Antioxidant activity of oregano, parsley, and olive mill wastewaters in bulk oils and oil-in-water emulsions enriched in fish oil

Partitioning of Antioxidants in Edible Oil–Water Binary Systems and in Oil-in-Water Emulsions

In recent years, partitioning of antioxidants in oil–water two-phase systems has received great interest because of their potential in the downstream processing of biomolecules, their benefits in health, and because partition constant values between water and model organic solvents are closely related to important biological and pharmaceutical properties such as bioavailability, passive transport, membrane permeability, and metabolism. Partitioning is also of general interest in the oil industry. Edible oils such as olive oil contain a variety of bioactive components that, depending on their partition constants, end up in an aqueous phase when extracted from olive fruits. Frequently, waste waters are subsequently discarded, but their recovery would allow for obtaining extracts with antioxidant and/or biological activities, adding commercial value to the wastes and, at the same time, would allow for minimizing environmental risks. Thus, given the importance of partitioning antioxidants, in this manuscript, we review the background theory necessary to derive the relevant equations necessary to describe, quantitatively, the partitioning of antioxidants (and, in general, other drugs) and the common methods for determining their partition constants in both binary (PWOIL) and multiphasic systems composed with edible oils. We also include some discussion on the usefulness (or not) of extrapolating the widely employed octanol–water partition constant (PWOCT) values to predict PWOIL values as well as on the effects of acidity and temperature on their distributions. Finally, there is a brief section discussing the importance of partitioning in lipidic oil-in-water emulsions, where two partition constants, that between the oil-interfacial, POI, and that between aqueous-interfacial, PwI, regions, which are needed to describe the partitioning of antioxidants, and whose values cannot be predicted from the PWOIL or the PWOCT ones.

Physical and Chemical Characterisation of Conventional and Nano/Emulsions: Influence of Vegetable Oils from Different Origins

The processes of oil production play an important role in defining the final physical and chemical properties of vegetable oils, which have an influence on the formation and characteristics of emulsions. The objective of this work was to investigate the correlations between oils’ physical and chemical properties with the stability of conventional emulsions (d > 200 nm) and nanoemulsions (d < 200 nm). Five vegetable oils obtained from different production processes and with high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids were studied. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), cold-pressed rapeseed oil (CPRO), refined olive oil (OO), refined rapeseed oil (RO) and refined sunflower oil (SO) were used in this study. The results showed that the physicochemical stability of emulsion was affected by fatty acid composition, the presence of antioxidants, free fatty acids and droplet size. There was a significant positive correlation (p < 0.05) between the fraction of unsaturated fatty acids and emulsion oxidative stability, where SO, OO and EVOO showed a significantly higher lipid oxidative stability compared to RO and CPRO emulsions. Nanoemulsions with a smaller droplet size showed better physical stability than conventional emulsions. However, there was not a significant correlation between the oxidative stability of emulsions, droplet size and antioxidant capacity of oils.

Influence of phytogenic feed additive on Lawsonia intracellularis infection in pigs

Lawsonia intracellularis is known to cause proliferative enteropathy (PE), one of the economically most important swine diseases with global distribution. Not unlike other enteric diseases, PE is a frequent indication for antibiotic therapy. However, their unjustified use leads to an emerging problem - antimicrobial resistance. Thus, the aim of this research was to assess if a phytogenic additive may replace antibiotics in the control of PE in 144 weaned piglets (72 treated and 72 controls) naturally infected with L. intracellularis. The quantity of L. intracellularis faecal shedding was monitored by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay in faecal samples on day 0, 14 and 28, whilst the level of the ileum damage was determined by immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay performed on gut sections. Real-time PCR assay revealed that cycle-threshold (Ct) values in the treatment group increased significantly over time and were higher than in the control. These results indicate that the use of the phytogenic additive decreases the faecal excretion of L. intracellularis both throughout the experiment and in comparison to the control. The expression of the L. intracellularis antigen in IHC assay was lower in treated animals, implying that the additive leads to the decrease in the pathogen quantity in the ileum. Significantly higher feed conversion ratio was recorded in the treatment group. The results indicate that the phytogenic additive may be beneficial in the control of PE, but additional research is necessary to assess its use in various pig categories and define the optimum concentrations.

