Buffalo Yogurt Fortified with Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) and Myrrh (Commiphora Myrrha) Essential Oils: New Insights into the Functional Properties and Extended Shelf Life

Clove and Thyme Essential Oils: From Molecular Docking to Food Application-A Study of Their Preservative Properties in Buttermilk

This study investigates clove (CEO) and thyme (TEO) essential oils as natural preservatives, focusing on their composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and application in buttermilk. In the first part, GC-MS analysis identified eugenol (73.45%) and thymol (27.53%) as the major bioactive compounds in CEO and TEO, respectively. Antioxidant activity assays revealed strong performance for CEO, with EC50 values of 0.058 mg/mL for H2O2 scavenging and 0.063 mg/mL for DPPH, significantly outperforming TEO (EC50 values of 0.102 and 0.106 mg/mL, respectively). In vitro antibacterial assays demonstrated CEO's superior efficacy, achieving minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) as low as 25 mg/L against Gram-positive bacteria and 50 mg/L against Gram-negative bacteria, while TEO exhibited MICs ranging from 50 to 100 mg/L. Molecular docking highlighted selective binding of eugenol (-6.5 kcal/mol) and thymol (-5.9 kcal/mol) to bacterial enzymes, underpinning their selective antimicrobial mechanisms. In the second part, buttermilk was fortified with CEO and TEO, and sensory analysis revealed that TEO significantly enhanced aroma and taste, achieving a mean score of 7.93 for taste at 100 μg/mL, while CEO exhibited a more neutral sensory impact with a mean score of 6.14 at the same concentration. Additionally, CEO and TEO supplementation promoted LAB growth, sustaining beneficial microbial populations over a 5-day storage period and preserving microbiological quality comparable to untreated samples. These findings highlight CEO and TEO as effective natural preservatives for functional food systems, combining selective antimicrobial, antioxidant, and sensory benefits.

Enhancing prediction accuracy of foliar essential oil content, growth, and stem quality in Eucalyptus globulus using multi-trait deep learning models

Eucalyptus globulus Labill., is a recognized multipurpose tree, which stands out not only for the valuable qualities of its wood but also for the medicinal applications of the essential oil extracted from its leaves. In this study, we implemented an integrated strategy comprising genomic and phenomic approaches to predict foliar essential oil content, stem quality, and growth-related traits within a 9-year-old breeding population of E. globulus. The strategy involved evaluating Uni/Multi-trait deep learning (DL) models by incorporating genomic data related to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and haplotypes, as well as the phenomic data from leaf near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Our results showed that essential oil content (oil yield) ranged from 0.01 to 1.69% v/fw and had no significant correlation with any growth-related traits. This suggests that selection solely based on growth-related traits did n The emphases (colored text) from revisions were removed throughout the article. Confirm that this change is fine. ot influence the essential oil content. Genomic heritability estimates ranged from 0.25 (diameter at breast height (DBH) and oil yield) to 0.71 (DBH and stem straightness (ST)), while pedigree-based heritability exhibited a broader range, from 0.05 to 0.88. Notably, oil yield was found to be moderate to highly heritable, with genomic values ranging from 0.25 to 0.60, alongside a pedigree-based estimate of 0.48. The DL prediction models consistently achieved higher prediction accuracy (PA) values with a Multi-trait approach for most traits analyzed, including oil yield (0.699), tree height (0.772), DBH (0.745), slenderness coefficient (0.616), stem volume (0.757), and ST (0.764). The Uni-trait approach achieved superior PA values solely for branching quality (0.861). NIR spectral absorbance was the best omics data for CNN or MLP models with a Multi-trait approach. These results highlight considerable genetic variation within the Eucalyptus progeny trial, particularly regarding oil production. Our results contribute significantly to understanding omics-assisted deep learning models as a breeding strategy to improve growth-related traits and optimize essential oil production in this species.

Enhancing functional buffalo yogurt: Improving physicochemical properties, biological activities, and shelf life using marjoram and geranium essential oils

