Research Paper
heliya akbarlou; marjaneh sedaghati; Alireza shahab Lavasani
Abstract
Origanum vulgare L. is a native medicinal plant of interest due to antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antioxidant activities. In this study, water, water/ethanol and ethanol solvents with and without ultrasound (at a frequency of 37 kHz at a temperature of 35°C for 35 minutes) were used to ...
Read More
Origanum vulgare L. is a native medicinal plant of interest due to antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antioxidant activities. In this study, water, water/ethanol and ethanol solvents with and without ultrasound (at a frequency of 37 kHz at a temperature of 35°C for 35 minutes) were used to extract marjoram extract. The extraction efficiency of total phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins with water/ethanol solvents was higher than pure water and pure ethanol.The IC50 value as an index of antioxidant activity in the ultrasonically extracted marjoram extract was significantly 0/05reduced compared to the control samples (p<0.05). A mixture of maltodextrin/gum arabic in a chloroform/methanol solvent system was used as a coating for encapsulating the marjoram extract. Considering the difference in anthocyanin content before and after encapsulation, the efficiency of the encapsulation process was 86.71% ± 0.93%. To produce enriched yogurt, marjoram extract microcapsules with concentrations of 0.3%, 0.6% and 0.9% were used. According to the results, the addition of microencapsulated marjoram extract caused a significant decrease in pH and syneresis and a significant increase0/05 in the number of lactic acid bacteria (p<0.05). Electron microscope images showed that the use of microencapsulated marjoram extract in yogurt formulation resulted in a more compact and cohesive structure in yogurt samples containing microencapsulated marjoram extract compared to the control sample. Considering the positive physicochemical and microbial effects of 0.9% microcapsules containing marjoram extract on yogurt and considering the use of non-edible solvents in this study, future research should use safe solvents for coating for commercial production.
Research Paper
Kiyanush Barzegar Mohammadi; Ali Khanjari; Afshin Akhondzadeh Basti; Seyed Ahmad Madani; Samira Fayazfar
Abstract
Due to the increase in food costs, students' desire to prepare affordable and economical meals has increased. The increasing demand of students to use student restaurant food increases the importance of monitoring and supervising the hygiene status of these restaurants. In this study, samples including ...
Read More
Due to the increase in food costs, students' desire to prepare affordable and economical meals has increased. The increasing demand of students to use student restaurant food increases the importance of monitoring and supervising the hygiene status of these restaurants. In this study, samples including cooked foods, food contact surfaces, and hands of food workers were collected from ten different university restaurants in Tehran, which were named A to J, for microbial tests (total aerobic bacterial count, Staphylococcus aureus count, Enterobacteriaceae count, and mold and yeast count) according to the type of sample. Also, at the time of sampling, a hygiene inspection checklist was completed for each restaurant.
The results of this study showed that the total aerobic bacterial count of the food served was between 2.77-5.77 Log CFU/g, and in one of the restaurants this count was higher than the microbial limit (5 Log CFU/g). The total aerobic bacterial count of the surfaces in contact with food was determined to be between 2.46-6.07 Log CFU/cm2, and in 4 restaurants (44%) evaluated this count was higher than the microbially acceptable limit (5 Log CFU/cm2). Regarding the Staphylococcus aureus count of the food, it was between 1.3-78 Log CFU/g, which was consistent with the Staphylococcus aureus count of the workers' hands (2.5-75 Log CFU/cm2) in the sampled foods in all restaurants (100%). The results of the mold and yeast count of the food served were also between 2.95-2.2 Log CFU/g. These findings highlight the urgent need to improve hygiene standards in university cafeterias. Implementing rigorous hygiene programs, adhering to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) principles, and establishing a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) system are essential steps to ensure food safety and student safety.