Effects of parsley supplementation on the seminal quality, blood lipid profile and oxidant status of young and old male rabbits

<p>The high unsaturation levels of spermatozoal membrane make it very susceptible to oxidative damage and this problem increases with advancing age. In this study, the aim is to investigate whether parsley seed (PS) has a protective effect on semen quality, serum lipid profile and antioxidative status of old and young bucks. Male rabbits (n= 36) (18 young 9-12 mo old and 18 old 36-42 mo old) were each assigned to 3 dietary treatments (a control and 2 levels of PS: 0.3 and 0.6 kg/100 kg diet) to evaluate the ability of parsley to enhance bucks’ reproductive status. Most of the studied traits were adversely affected by age of rabbit bucks. On the other hand, the inclusion of PS significantly boosted ejaculate volume and improved mass motility concentration and total sperm output. Seminal plasma and blood serum total antioxidant capacity increased, while serum lipid peroxidase decreased with parsley treatments. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of parsley seed alleviates most semen quality parameters and counteracts oxidative stress, especially with the advance of age (seminal plasma and blood serum of total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde.</p>

Antioxidant Activity of Spices and Their Impact on Human Health: A Review

Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidation of other compounds or neutralize free radicals. Spices and herbs are rich sources of antioxidants. They have been used in food and beverages to enhance flavor, aroma and color. Due to their excellent antioxidant activity, spices and herbs have also been used to treat some diseases. In this review article, the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of spices and culinary herbs are presented. The content of flavonoids and total polyphenols in different spices and herbs are summarized. The applications of spices and their impacts on human health are briefly described. The extraction and analytical methods for determination of antioxidant capacity are concisely reviewed.

Improvement of the lipid oxidative stability of soybean oil-inwater emulsion by addition of daraesoon (shoot of Actinidia arguta) and samnamul (shoot of Aruncus dioicus) extract

The effect of 75% ethanol extract of daraesoon and samnamul (200 mg/kg) on the lipid oxidation of soybean oil-in-water (4:6, w/w) emulsion containing iron (5 mg/kg) in dark conditions at 25°C was studied by determining headspace oxygen and hydroperoxide contents. Polyphenol, carotenoid, and chlorophyll contents were also evaluated using spectrophotometry. The headspace oxygen contents were higher and hydroperoxide contents were lower (p<0.05) in the emulsions with added daraesoon and samnamul extracts compared with the control emulsion without the extract. The antioxidant activity of the daraesoon and samnamul extracts in the lipid oxidation of the emulsions was comparable to that of dibutylhydroxytoluene at 200mg/kg. Polyphenols, carotenoids, and chlorophylls were degraded during oxidation of the emulsions, possibly due to a role of the antioxidants. The results suggest that contribution to the improved lipid oxidative stability of the emulsion with added samnamul and daraesoon would be due to polyphenols and pigments, respectively.

Effects of selected herb extracts on iron-catalyzed lipid oxidation in soybean oil-in-water emulsion

Effect of herb extracts on the oil oxidation of an oil-in-water emulsion containing iron was studied. The emulsion comprised tocopherol-stripped soybean oil (40 g), citrate buffer (60 g, pH 4.0), xanthan gum (35mg), and FeSO₄ (0.5mg) with 80% ethanol extracts of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), basil (Ocimum basilicum), peppermint (Mentha piperita), thyme (Thymus vulgaris), or oregano (Origanum vulgare). Hydroperoxide contents and p-anisidine values were significantly (p<0.05) lower in the emulsions with the added herb extracts compared with the control emulsions. The antioxidant activity of the basil and peppermint extracts containing higher proportions of rosmarinic acid was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the other herb extracts, but the polyphenol degradation rate was not significantly different. The antioxidant activity of the basil and peppermint extracts showed concentration-dependence within 400 mg/kg. This study suggests that the oxidative stability of oil-inwater emulsion containing iron can be improved by addition of basil or peppermint extract.

Antimicrobial effects of pepper, parsley, and dill and their roles in the microbiological quality enhancement of traditional Egyptian Kareish cheese

This study was designed to assess the application of some edible plants including cayenne, green pepper, parsley, and dill to Kareish cheese and to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of these plant materials against natural microflora, coliforms, molds, and Staphylococcus aureus. Twelve different concentrations of ethanol extract of the plants were prepared for determination of the minimal inhibitory concentration. Cayenne and green pepper extracts showed highest activity followed by dill and parsley against S. aureus. Addition of cayenne or green pepper to Kareish cheese during manufacture revealed that both plants were able reduce the S. aureus population to undetectable level within the first and second days of storage. To study the effect of combining plant materials on the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat Kareish cheese, the total bacterial count, coliform count, and yeast and molds counts were determined. It has been found that addition of plant materials to Kareish cheese reduced the total bacterial and coliform populations. All concentrations of cayenne, green pepper, dill, and parsley (9%) completely reduced the yeast count within 2 hours. Cayenne and green pepper completely reduced the mold count within 2 days, whereas parsley and dill were found to be less effective. Kareish cheese prepared with 1% cayenne pepper and 3% and 6% each of green pepper, dill, and parsley were found strongly acceptable to the consumer and considered the most preferable type. Therefore, this study revealed that pepper, parsley, and dill exhibited antibacterial activity against natural microflora, coliforms, yeast and molds, and S. aureus in Kareish cheese, and the addition of these plants is acceptable to the consumer and may contribute to the development of new and safe varieties of Kareish cheese.