synthetic colorants are available in the market. Synthetic food colorants have gained popularity as they are highly stable and cheaply available. Consumers worldwide prefer delightful foodstuffs but are more concerned about the safety of the food. After its disposal, the colloidal particles present in the synthetic colorants do not allow sunlight to penetrate aquatic bodies. This causes a foul smell and turbidity formation and gives a bad appearance. Furthermore, different studies carried out previously have presented the toxicological, carcinogenic effects, hypersensitivity reactions, and behavioral changes linked to the usage of synthetic colorants. Natural food colorings, however, have nutraceutical qualities that are valuable to human health such as curcumin extracted from turmeric and beta-carotene extracted from carrots. In addition, natural colorants have beneficial properties such as excellent antioxidant properties, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, antineoplastic, and antiarthritic effects. This review summarizes the sources of natural and synthetic colorants, their production rate, demand, extraction, and characterization of food colorants, their industrial applications, environmental impact, challenges in the sustainable utilization of natural colorants, and their prospects.

Potential Antibacterial Activity of Ethanolic Curcuma longa L. Rhizome Extract Against Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

<b>Background and Objective:</b> <i> Curcuma longa</i> L. rhizomes are the source of many bioactive compounds such as antitumor, antidepressant, antibacterial, anti-aging and antidiabetic. Due to the growing problem of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, it is necessary to find new sources of antibiotics. This research aimed to investigate the antibacterial activity of ethanolic <i>Curcuma longa</i> L. rhizomes extract against <i>Proteus mirabilis, Acinetobacter baumannii</i> and Multidrug-Resistant <i>Klebsiella pneumoniae</i> (MDR-K). <b>Materials and Methods:</b> Dry <i>Curcuma longa</i> L. rhizomes were extracted with ethanol. The agar diffusion method was used as the primary screening of antibacterial activity determination. The broth dilution method was used to measure the MIC and MIC of the extract. <b>Results:</b> It presented the largest diameter of the inhibition zone at 0.9 mm against <i>Proteus mirabilis</i>, followed by 0.8 mm against MDR-K. The lowest MIC and MBC values were at 0.048 and 0.39 mg mL<sup>1</sup> against <i>Proteus mirabilis</i>, followed by 0.195 and 6.25 mg mL<sup>1</sup> against MDR-K. The ethanolic <i>Curcuma longa</i> L. rhizomes extract did not affect <i>Acinetobacter baumannii</i>. <b>Conclusion:</b> The new finding of this research was that the ethanolic extract from <i>Curcuma longa</i> L. rhizomes can eliminate <i>Proteus mirabilis</i> and MDR-K that can be applied to treating antibiotic-resistant bacterial infectious diseases in the hospital.

Effect of curcumin on the quality properties of millet fresh noodle and its inhibitory mechanism against the isolated spoilage bacteria

Fresh noodle product has attracted increasing attention due to its nutritive value and convenience. However, the relative short shelf life of fresh noodle is still a concern that needs to resolve. The objective of this study was to evaluate the preservative effect of curcumin (CUR) on millet fresh noodle during storage and its inhibitory mechanism against two isolated spoilage bacteria (Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli). The effects of CUR were evaluated with regard to the quality and sensory evaluation of millet fresh noodle, the changes of bacterial growth curve, cell intracellular substances, cell viability, and bacterial morphology. The results showed that CUR could decrease the total colony number and prolong the shelf life of millet fresh noodle stored at 25°C from 20 to 30 hr. Quality and sensory evaluations showed that addition of CUR caused no negative effect on noodle quality and was determined to be sensory acceptable. The minimum inhibitory concentration of CUR against B. cereus and E. coli was 0.125 and 0.5 mg/ml, respectively. The growth curve revealed that CUR presented good antibacterial effect against both bacteria. The leakage of intracellular substances, cell viability, and bacterial morphology change after CUR treatment confirmed the destructive effects of CUR on plasma membrane integrity. These results indicated that CUR had the potential to be applied as a natural preservative for controlling the growth of spoilage microorganisms and extending the shelf life of millet fresh noodle.