Food Products with High Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities and Their Sensory Appreciation

(1) Background: The demand for healthy and nutritious food is growing worldwide. Fermented dairy products are highly valued by consumers for their health benefits. Kefir is a fermented dairy product that brings many benefits to the consumer due to its antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, antihypertensive and antimicrobial properties. Extracts from various plants in the form of volatile oils have a beneficial efct on consumer health. their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were demonstrated. (2) Methods: In the present study, the main purpose was to obtain a fermented dairy product with a high nutritional value; therefore, kefir, enriched with three types of volatile oils, namely, volatile mint oil, volatile fennel oil and volatile lavender oil, was made. The kefir samples obtained were sensory and texturally analyzed. The beneficial effect on health must also be studied in terms of the acceptability of these products by consumers from a sensory point of view. A non-numerical method based on several multi-personal approval criteria was used to interpret the results obtained in the sensory analysis. In the textural analysis, the consistency, cohesiveness and firmness of the kefir samples were analyzed. (3) Results: The samples enriched with volatile oils obtained superior results compared to the control sample in both conducted examinations. Kefir samples with volatile oils retained their sensory and textural characteristics for a longer time during storage. (4) Conclusions: The volatile oils added to kefir positively influenced the sensory and textural characteristics of the finished product.

Chemical composition and seasonal variation of the volatile oils from Siparuna guianensis Aubl. leaves collected from Monte do Carmo, Tocantins

Siparuna guianensis Aubl., known as “negramina”, “capitu”, is a small tree used for headaches, colds, fevers, as a healing agent, insect, and tick repellents. This study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and seasonal variability of essential oils from the leaves of S. guianensis. Botanical material was collected in Monte do Carmo, Tocantins, Brazil. The powder from the leaves was submitted to hydrodistillation in a Clevenger apparatus, and the identification of the compounds was performed by GC-MS. In volatile oils, 21.32% to 55.44% of sesquiterpenes, 19.95 to 49.73% of oxygenated sesquiterpenes, 0.48 to 1.55% of oxygenated monoterpenes, 0 to 5.67% of monoterpene hydrocarbons were identified, 0 to 48.2% of other compounds. The major compounds were γ-muurolene (13.99 to 35.97%), Curzerene (7.22-19.15%), Curzerenone (7.3-18.13%), 2-undecanone (3.99- 10.63%). The presence of two clusters was verified: cluster I, discriminated by the compounds Curzerenone, β-selinene, δ-elemene, corresponding to the months with the lowest index, and cluster II, discriminated by the β-burbonene, corresponding to the months with the highest index rainfall index. Comparing the present study with data from the literature, it is concluded that S. guianensis presents great chemical variability, which can be explained by genetic factors, seasonality, light, temperature, which can alter the production of metabolites. As S. guianensis has broad therapeutic potential as an antimicrobial and promising larvicidal activity, there is a need for agronomic studies to obtain specimens that require more interesting chemical components for the pharmaceutical industry. This study is the first carried out with oils from leaves collected in Monte do Carmo, Tocantins, Brazil.

Discrimination of 11 Malaysian Durian Cultivars Based on Sulfur-Containing Volatiles and Esters Using Multivariate Data Analysis

There are reports documenting the volatile oils of several durian cultivars in Malaysia. However, there is limited information on the rapid discrimination of the durian cultivars based on the composition of the total volatiles and individual volatile compounds. Thus, the present work aims to discriminate 11 Malaysian durian cultivars based on their volatile compositions using multivariate data analysis. Sulfur-containing volatiles are the major volatiles in D175 (Udang Merah), D88 (Darling), D13 (Golden Bun), DXO (D24 Special), D17 (Green Bamboo), D2 (Dato Nina), and D168 (Hajah Hasmah) durian cultivars, while esters are predominant in D99 (Kop Kecil), D24 (Bukit Merah), and D160 (Musang Queen) durian cultivars. D197 (Musang King) cultivar has an almost equal composition of sulfur-containing volatiles and esters. In the ester predominated volatile durian oil, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate and propyl 2-methylbutanoate are the major volatile compounds, while the durian cultivars with predominant sulfur-containing volatiles mainly contain diethyl disulfide, diethyl trisulfide, and 3,5-dimethyl-1,2,4-trithiolane. The durian cultivars were clustered into 8 clusters using principal component analysis, with 3 clusters consisting of 2 cultivars, and with the remaining cultivars clustered individually. The highly sought-after durian cultivars, D160 and D197, were clustered into one. Hierarchal clustering analysis identified the distinct compounds which discriminate every durian cultivar.

