Essential oils as antibacterial agents against food-borne pathogens: are they really as useful as they are claimed to be ?

Original articleMost studies evaluating the use of essential oils (EO) as antibacterial agents focus mainly on minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) rather than minimal bactericidal concentrations (MBC). In this work, we compared MICs and MBCs of EO from condiment plants commonly used in Mediterranean Europe, namely Origanum vulgare, Salvia lavandulaefolia, Salvia officinalis, Salvia sclarea and Rosmarinus officinalis, aiming to evaluate their application as disinfecting agents in minimally processed produce. Outbreaks-related pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Yarrowia lipolytica were used. Results showed that all EO were able to reduce bacterial growth in all bacterial strains tested, particularly O. vulgare. However, fewer EO exhibited bactericidal activities, and were only effective against one or two bacterial strains, hence eliminating the possibility to use them as broad range disinfectants. Furthermore, the necessary concentrations were too high for food application. Hence, our work suggests the need to evaluate MBC rather than MIC and questions EO usefulness in controlling undesired microorganisms. Overall, and despite the large volume of data published on EO, results obtained were not very encouraging for a realistic application on produce and question the viability of EOs as disinfecting agents in foodinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Physicochemical and antimicrobial effects of gelatin-based edible films incorporated with garlic peel extract on the rainbow trout fillets

Influence of gelatin-based edible films incorporated with garlic peel extract (GPE) with concentration of 4% and 8% (by volume per mass of gelatin) on the microbiological, sensorial and physicochemical quality of rainbow trout fillets during refrigerated storage at 4±1 °C were evaluated. Gelatin films enriched with GPE retarted the total mesophilic and total psychrophilic bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae counts during the storage period. Compared to control samples, lipid oxidation was delayed in the samples wrapped with gelatin films incorporated with GPE, especially in concentration of 8%. The sensory results are correlated with physicochemical and microbiological results. The shelf-life of rainbow trout fillets was found 5 days for control and the fillets wrapped with gelatin film without GPE, respectively, while the shelf life of fish was 10 days for the fillets wrapped with gelatin film incorporated with GPE. According to results of the study, the incorporation of GPE into gelatin film could enhance the both antimicrobial and antioxidative characteristics of the film. Therefore, gelatin film enriched with GPE efficient in maintaining the qualities of the rainbow trout fillets during refrigerated storage. © 2019 Mattioli 1885. All Rights Reserved

Saving, Investment and capital mobility in G-7 countries: Time varying parameters approach

This paper investigates the relationship between domestic saving (S) and investment (I) to assess degree of capital mobility for G7 countries during the period 1960- 2007. To this end, Engle-Granger (1987) and Gregory-Hansen (1996) residual based co-integration tests was firstly applied for each of the G7 countries, but we did not find any evidence of a long-run relationship between S and I. Extending the analysis to time varying parameters (TVP) approach to see changes in the capital mobility over time, the findings suggest that there is no significant increase in capital mobility in the sense of Feldstein-Horioka (1980). © EuroJournals Publishing, Inc. 2010

The effects of rosemary extract combination with vacuum packing on the quality changes of Atlantic mackerel fish burgers

The effects of the use of antioxidant technology on the quality of mackerel burgers stored at 4°C were investigated in terms of sensory, biochemical [thiobarbituric acid (TBA), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), peroxide value (PV) and free fatty acids (FFA)] and microbiological analyses [total viable count (TVC)]. Fish meat was divided into three groups; the control (C) without rosemary extract, the second group with 0.4% rosemary extracts (Group A) and the third with 0.8% rosemary extracts (Group B). Results showed that the TVB-N level did not exceed acceptability limit (30-35mg100g-1) for all groups. TBA value for the control significantly increased from 1.47 to 4.80MAkg-1 whereas it slightly increased in treatment groups as the storage time increased. Significantly higher PV and FFA (P<0.05) were obtained from the control group. Rosemary extract, in combination with vacuum pack was effective in controlling the growth of bacteria and biochemical indices. © 2011 The Authors. International Journal of Food Science and Technology © 2011 Institute of Food Science and Technology

