hassan barzegar

Nowadays, there is a growing demand for artificial preservatives-free food products, due to the concerns about their adverse effects. In recent years, numerous studies have led to the identification of various natural compounds have the potential to be used as preservatives in variety of food products. For instance, plant metabolites, such as the essential oils of aromatic plants, possess antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. These attributes have led to their widespread use in various industries, particularly in the food industry. Mayonnaise is one of the most popular and widely used sauces in the world, applied to prepare a variety of foods, such as salads and sandwiches. Due to the absence of thermal processing and the use of chemical artificial preservatives in mayonnaise, it is advisable to consume it in moderation and with caution. The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of using Mentha spicata L. essential oil in the formulation of mayonnaise as a natural antioxidant and its effects on some physicochemical and microbiological properties of mayonnaise.

Fresh M. spicata leaves were collected from the northern of Iran and dried. The essential oil was extracted by distillation with water using a Clevenger device, and its volatile components were identified and measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The total phenolic content of the essential oil was determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. In addition, the free radical scavenging activity of the essential oil was evaluated by DPPH and ABTS assays, using BHT as a synthetic antioxidant as a reference. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the essential oil was assessed against Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria innocua) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) bacteria. M. spicata essential oil was added to the mayonnaise sauce in different concentrations (500, 1000, 2000 ppm) and its antioxidant activity was investigated under accelerated oxidation conditions (90°C temperature) for seven days. In current research, the peroxide, acid, and thiobarbituric acid values of mayonnaise samples containing concentrations of 500, 1000 and 2000 ppm of M. spicata essential oil were calculated. Then, they were compared with sauce samples containing concentrations of 100 and 200 ppm of BHT artificial preservative.

32 compounds were identified in the essential oil by GC-MS and the results showed that carvone (57.01%), d-limonene (16.79%), 1,8-cineole (7.56%) and beta-caryophyllene ( 2, 10%) were the main components of M. spicata essential oil. The total phenolic contents of the essential oil were found to be 0.246 mg of gallic acid per gram (dry weight). The tests performed for peroxide, acidity and thiobarbituric acid values showed that the use of high concentrations of the essential oil can be a favorable alternative to artificial antioxidants in mayonnaise. Additionally, the results of the antibacterial activity demonstrated that the diameter of the microbial growth inhibition zone of pathogenic Gram-positive Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus strains was greater than the Gram-negative strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi. However, among the pathogenic Gram-positive strains, Listeria innocua strain had the smallest microbial growth inhibition zone. Furthermore, the results of sensory evaluation showed that the essential oils concentrations of up to 1000 ppm had no significant effect on the sensory characteristics of mayonnaise.

Based on the findings of this study, it is possible to propose the use of M. spicata essential oil, known for its mild and pleasant aroma, as a natural antioxidant to prevent oil oxidation and extend the shelf life of mayonnaise.

The process of cheese production and ripening takes place with the help of an inclusive range of diverse and continuous biochemical reactions, which, if balanced, lead to the production of products with very desirable quality characteristics, including color and physicochemical properties. In this study, the kid goat and calf lipases at the levels of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 g (per 100 Kg retentate) were used in the production of ultrufiltrated Iranian white cheeses. The effect of lipase treatment on color parameters (L*, a* and b* values) and some physicochemical properties (acidity, moisture, protein and fat) of the product were evaluated. The cheese sample without enzymatic treatment considered as control and its color and physicochemical properties was compared with other cheese samples during 90 days of storage period. Analysis of variance showed that the lipase enzyme significantly increased L* and b* index values of the cheese samples but it had not significant effect on the a* index. Furthermore, the time of storage caused a significant increase in these color parameters. Treatment with lipase and storage time had also significant effect on the physicochemical parameters. In general, by increasing the amount of lipase, and storage period, the amounts of acidity, moisture and protein increased and fat content decreased meaningfully. The results of this study revealed that by using 0.3-0.4 g lipase, particularly kid goat lipase, an ultrafiltrated Iranian white cheese with an acceptable quality can be produced.

