Study on antibacterial and antioxidant activity of Oak gall (Quercus infectoria ( extracts from Iran

Abstract The antioxidant and antibacterial are group from food additive that use on food as preservative. The objective of this study was to determine antioxidant and antibacterial activity of Quercus infectoria galls the using different in vitro methodologies. The extracts of aquatic, ethanolic and methanolic, at a concentration from 300, 600 and 1200 µg/ml, showed a significant antibacterial effect expressed as minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Gram-positive bacteria. In particular, staphylococcus arouse (MIC=300 µg/ml) and Bacillus cereus (MIC=600 µg/ml) were the most inhibited. The antioxidant activity were determined by the 2,2-diphenylpicrylhydrazyl (DPPH)assay and a β-carotene bleaching assay, and compared with that of butylatedhydroxyl toluene (BHT).The data were expressed as the mean ± the standard deviation and they were statistically analyzed by SPSS software using ANOVA (P<0.05). The results showed that among all the solvent extracts, water extract of Quercus infectoria galls had high antioxidant activities as measured by DPPH scavenging (30/15±0.83 µg /ml) and β-carotene linolic acid (89/4±1.11/ml). These parameters for BHT were 5±0.25 and 7.4±0.3 µg/ml respectively

Determination of heavy metals in apricot (Prunus armeniaca) and almond (Prunus amygdalus) oils

Background and purpose: Determination of heavy metals in oils is necessary to establish quality standards on a country level. This study aimed to determine of heavy metal contents (Cr, Ni, As, Cd, Hg, Pb, Sb, Sn, Sr, Al) in 12 seed oil samples in Iran by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Materials and Methods: The concentrations of heavy metal were determined by wet acid digestion methods with nitric acid (65%) and 4 ml peroxide hydrogenate on same samples using ICP-OES. Results: Results showed that the average of most important toxic metals detected in apricot oil samples was as follows 721.72 &mu;g/kg for Al 15 &mu;g/kg for Cd, 18 &mu;g/kg for Pb, 14 &mu;g/kg for As and <1 &mu;g/kg for Hg. Furthermore, The average of heavy metals detected in almond oil samples were as follows 1019.73 &mu;g/kg for Al, 10 &mu;g/kg for Cd, 21 &mu;g/kg for Pb and 11 &mu;g/kg for As and <1 &mu;g/kg for Hg. Also in the studied samples, Al was the highest concentrations among all metals. Conclusion: Most of the samples of oils were found to be contaminated with notable amounts of toxic metals which could be a threat to oil quality and human health

Physicochemical Characteristics of Citrus Seed Oils from Kerman, Iran

Recently, there has been a great deal of attention on usage, byproducts, and wastes of the food industry. There have been many studies on the properties of citrus seeds and extracted oil from citrus grown in Kerman, Iran. The rate of oil content of citrus seeds varies between 33.4% and 41.9%. Linoleic acid (33.2% to 36.3%) is the key fatty acid found in citrus seeds oil and oleic (24.8% to 29.3%) and palmitic acids (23.5% to 29.4%) are the next main fatty acids, respectively. There are also other acids found at trivial rates such as stearic, palmitoleic, and linolenic. With variation between 0.54 meg/kg and 0.77 mgq/kg in peroxide values of citrus seed oils, acidity value of the oil varies between 0.44% and 0.72%. The results of the study showed that citrus seeds under study (orange and sour lemon grown in Kerman province) and the extracted oil have the potential of being used as the source of edible oil

Aflatoxin Contamination of Feed Materials in Qom Province, Iran

Background: Aflatoxins are fungal toxins which may be present in some foods and due to their negative health effects, represent a major concern for humans and food industries. In the present study, total aflatoxin contamination in products from eight feed materials production centers located in Qom City of Iran were evaluated by an ELISA technique in November 2012. Methods: A total of 40 feed samples were analyzed for total aflatoxin. The samples were collected randomly from eight feed materials production centers (C1-C8) located in Qom city. Samples were conditioned in sterile plastic container and kept at 4 ᵒC until analyses that were carried out in same day. Results: The total average of Aflatoxins concentration in samples were 1.83µg/kg. All samples demonstrated total aflatoxin levels lower than European Union standard and National Standard of Iran recommended limits. Conclusion: Considering the low values of aflatoxin contamination, maintaining vigilant preventive measures is recommended.These results do not preclude the need for continuing comprehensive studies for aflatoxin contamination

Antibacterial Properties of Essential Oil of Heracleum persicum (Golpar) and Foodborne Pathogens

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a serious health threat to human society. Antibiotics and preservatives are also the most common modalities to increase the shelf life of foods. Objectives: Antibacterial activity of essential oil of Heracleum persicum (Golpar) fruit against some of the main foodborne bacteria was determined. Materials and Methods: Antibacterial activity of essential oil was evaluated against the bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Vibrio cholera, and Yersinia enterocolitica) using disc diffusion method. Broth micro-dilution method was used to determine their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The data was expressed as mean and standard deviation and analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) in SPSS software (P < 0.05). Results: Comparing with S. typhi strains (inhibition zone = 18 ± 0.46 mm), essential oil was found to be more effective against V. cholera strains (inhibition zone = 34 ± 0.2 mm). The MIC value (%) of the essential oil against V. cholera and S. typhi were 8 and 32 respectively. Essential oil of H. persicum (Golpar) showed a good antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogens. Conclusion: The results revealed that the essential oil of H. persicum can be used in food preservation systems to inhibit the growth of V. cholera strains and improve food quality and safety