Combination of different antifungal agents in oil-in-water emulsions to control strawberry jam spoilage

The combination of antifungal agents (cinnamon bark oil, zinc gluconate and trans-ferulic acid) in oil-in-water emulsions to control the fungal spoilage of strawberry jams, minimising essential oil's sensory impact, was evaluated in this work. The in vitro assays of free antifungal agents were performed against five fungal strains; meanwhile, the emulsions assays were conducted against Aspergillus niger given its strong resistance and its relevance in strawberry products. The emulsion formulated with 0.08mg/g of essential oil was able to inhibit mould growth after the incubation period. The incorporation of zinc gluconate or trans-ferulic acid, independently of the concentration used, allowed to reduce a 25% the amount of essential oil needed to inhibit the microbial growth. The combination of antifungal agents in the emulsions has demonstrated to be an effective alternative to reduce the amount of essential oil employed, maintaining the hygienic quality and sensory profile of the strawberry jam.

Degradation of trans-ferulic acid in acidic aqueous medium by anodic oxidation, electro-Fenton and photoelectro-Fenton

Solutions of pH 3.0 containing trans-ferulic acid, a phenolic compound in olive oil mill wastewater, have been comparatively degraded by anodic oxidation with electrogenerated H2O2 (AO-H2O2), electro-Fenton (EF) and photoelectro-Fenton (PEF). Trials were performed with a BDD/air-diffusion cell, where oxidizing OH was produced from water discharge at the BDD anode and/or in the solution bulk from Fenton's reaction between cathodically generated H2O2 and added catalytic Fe(2+). The substrate was very slowly removed by AO-H2O2, whereas it was very rapidly abated by EF and PEF, at similar rate in both cases, due to its fast reaction with OH in the bulk. The AO-H2O2 process yielded a slightly lower mineralization than EF, which promoted the accumulation of barely oxidizable products like Fe(III) complexes. In contrast, the fast photolysis of these latter species under irradiation with UVA light in PEF led to an almost total mineralization with 98% total organic carbon decay. The effect of current density and substrate concentration on the performance of all treatments was examined. Several solar PEF (SPEF) trials showed its viability for the treatment of wastewater containing trans-ferulic acid at larger scale. Four primary aromatic products were identified by GC-MS analysis of electrolyzed solutions, and final carboxylic acids like fumaric, acetic and oxalic were detected by ion-exclusion HPLC. A reaction sequence for trans-ferulic acid mineralization involving all the detected products is finally proposed.