This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant properties, and antimicrobial activity of Tanacetum balsamita L. essential oil. The essential oil was extracted using the water distillation method, and then the total phenolic content (using the Folin-Ciocalteu method), total flavonoid content (using the aluminium chloride colorimetric method), antioxidant activity (using DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging methods), and antimicrobial activity (using disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration methods) were evaluated. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the essential oil were found to be 29.50 mg gallic acid equivalent per gram and 14.90 mg quercetin equivalent per gram, respectively. The essential oil exhibited significant antioxidant activity, with the ability to scavenge 50.40% and 53.55% of free radicals DPPH and ABTS, respectively. According to the results of disc diffusion agar method, Bacillus subtilis and Salmonella typhi were the most sensitive and resistant bacterial strains, respectively, with zone of inhibition diameters of 16 mm and 10.50 mm. The zone of inhibition diameters for these bacteria in the well diffusion agar method were obtained as 16.30 mm and 10.80 mm, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration for B. subtilis were determined as 4 mg/mL and 32 mg/mL, respectively, and for S. typhi, they were 64 mg/mL and greater than 512 mg/mL, respectively. According to the results, T. balsamita essential oil can be used as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial agent in food products.

The aim of this study was to determine the total phenol and flavonoid content and investigate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Perovskia abrotanoides essential oil. The total phenol content was determined using the Folin Ciocalteu method, the total flavonoid content using the colorimetric aluminum chloride method, the antioxidant potential using the DPPH and ABTS free radical inhibition methods, and the antimicrobial activity using the disc diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration methods. The total phenol, total flavonoid, DPPH free radical inhibition, and ABTS free radical inhibition of the essential oil were found to be 24.26 mg of gallic acid per gram, 13.15 mg of quercetin per gram, 52.49%, and 56.79%, respectively. The antimicrobial results showed that the antimicrobial effect of the essential oil was higher against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-negative types, and Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi were the most sensitive and resistant microbial strains against P. abrotanoides essential oil, respectively. The diameter of the growth inhibition zone in the disc diffusion agar and well diffusion agar tests, as well as the minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations for S. aureus, were 16.50 mm, 17.30 mm, 2 mg/mL, and 128 mg/mL, respectively, and these values for S. typhi were 7.60 mm, 9.20 mm, 16 mg/mL, and 512 mg/mL, respectively. In general, P. abrotanoides essential oil can be used as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compound.

Adding chemical preservatives increases the shelf life of food products, but long-term and indiscriminate use of chemical preservatives increases the resistance of microorganisms and health risks associated with their absorption. Medicinal plants have a great diversity both in the world and in Iran and have the potential to be used as alternatives to chemical compounds. In this study, the antimicrobial effect of Pterocarya fraxinifolia essential oil against Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Salmonella typhi was investigated by disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration. The total phenol and flavonoid content of the essential oil was determined using Folin Ciocalteu and aluminium chloride methods, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated using two methods of inhibiting free radicals DPPH and ABTS. The total phenol and flavonoid content of the essential oil was 38.63 mg of gallic acid/g and the flavonoid content was 19.20 mg of quercetin/g. The essential oil of P. fraxinifolia was able to inhibit free radicals DPPH (58.60%) and ABTS (59.80%). The results of the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil by the disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar methods showed that B. subtilis and E. aerogenes are the most sensitive and resistant microbial strains to the essential oil, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration for these bacteria was 2 and 64 mg/mL, respectively, and the minimum bactericidal concentration was 32 and > 512 mg/mL, respectively.