A Review on Medicinal Uses of Cinnamomum verum (Cinnamon)

Cinnamomum verum is a spice plant that is well-known for its medicinal and pharmacological qualities. The old botanical synonym for this tree, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, is derived from Sri Lanka's former name, Ceylon. Since ancient times, Cinnamomum zeylanicum has been frequently used as a medicinal condiment. It's native to Sri Lanka and India's southern states. Cinnamomum verum belongs to the Lauraceae family and is also known by the synonym Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume. It's a dried bark that's been stripped of its outer cork and underlying parenchyma. Cinnamomum verum is a popular medicinal herb with a wide range of applications It has long been used to flavour food and in pharmaceutical preparations to treat a variety of ailments. For commercial purposes, it is commonly used as candies, chewing gums, mouthwash, and toothpaste in the current period. Many volatile oils, primarily cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, and cinnamate, are abundant in the plant. Eugenol is the active principal ingredient linked to a variety of biological functions. This herb is found in almost every pharmacological system on the planet. Each of these features is essential for human health development. Antimicrobial, wound healing, antidiabetic, anti-HIV, anti-anxiety, and anti-are Parkinson's among of the plant's key medical characteristics. The major components of the Cinnamomum verum plant include eugenol, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate, copane, and camphor. The pharmacological effects of cinnamon aldehyde have been extensively researched. Every aspect of the plant was thoroughly examined in this study, from its morphological description to its phytochemical profile and therapeutic action. In this review, we've attempted to compile a comprehensive list of its medical and pharmacological qualities. Keywords: Cinnamomum verum, Dalchini, Medicinal Properties, volatile oils, Antimicrobial, Anti-HIV, antidiabetic

Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Properties, and Recent Applications of Ficus benghalensis and Ficus religiosa

Ficus is one of the largest genera in the plant kingdom that belongs to the Moraceae family. This review aimed to summarize the medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological actions of two major species from this genus, namely Ficus benghalensis and Ficus religiosa. These species can be found abundantly in most Asian countries, including Malaysia. The chemical analysis report has shown that Ficus species contained a wide range of phytoconstituents, including phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, terpenoids, glycosides, sugar, protein, essential and volatile oils, and steroids. Existing studies on the pharmacological functions have revealed that the observed Ficus species possessed a broad range of biological properties, including antioxidants, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antitumor and antiproliferative, antimutagenic, antimicrobial, anti-helminthic, hepatoprotective, wound healing, anticoagulant, immunomodulatory activities, antistress, toxicity studies, and mosquitocidal effects. Apart from the plant parts and their extracts, the endophytes residing in these host plants were discussed as well. This study also includes the recent applications of the Ficus species and their plant parts, mainly in the nanotechnology field. Various search engines and databases were used to obtain the scientific findings, including Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, PMC, Research Gate, and Scopus. Overall, the review discusses the therapeutic potentials discovered in recent times and highlights the research gaps for prospective research work.

The Analgesic Properties of Corydalis yanhusuo

Corydalis yanhusuo extract (YHS) has been used for centuries across Asia for pain relief. The extract is made up of more than 160 compounds and has been identified as alkaloids, organic acids, volatile oils, amino acids, alcohols, and sugars. However, the most crucial biological active constituents of YHS are alkaloids; more than 80 have been isolated and identified. This review paper aims to provide a comprehensive review of the phytochemical and pharmacological effects of these alkaloids that have significant ties to analgesia.

Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential oils of 14 known Ficus species – A Concise Review

Compounds useful for drugs, cosmetics, and food have been obtained directly or indirectly from living organisms over the years. However, there has been a renewed interest in getting useful compounds from living organisms, especially plants. Essential oils, interchangeably called volatile oils, are bioactive compounds found in minute quantities in some plants. Essential or volatile oils have been known for years to find usefulness in foods, drugs (antimicrobial, antifungal), and cosmetics. This review attempts to summarize information on the essential oil from Ficus species concerning their morphology, pharmacology, bioactivity, and application. This was achieved by gathering information on essential oils from different Ficus species. Essential oils from Ficus species are a good source of bioactive compounds for use in drug, food, and cosmetic industries. It is worthy to note that Nigerian Figs were characterized by the high presence of phytol and 6,10,14-trimethyl-2-pentadecanone, and these compounds are, therefore, seen as markers. Furthermore, this review presents numerous insights on how to best harness the different potentials of the essential oils and possibilities to be examined.