Optimization of Shelf Stability of Sugarcane Juice with Natural Preservatives

Stabilization of Ficus carica L. Drink by utilizing varying levels of ultrasound-assisted moringa extract as a natural preservative

Fig fruit (Ficus carica L.) drink is a source of healthy minerals, vitamins, and bioactive ingredients however to improve the shelf-life of functional drink naturally, moringa leaf extract was compared with optimized concentration of potassium metabisulphite (synthetic preservative). Purposely, fig fruit drink, without preservatives was considered as negative control whereas, 0.2 % potassium metabisulphite-based fig fruit drink was taken as positive control. Further, ultrasound assisted extracts of moringa at varied levels; 5, 10, 15, and 20 % were incorporated in the fig fruit drink as natural preservative to test antioxidant, storage, and sensory quality against control samples. Resultantly, the maximum loss in antioxidant activity (18-38 %) and functional ingredients (24-56 %) was observed in negative control sample, in response to high microbial expansion till the termination of the study. Additionally, acceptability score for negative control sample was maximum at Day 1, that afterwards faced significant decline at 30th Day (6.6 ± 0.3). In contrast, positive control sample demonstrated minimum loss of free radical scavenging ability (7-22 %), polyphenols (11 %) and flavonoids (7 %) thus indicated maximum control on microbes i.e. 61-63 % as compared to negative control. Further, positive control sample indicated optimum consumer preference (7.0 ± 0.3) that remained stable throughout storage. Further, as the concentration of moringa exceeded from 5 to 20 %, the loss of functional ingredients reduced from 13 to 24 to 6-11 % and deterioration in antioxidant capacity suppressed from 14 to 26 to 8-20 %, correspondingly however, the sensory acceptability showed a declining trend, and 20 % moringa based sample portrayed poor consumer response (5.0 ± 0.2). Lastly, it was deduced that control on microbes was directly proportional to the concentration of moringa extract in fig fruit drink, that was poor in 5 % moringa extract concentration; 32-54 %. Conclusively, customer preference was reasonable (6 ± 0) at 15 % moringa extract concentration so this level should be employed in fig fruit drink for realistic control on bacterial (57 %) and fungal (47 %) activities.

Kiwi (Actinidia deliciosa) juice as a natural inhibitor of the enzymatic activity of sugarcane juice, insights from experimental assessment and molecular docking analysis

The present work evaluated kiwi juice addition alongside pasteurization (at 85 °C for 5 min) or microwave treatment (for 3 min) on the quality improvement of sugarcane juice. The juice was treated in the presence of kiwi juice (0-8%), and its physicochemical properties and microbial load were compared with raw juice. The study also highlighted the key enzymes causing sugarcane juice discoloration, peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO), by quantifying kiwi juice constituents using GC-MS and monitoring their effects by molecular docking. Kiwi addition considerably raised (p < 0.05) acidity, ascorbic acid (54.28%), and phenolic compounds (32%), and decreased the POD and PPO activity of raw cane juice. Pasteurization in the presence of kiwi, rather than microwave treatment, has significantly (p < 0.05) increased the phenolic compounds and reduced POD and PPO activities until barley was detected. Molecular docking revealed that heptacosane, oleic acid, and melezitose are the primary kiwi components responsible for enzyme inactivation.

Natural Occurrence of Fungi and Aflatoxins Associated Sugarcane Plant and Sugarcane Juice and Their Control

Sugarcane is one of the most important crops in the world. It is also considered the most popular fresh juice in Egypt. The sugar content of the sugarcane stem represents the main source of fungal growth. This study aimed to investigate the natural co-occurrence of fungi in sugarcane plants and juice, test of aflatoxins production by aflatoxigenic fungi, and improve the quality of sugarcane juice. The obtained results indicated a notable decrease in all physical parameters of the naturally infected sugarcane plants. Isolation of fungi from sugarcane plant and juice from three localities revealed that the highest mean fungal count was recorded in sugarcane rootlets (173.55 cfu/cm), followed by sugarcane stem (94.88 cfu/cm), while sugarcane juice had the least mean fungal count (24.33 cfu/mL). The frequency of the isolated fungi associated with sugarcane plant yielded 781 fungal isolates for rootlets, 427 fungal isolates for stems, and 219 fungal isolates for juice. Four isolates of Aspergillus parasiticus were aflatoxins producers. Higher aflatoxin quantity (1434.92 ng/mL) was produced by A. parasiticus (isolate No. 21) from sugarcane stem, while A. parasiticus (isolate No. 5) from sugarcane juice was less aflatoxins producer (276.95 ng/mL). On the other hand, lemon juice showed a significant reduction effect on the fungal count of peeled and non-peeled sugarcane juice. In which the highest reduction percent of the fungal count was recorded with 20% conc. of lemon on peeled sugarcane juice (36.04%).The obtained results concluded that lemon juice was found to decrease the fungal contaminants and improve the quality of sugarcane juice.

Moringa oleifera potential as a functional food and a natural food additive: a biochemical approach

Several works have shown different aspects of the use of the plant Moringa oleifera. However, few review studies bring an approach to its use in food preparation, specifying its role as a functional food and its use as a natural additive, focusing on food biochemistry and including sensory acceptance and safety. Composed by multiple bioactive substances, Moringa oleifera has the potential to be used as a food additive, mainly as a preservative with the potential to prevent lipid oxidation and other unwanted chemical reactions that lead to product deterioration. Furthermore, it can improve the physicochemical characteristics of food, increasing its quality and shelf life. It also promotes nutritional improvement, elevating protein, mineral, and vitamin levels. Despite this, the sensorial characteristics of this plant result in a low consumer acceptance of the fortified products, which is a problem for the food industry. Apart from inconclusive works, some data involving Moringa's safety are contradictory, resulting in its commercialization prohibition in Brazil in 2019. This review focused on important data about Moringa use to contribute to the literature and to the food industry, describing information about this medicinal plant effects on food products.

Stabilization and attributive amelioration of sugarcane juice by naturally derived preservatives using aonla and moringa extract

Sugarcane juice (SCJ) is a cheap, popular, and very nutritious beverage served at roadside stalls in many countries during harvesting season. The juice is normally consumed immediately after extraction as fermentation sets within a few hours of extraction. Preserving the raw sugarcane juice is always challenging because it spoils within a few hours of extraction due to fermentation. Therefore, the bottling, distribution, and marketing of sugarcane are difficult tasks. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of naturally derived preservatives using aonla extract (AE) and moringa extract (ME) in different proportions (0%, 3%, 5%, and 7%) for the preservation of SCJ during 21 days of the storage period at 4 ± 2°C temperature. The effect of extracts and storage time were analyzed on physicochemical parameters, bioactive compounds, enzymatic, microbiological, and sensory analyses of SCJ. A significant improvement in pH of 5% AE (5.30 ± 0.06) and 5% ME (5.36 ± 0.02) was observed at 21 days as compared to control (5.89 ± 0.02). The total phenolic contents in 7% ME were also observed to be retained (4.4 ± 0.02 mg GAE/mL) at 21 days as compared to control (2.65 ± 0.03 mg GAE/mL). Other physicochemical and phytochemical analyses including titratable acidity, total soluble solids, total flavonoids, ascorbic acid, 2,2-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and ferric reducing antioxidant power assay (FRAP) also indicated that SCJ treated with ME was significantly stable (p < .05) regarding quality parameters, nutritional and sensory attributes at different storage intervals. These findings may be practical for the large-scale production, storage, and marketing of SCJ products.