The plant Russian knapweed is known as a blood sugar lowering drug, and the antimicrobial properties of its extracts and essential oils have been proven; Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of extracting the aqueous extract of R. knapweed and investigating its antimicrobial activity. The aqueous extract of R. knapweed was extracted by the maceration method. The antibacterial activity of the extract against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus was investigated using disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration methods. The results of this research showed that the antimicrobial activity of the extract was dependent on the concentration and the highest diameter of the inhibition zone was observed at the concentration of 100 mg/ml of the extract. Based on disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar tests, Listeria monocytogenes bacteria had the highest and Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Bacillus cereus had the lowest inhibition zones, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration for Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus bacteria was obtained as 64, 64, 16, and 32 mg/ml, respectively, and the minimum bactericidal concentration values for these bacteria were 512, 512, 256, and 256 mg/ml, respectively. In generally, the Gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to the extract compared to the Gram-negative types. The growth of pathogenic bacteria and the diseases transmitted by these bacteria can be controlled by using natural antimicrobial compounds such as R. knapweed aqueous extract.

Nowadays, the demand for low-fat food products, such as cheese, has increased due to the increase in people's awareness about the relationship between fat and cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, the production of low-fat cheese with acceptable quality for consumers has great importance. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of transglutaminase treatment and the addition of kappa-carrageenan gum, as a fat replacer, on the physicochemical, color and total acceptability of ultrafiltrated low-fat cheeses during 30 days cold storage (4 ◦C).

In this research, samples of ultrafiltrated low-fat cheese were produced from the retentate of ultrafiltrated milk. Milk protein concentrate powder (containing 80% protein and 0.6% fat) was used (as solution with 34% total solids) to reduce the fat content of the cheese samples and adjust the fat percentage to 8%. Kappa-carrageenan powder was used in 3 different levels (0, 0.03 and 0.06%) to produce gum-incorporated samples. After adjusting the amount of fat in the retentate and the addition of gum, the retentate was homogenized at 70 bar. After pasteurizing at 75°C for 15 seconds, the temperature of the samples was reduced to 32°C and transglutaminase was added at 2 levels (zero and 0.5 Unit/g protein). A low-fat sample, without enzyme and gum, was also produced as control sample.

Based on the results, all investigated variables had a significant effect on pH, soluble nitrogen and syneresis parameters (p<0.01); While these variables, except the amount of kappa-carrageenan, had no significant effect on the moisture content (p>0.05). The pH decreased by increasing the amount of kappa-carrageenan, while the amount of this factor increased in the presence of enzyme. Also, the pH showed a decreasing trend over the time. The amount of soluble nitrogen increased by increasing the amount of kappa-carrageenan in the low-fat samples; the addition of the enzyme caused a decrease in soluble nitrogen. On the other side, the amount of soluble nitrogen showed an increasing trend over the time. The syneresis of all low-fat samples decreased by increasing the amount of kappa-carrageenan and transglutaminase. The highest percentage of syneresis was related to the control sample and the lowest percentage was related to the sample containing 0.06% kappa-carrageenan and 0.5 units of transglutaminase. Moreover, increasing the amount of gum declined the color quality of the samples, but no significant difference (in terms of brightness) was observed between the control and the samples containing 0.03% kappa-carrageenan (p>0.05). According to the results of sensory evaluation, the sample containing transglutaminase enzyme (0.5 Unit/g protein) and 0.03% gum scored as the best sample in terms of total acceptance

The results of this research revealed that low-fat ultrafiltrated cheese with a desirable quality can be produced by application of proper concentrations of kappa-carrageenan and transglutaminase (0.03% and 0.5 Unit/g protein, respectively).

