Genotypic identification and technological characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Turkish Kargi tulum cheese

Kargi tulum cheese is an artisanal cheese produced through the spontaneous fermentation of raw milk ripened inside a goat-skin bag. The objective of this study was to characterize the dominant species of natural lactic acid bacteria (LAB) found in Kargi tulum cheese. Some technologically important properties of LAB isolates were also determined. Seven samples of cheese of different levels of ripeness were taken from local producers and 97 isolates were obtained from these samples. Non-spore forming, Gram-positive, catalase- and oxidase-negative isolates were assessed as LAB. Based on genotypic characterization, the dominant LAB were identified as Lactobacillus paracasei (43.3%), Lactobacillus plantarum (23.7%), Enterococcus durans (6.2%), Streptococcus thermophilus (6.2%), Lactobacillus brevis (5.2%), Enterococcus faecium (5.2%), Lactobacillus fermentum (4.1%) and Lactobacillus pentosus (1%). Homofermentative strains such as L. paracasei, L. plantarum, S. thermophilus; E. durans and E. faecium were selected as probable starter cultures. These strains were tolerant to 6.5% salt. They are also characterized by acidification ability (from pH = 6.6 to 4.7 to 6.0, in 6 to 8 h), low proteinase and high peptidase, esterase, esterase-lipase, β-galactosidase and β- glucosidase activities. They also produce diacetyl and H2O2.Key words: Lactic acid bacteria, genotypic characterization, technological characterization, tulum cheese

Inactivation of Zygosaccharomyces Rouxii using power ultrasound at different temperatures, pH and water activity condintions

In this study, the effect of ultrasound treatments (20 kHz) combined with mild temperatures (thermo-sonication) on the inactivation of Z. rouxii was examined. Additionally, the effect of pH (4 and 7) and water activity (aw 0.99 and 0.94) of the sonication medium on yeast inactivation was determined. The D(40-55) values at a thermo-sonication amplitude of 80% were shorter than that obtained at 40%. Using thermo-sonication, particularly at a low aw, was associated with a significant synergistic effect for Z. rouxii inactivation (p<0.05). In most thermo-sonications at 50° and55°C, the FDA requirement of a 5-log cycle reduction could be achieved (>5.7-log reductions in <0.2-0.2 min). Our findings show that sonication offers advantages in terms of reduced durationand temperature of pasteurization, without a reduction in structural and sensory quality particularly for fruit juices

Chemical Composition, Anti-Inflammatory, Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oil from Aerial Parts of Chaerophyllum aromaticum

The essential oil obtained by hydrodistillation from the aerial parts of Chaerophyllum aromaticum L. was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by lipoxygenase inhibition assay. Antioxidant activity was tested by DPPH method. Antimicrobial activity was carried out using microdilution method against seven bacteria and one fungus. The yield of light yellow-coloured essential oil was 1.1 % Eighteen compounds were identified in oil of the aerial parts representing 99.2 % of the C. aromaticum oil. Sabinene (28.1 %), terpinolene (16.7 %) and gamma-terpinene (16.1 %) were characterized as the main compounds. The oil exhibited remarkable anti-inflammatory activity with an IC50, value of 63.62 +/- 1.26 mu g/ml. The oil at a concentration of 20 mg/mL inhibited DPPH radical by 2.06 %. The oil exhibited moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 (MIC: 156 mu g/ml) and Sepidermidis ATCC 12228 (MIC: 625 mu g/ml). The results showed that C. aromaticum essential oil was rich in monoterpene compounds and had moderate antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus strains as well as having significant anti-inflammatory activity

Phenolic Compound Contents of Hypericum Species from Turkey

Hypericaceae is a small cosmopolite dicot family of tree, shrub, and herb. Hypericum is the largest genus of Hypericaceae comprising of about 484 species throughout the world. In Turkey, Hypericum is represented by 96 species, 104 taxa in which 45 of them are endemic. The genus Hypericum is known worldwide with its wide folk medicinal usage. The extracts of Hypericum perforatum L., the most abundant and well-known species, are now widely used in Europe as a drug for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression. In Turkish traditional medicine, Hypericum L. species have been known under the names “kantaron, peygamber çiçeği, kılıçotu, kanotu, kuzukıran, and binbirdelik otu” and used for the treatment of burns, wounds, bacterial and viral infections, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, and ulcers. The pharmacological studies revealed that this species has antitumor, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-nociceptive, and wound healing activity. The value of Hypericum plants has been mainly attributed to the phytochemicals, namely naphthodianthrones (e.g., hypericin and pseudohypericin), acylphloroglucinol derivatives (e.g., hyperforin and adhyperforin), flavonoids (e.g., quercetin, quercitrin, hyperoside, and biapigenin), n-alkanes, tannins, xanthones and essential oils they possess. Due to their phytochemical composition and waste usage in traditional folk medicine, many studies were made on biological activities of different species extracts of Hypericum in Turkey and the world. Turkey is an important prevalence center of Hypericum species. This review will investigate the phenolic compound contents of Hypericum species in Turkish flora