The use of essential oils (EO) has attracted interest in the food industry because of their wide range of beneficial properties. In this study, a new functional yogurt was developed using 2 EO, marjoram and geranium, at 3 different concentrations (0.2%, 0.4%, and 0.6% vol/vol). The physicochemical properties, including syneresis, viscosity, pH, and chemical composition; bioactivities, including antioxidant activity, anticancer and antibacterial effects, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC); and sensory characteristics of the developed yogurt were evaluated. The findings indicated that the yogurts fortified with 0.6% marjoram or geranium exhibited higher viscosity and lower syneresis compared with other treatments. The yogurt supplemented with 0.6% marjoram displayed significant antibacterial activity against Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium, and Escherichia coli. In addition, the yogurt enriched with geranium and marjoram oils at a concentration of 0.6% had notably significant (P < 0.05) higher TFC levels compared with the control sample and other concentrations. In the same context, in terms of TPC, yogurt supplemented with 0.6% marjoram displayed significantly (P < 0.05) elevated levels in comparison to the other samples tested. Yogurt enriched with marjoram oil exhibited noteworthy antioxidant activity, followed by geranium oil, compared with the control samples. The yogurt supplemented with 0.6% marjoram demonstrated strong radical scavenging activity, and the yogurt fortified with 0.6% geranium showed higher anticancer activity against HepG2 human liver carcinoma cells and oxidative stress enzyme activities. Among the various concentrations of EO tested, the yogurts fortified with 0.6% marjoram or geranium EO exhibited the most favorable outcomes, followed by 0.4% marjoram or geranium. To summarize, geranium and marjoram EO can be used as a potential nutritious ingredient and as a natural preservative for milk and related products.

Chemometrics-based Chemical Analysis of Myrrh and Its Vinegar-processed Products by UPLC-MS/MS

Myrrh is widely used in clinical practice but accompanied by obvious toxicity. According to traditional Chinese medicines theory, processing with vinegar can effectively reduce its toxicity. However, the detoxification processing technology of Myrrh and the corresponding mechanism have been unclear. The objective of this study is to systematically analyze the variation in chemical composition of raw Myrrh and its processed products using UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS coupled with chemometrics. A total of 75 compounds including 56 sesquiterpenoids, 2 diterpenoids, 15 triterpenoids and 2 other types were identified. Raw Myrrh and its processed products were divided into two major groups, and 14 chemical markers were selected out by principal component analysis and partial least square discriminant analysis. Additionally, the exact content of 5 representative chemical markers was determined to be significantly reduced after vinegar-processing by UPLC-QQQ-MS/MS. Moreover, multivariate statistical analysis and the quantitative results comprehensively indicated that the optimized processing method was processing at a ratio of 200 : 5 (Myrrh:vinegar). This research provides not only a reliable foundation for the study of Myrrh, but also a scientific reference for clinical use of this herb.

Plant Essential Oils as Healthy Functional Ingredients of Nutraceuticals and Diet Supplements: A Review

Essential oils (EOs) are mixtures of volatile molecules endowed with health-promoting biological activities that go beyond their role as aromas and natural preservatives and can be exploited to develop functional foods and diet supplements. Their composition is briefly addressed along with regulatory aspects. The potential health benefit of human diet supplementation with EOs is outlined through a review of the recent literature on available clinical trials and preclinical research concerning EOs activity towards: (1) irritable bowel syndrome; (2) inflammatory bowel disease; (3) regulation of microbiota; (4) gastroprotection; (5) hepatoprotection; (6) protection of the urinary tract and diuresis; (7) management of metabolic disorders including hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia; (8) anti-inflammatory and pain control; (9) immunomodulation and protection from influenza; and (10) neuroprotection and modulation of mood and cognitive performance. The emerging potential in such activities of selected EOs is given focus, particularly green and black cumin, bergamot, orange, myrtle, peppermint, sage, eucalyptus, lavender, thyme, lemon balm, ginger, and garlic.

Effect of Natural Commiphora myrrha Extract against Hepatotoxicity Induced by Alcohol Intake in Rat Model

The oral intake of alcohol has become a widespread concern due to its high risk to body health. Therefore, our purpose in this study was to reveal the antioxidant efficacies of natural Commiphora myrrha on hepatotoxicity and oxidative stress induced by ethanol in adult male rats, especially because these were not adequately revealed by previous studies. We examined the impacts of C. myrrha in male Sprague Dawley rats orally treated with C. myrrha (500 mg/kg) alone or in combination with 40% ethanol (3 g/kg), daily for 30 days. The results showed that treatment with C. myrrha after the oral consumption of ethanol caused a reduction in serum liver function parameters (alanine transferases, aspartate transaminase, and total bilirubin), hepatic tumor markers (α-L-flucosidase and arginase), and hepatic lipid peroxidation indicator (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), as well as a slight restoration (not significant) in the levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase, reduced glutathione; and total antioxidant capacity. In addition, it alleviated histopathological changes in the liver, as revealed by decreased areas of inflammatory infiltrate, milder necrosis, and noticeably reduced periportal fibrosis and hemorrhage. The therapeutic efficiency of C. myrrha could be due to its rich sesquiterpenoids content which possesses anti-inflammatory properties and ROS-scavenging activities. Our findings provide evidence that the attenuation of oxidative stress by C. myrrha enables hepatic tissue to suppress inflammatory and oxidative mechanisms, resulting in enhanced liver structure and function. Therefore, C. myrrha extract shows promise as a protective and therapeutic supplement against toxic agents.