Phytochemicals of ethanolic extract and essential oil of Persicaria hydropiper and their potential as antibacterial agents for food packaging polylactic acid film

In Situ Preparation of Chlorine-Regenerable Antimicrobial Polymer Molecular Sieve Membranes

Microbial contamination has profoundly impacted human health, and the effective eradication of widespread microbial issues is essential for addressing serious hygiene concerns. Taking polystyrene (PS) membrane as an example, we herein developed report a robust strategy for the in situ preparation of chlorine-regenerable antimicrobial polymer molecular sieve membranes through combining post-crosslinking and nucleophilic substitution reaction. The cross-linking PS membranes underwent a reaction with 5,5-dimethylhydantoin (DMH), leading to the formation of polymeric N-halamine precursors (PS-DMH). These hydantoinyl groups within PS-DMH were then efficiently converted into biocidal N-halamine structures (PS-DMH-Cl) via a simple chlorination process. ATR-FTIR and XPS spectra were recorded to confirm the chemical composition of the as-prepared PS-DMH-Cl membranes. SEM analyses revealed that the chlorinated PS-DMH-Cl membranes displayed a rough surface with a multitude of humps. The effect of chlorination temperature and time on the oxidative chlorine content in the PS-DMH-Cl membranes was systematically studied. The antimicrobial assays demonstrated that the PS-DMH-Cl membranes could achieve a 6-log inactivation of E. coli and S. aureus within just 4 min of contact time. Additionally, the resulting PS-DMH-Cl membranes exhibited excellent stability and regenerability of the oxidative chlorine content.

Occurrence, Risk Implications, Prevention and Control of CIT in Monascus Cheese: A Review

Monascus is a filamentous fungus that has been used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. When used as an auxiliary fermenting agent in the manufacturing of cheese, Monascus cheese is obtained. Citrinin (CIT) is a well-known hepatorenal toxin produced by Monascus that can harm the kidneys structurally and functionally and is frequently found in foods. However, CIT contamination in Monascus cheese is exacerbated by the metabolic ability of Monascus to product CIT, which is not lost during fermentation, and by the threat of contamination by Penicillium spp. that may be introduced during production and processing. Considering the safety of consumption and subsequent industrial development, the CIT contamination of Monascus cheese products needs to be addressed. This review aimed to examine its occurrence in Monascus cheese, risk implications, traditional control strategies, and new research advances in prevention and control to guide the application of biotechnology in the control of CIT contamination, providing more possibilities for the application of Monascus in the cheese industry.

Natural Extracts and Their Applications in Polymer-Based Active Packaging: A Review

At a time when food safety awareness is increasing, attention is paid not only to food and additives but also to packaging materials. Most current food packaging is usually made of traditional petroleum-based polymeric materials, which are not biodegradable and have adverse effects on the environment and health. In this context, the development of new non-toxic and biodegradable materials for extending the best-before date of food is receiving increasing attention. In addition, additives in packaging materials may migrate outward, resulting in contact with food. For this reason, additives are also seen as a transition from synthetic additives to natural extracts. Active extracts from animals and plants having good antioxidant and antibacterial properties are also beneficial for human health. It is indisputable that active extracts are ideal substitutes for synthetic additives. Polymer packaging materials combined with active extracts not only maintain their original mechanical and optical properties and thermal stability but also endow polymers with new functions to extend the shelf life of food. This review paper provides an overview of this promising natural extract-containing polymer-based active packaging, with a focus on plant essential oils (containing phenolics, monoterpenes, terpene alcohols, terpene ketones, and aldehydes), pigments (procyanidins), vitamins (vitamin B), and peptides (nisin). In particular, this paper covers the research progress of such active extracts, in single or compound forms, combined with diverse polymers (mostly biopolymers) for food packaging applications with particular focus on the antioxidant and antibacterial properties of packaging materials.

Bioactive Analysis of Antibacterial Efficacy and Antioxidant Potential of Aloe barbadensis Miller Leaf Extracts and Exploration of Secondary Metabolites Using GC-MS Profiling

Aloe barbadensis Miller (ABM) is a traditional medicinal plant all over the world. Numerous studies were conducted to exhibit its medicinal properties and most of them were concentrated on its metabolites against human pathogens. The current research work evaluates the attributes of different polar-based extracts (ethanol, methanol, ethyl acetate, acetone, hexane, and petroleum ether) of dried Aloe barbadensis leaf (ABL) to investigate its phytochemical constituents, antioxidant potential (DPPH, ABTS), phenolic, tannin, flavonoid contents, identification of bioactive compounds, and functional groups by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) respectively, and comparing antibacterial efficacy against human pathogens, aquatic bacterial pathogens, and zoonotic bacteria associated with fish and human. The present results showed that the methanolic extract of ABL showed higher antioxidant activity (DPPH-59.73 ± 2.01%; ABTS-74.1 ± 1.29%), total phenolic (10.660 ± 1.242 mg GAE/g), tannin (7.158 ± 0.668 mg TAE/g), and flavonoid content (49.545 ± 1.928 µg QE/g) than that of other solvent extracts. Non-polar solvents hexane and petroleum ether exhibited lesser activity among the extracts. In the case of antibacterial activity, higher inhibition zone was recorded in methanol extract of ABL (25.00 ± 0.70 mm) against Aeromonas salmonicida. Variations in antibacterial activity were observed depending on solvents and extracts. In the current study, polar solvents revealed higher antibacterial activity when compared to the non-polar and the mid-polar solvents. Diverse crucial bioactive compounds were detected in GC-MS analysis. The vital compounds were hexadecanoic acid (30.69%) and 2-pentanone, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl (23.77%) which are responsible for higher antioxidant and antibacterial activity. Similar functional groups were identified in all the solvent extracts of ABL with slight variations in the FT-IR analysis. Polar-based solvent extraction influenced the elution of phytocompounds more than that of the other solvents used in this study. The obtained results suggested that the ABM could be an excellent source for antioxidant and antibacterial activities and can also serve as a potential source of effective bioactive compounds to combat human as well as aquatic pathogens.