Seasonal fat and fatty acids variations of seven marine fish species from the Mediterranean Sea

Seasonal variations of proximate compositions, muscle lipids and fatty acids (FA) of seven seawater species (Silllago sihoma, Upeneus pori, Sparus aurata, Saurida undosquamis, Epinephelus auneus, Mullus barbatus, Solea solea) from the Mediterranean Sea, were determined in all seasons. The results showed that the fatty acid compositions of each species ranged from 26.41 to 38.70% saturated (SFA), 13.78 to 26.52% monounsaturated (MUFAs) and 25.02 to 50.83% PUFAs. The highest proportions of EPA were obtained from M. barbatus (8.34%) in spring, S. sihoma (7.54%), U. pori (6.75%), S. aurata (6.31%), S. undosquamis (5.12%), E. auneus (5.10%) in summer, and also S. solea (6.19%) in spring. The highest proportions of DHA were found in spring, ranging from 25.14% for M. barbatus to 34.87% for S. aurata, except for S. solea (30.44%) in winter and S. sihoma (15.83%) in summer. The results showed that from a quality point of view, all species were suitable for human nutrition, since muscle lipids are rich in EPA+DHA in all seasons. Practical application: The American and Canadian Dietetic Associations recommend two servings of fatty fish per week and a daily combined intake of EPA and DHA of 500mg. This follows a trend of numerous publications and other guidelines recognizing the health benefits of long-chain n-3 PUFA from fish or marine microbial sources with respect to cardiovascular health, neurological diseases, infant health and development, inflammation and cancer and other health effects. The seven species analyzed here provide muscle lipids that are rich in EPA and DHA. Only minor season-to-season changes in the total content of n-3 and n-6 PUFA were observed for the same species. The results provide valuable information for preparing diet tables. © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

The effects of seasonal dynamics on sensory, Chemical and microbiological quality parameters of vacuum-packed sardine (Sardinella aurita)

The effects of seasonal changes (winter and spring) on the quality of sardines stored at 4 °C were investigated in terms of sensory, biochemical (thiobarbituric acid, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), peroxide value (PV) and free fatty acids (FFA) and microbiological parameters (total viable counts and coliforms). The limit for sensory acceptability of sardines stored in ice was 14 days and 18 days for winter and spring, respectively. Results showed that the TVB-N level did not exceed the acceptability limit (300-350 mg·kg-1) in both winter and spring seasons. Significantly higher PV and FFA (p < 0.05) were determined for sardines in winter. Total viable counts of winter and spring sardines increased from the initial value of 3.40 log CFU·g-1 (day 0) to 7.74 log CFU·g-1 (day 18) and from 3.07 log CFU·g-1 to 6.33 log CFU·g-1 over the period of storage, respectively. In conclusion, samples obtained in winter season deteriorated more rapidly than those from the spring season. Chemical composition of fish, catching method, the condition of the fish before catching or harvesting, storage temperature and seasons may affect sensory, chemical and microbiological quality of fish. © 2014 Národné polnohospodárske a potravinárske centrum (Slovakia)

Ethical values of academic nurses: A pilot study

PMID = 2979207

The inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines with pentoxifylline in the cardiopulmunary bypass lung

In addition to preventing tissue energy loss during cardiopulmonary bypass. pentoxifylline (Ptx) prevents the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines as well. The aim of this study was to investigate whether Ptx decreases the inflammatory effects of cardiopulmonary bypass on the lungs during open-heart surgery, The patients in the study group (n=15) who were going through an open-heart surgery had 500 mg l(-1) of Ptx added to their prime solution, whereas the patients in the control group (n=10) only received prime solution. Pre-pump and post-pump blood samples were obtained from both groups and assayed for intereukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), Lung tissue samples that were obtained after the pump were examined with light microscopy and stained for tissue TNFalpha Non-parametric Wilcoxon test was utilized for statistical evaluation, In the post-pump period, the difference in the IL-6, IL-8 and TNFalpha levels of the two groups was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.005). The tissue samples from the control group had significant staining with TNFalpha. We think that Ptx has important protective effects on the lungs during cardiopulmonary bypass