Phytochemicals and bioactive constituents in food packaging - A systematic review

Designing and manufacturing functional bioactive ingredients and pharmaceuticals have grown worldwide. Consumers demand for safe ingredients and concerns over harmful synthetic additives have prompted food manufacturers to seek safer and sustainable alternative solutions. In recent years the preference by consumers to natural bioactive agents over synthetic compounds increased exponentially, and consequently, naturally derived phytochemicals and bioactive compounds, with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, becoming essential in food packaging field. In response to societal needs, packaging needs to be developed based on sustainable manufacturing practices, marketing strategies, consumer behaviour, environmental concerns, and the emergence of new technologies, particularly bio- and nanotechnology. This critical systematic review assessed the role of antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds from natural resources in food packaging and consumer behaviour patterns in relation to phytochemical and biologically active substances used in the development of food packaging. The use of phytochemicals and bioactive compounds inside packaging materials used in food industry could generate unpleasant odours derived from the diffusion of the most volatile compounds from the packaging material to the food and food environment. These consumer concerns must be addressed to understand minimum concentrations that will not affect consumer sensory and aroma negative perceptions. The research articles were carefully chosen and selected by following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) guidelines.

Smart Packaging Based on Polylactic Acid: The Effects of Antibacterial and Antioxidant Agents from Natural Extracts on Physical-Mechanical Properties, Colony Reduction, Perishable Food Shelf Life, and Future Prospective

Changes in consumer lifestyles have raised awareness of a variety of food options and packaging technologies. Active and smart packaging is an innovative technology that serves to enhance the safety and quality of food products like fruit, vegetables, fish, and meat. Smart packaging, as a subset of this technology, entails the integration of additives into packaging materials, thereby facilitating the preservation or extension of product quality and shelf life. This technological approach stimulates a heightened demand for safer food products with a prolonged shelf life. Active packaging predominantly relies on the utilization of natural active substances. Therefore, the combination of active substances has a significant impact on the characteristics of active packaging, particularly on polymeric blends like polylactic acid (PLA) as a matrix. Therefore, this review will summarize how the addition of natural active agents influences the performance of smart packaging through systematic analysis, providing new insights into the types of active agents on physical-mechanical properties, colony reduction, and its application in foods. Through their integration, the market for active and smart packaging systems is expected to have a bright future.

HPLC-DAD-MS3 fingerprints of phenolics of selected Polygonum taxa and their chemometric analysis

Many Polygonaceae taxa such as Bistorta officinalis, Persicaria amphibia, Persicaria hydropiper, Persicaria lapathifolia, Persicaria maculosa, Persicaria mitis, Polygonum aviculare occur naturally in the entire territory of Poland and are also common in other European countries. Many of these species are also utilised as medicinal plants. In this manuscript we establish the phytochemical profiles of selected taxa from the Polygonaceae focusing on phenolics. Additionally, we try to find chemophenetic markers for the species investigated. Compounds were detected and characterised based on HPLC-DAD-MS data, quantified, and furtherly analysed using multivariate analyses. Chemophenetic markers were identified also considering previous literature.

Persicaria lapathifolia Essential Oil: Chemical Constituents, Antioxidant Activity, and Allelopathic Effect on the Weed Echinochloa colona

The exploration of new green, ecofriendly bioactive compounds has attracted the attention of researchers and scientists worldwide to avoid the harmful effects of chemically synthesized compounds. Persicaria lapathifolia has been reported to have various bioactive compounds, while its essential oil (EO) has not been determined yet. The current work dealt with the first description of the chemical composition of the EO from the aerial parts of P. lapathifolia, along with studying its free radical scavenging activity and herbicidal effect on the weed Echinochloa colona. Twenty-one volatile compounds were identified via GC–MS analysis. Nonterpenoids were the main components, with a relative concentration of 58.69%, in addition to terpenoids (37.86%) and carotenoid-derived compounds (1.75%). n-dodecanal (22.61%), α-humulene (11.29%), 2,4-dimethylicosane (8.97%), 2E-hexenoic acid (8.04%), γ-nonalactone (3.51%), and limonene (3.09%) were characterized as main compounds. The extracted EO exhibited substantial allelopathic activity against the germination, seedling root, and shoot growth of the weed E. colona in a dose-dependent manner, showing IC₅₀ values of 77.27, 60.84, and 33.80 mg L⁻¹, respectively. In addition, the P. lapathifolia EO showed substantial antioxidant activity compared to ascorbic acid as a standard antioxidant. The EO attained IC₅₀ values of 159.69 and 230.43 mg L⁻¹, for DPPH and ABTS, respectively, while ascorbic acid exhibited IC₅₀ values 47.49 and 56.68 mg L⁻¹, respectively. The present results showed that the emergent leafy stems of aquatic plants such as P. lapathifolia have considerably low content of the EO, which exhibited substantial activities such as antioxidant and allelopathic activities. Further study is recommended to evaluate the effects of various environmental and climatic conditions on the production and composition of the EOs of P. lapathifolia.