Its quality, nutritional properties, and physicochemical properties have made sheep meat very popular, and juiciness, smell, and taste are directly related to its quality. In spite of this, meat and meat products are susceptible to chemical and microbial spoilage during production, transportation, storage, and consumption. The high moisture and nitrogen content of meat, along with its suitable pH and fermentable carbohydrates, makes it an ideal environment for spoiling and poisonous bacteria and fungi. Food packaging can increase the shelf life of food products by inhibiting or delaying lipid oxidation and microbial growth, and edible packaging has been used to increase the shelf life of meat. Hydrocolloids are widely used in the food industry for various purposes such as gelling agents, stabilizers, and texture modifiers. Lepidium perfoliatum seed mucilage (LPSM) is used in traditional medicine to treat whooping cough, dry cough and lung infections and as a sedative, and due to its good physical, mechanical, and thermal properties, it can be used as a biodegradable packaging to improve the shelf life of various food products. However, polysaccharide-based coatings hardly have an antimicrobial or antioxidant effect, so antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds are usually included in edible coatings to improve their performance. Edible coatings enriched with plant essential oils, through controlling microbial growth, inhibiting lipid oxidation and improving the appearance of foods are widely used in food preservation. T. carmanicus plant was dried at room temperature and then powdered using a mill. After that, 50 g of the powder was transferred to the Clevenger device containing 750 ml of distilled water, and the extraction process was carried out by distillation with water for 3 h. The obtained essential oil (TCEO) was collected in a glass container and stored at 4 °C. Its phenol content (based on Folin-Ciocalteu method), flavonoid content (based on aluminum chloride colorimetry method), antioxidant activity (based on DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging methods), and antimicrobial activity (based on disc diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration methods) against pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria innocua, and Staphylococcus aureus) were evaluated. TCEO (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5%) was then added to the LPSM to prepare an edible coating to improve the shelf-life of lamb slices during cold storage (4 °C, 10 days). The physicochemical (pH, moisture content, hardness, peroxide value, and thiobarbituric acid value), microbial (total viable, psychrotrophic, E. coli, S. aureus, and fungi counts), and sensory (color, odor, texture, and overall acceptance) properties of the samples were evaluated during storage period. The essential oil with 0.96% extraction yield contained 52.22 mg GAE/g total phenol and 18.43 mg QE/g total flavonoids. The antioxidant activity of TCEO was found to be 357.13 and 312.18 μg/ml based on DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging methods. Based on disc and well diffusion agar tests, S. aureus and P. aeruginosa were the most sensitive and resistant strains to the essential oil, respectively. Increasing the storage time caused a significant increase in the total count of viable bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, E. coli, S. aureus, and fungi (p < 0.05); however, this value decreased significantly with the increase in the concentration of the essential oil in the edible coating. Moreover, the use of LPSM-TCEO edible coating inhibited the extensive changes in pH, moisture, peroxide value, and thiobarbituric acid value in lamb slices during storage period.

Because fat content has a great impact on the sensory properties of the cheese like appearance, taste and texture, its reduction causes fundamental changes in the sensory and structural characteristics of the product. Therefore, by using fat replacers, as well as to produce a healthy cheese, a product with an acceptable quality could be produced. In the present study, low-fat cheese samples (8% fat) were produced thru ultra-filtration (UF) method. To produce the cheese samples, kappa-carrageenan gum was applied at three levels (0, 0.03 and 0.06%) and transglutaminase was added at 2 levels (0 and 0.5 unit/g of protein). The low-fat sample without the gum and enzyme addition was considered as the control. All samples were evaluated in terms of sensory, textural and microbial characteristics after 1, 15 and 30 days of production. According to the results, the addition of gum caused a significant reduction of cheese hardness, while enzymatic treatment had adverse effect and it increased this parameter (p<0.01). Addition of 0.03% of gum resulted in the higher taste and texture quality, but the sensory attributes of low-fat UF-cheese samples decreased at the higher level, i.e. 0.06%. Furthermore, results showed that enzymatic treatment caused a substantial reduction on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count, while gum addition had no effect. Overall, as the time of storage increased and until the 15th day of storage, all the sensory scores, the cheese hardness and the count of LAB increased while at the end of 30th day of storage, all these parameters significantly decreased. In conclusion, according to the sensory evaluation and texture results, the low-fat UF-cheese containing 0.03% carrageenan treated with transglutaminase was selected as the best sample.

 The addition of chemical preservatives increases the shelf life of food products, but prolonged and indiscriminate use of chemical preservatives increases the resistance of microorganisms and the health risks associated with theiruptake. Medicinal plants have a wide variety in the world as well as in Iran. In recent years, the use of natural preservatives such as plant extracts and essential oils, due to their importance and role in controlling the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, has been proposed as an alternative to chemical preservatives. Black pepper is an aromatic medicinal plant. The specific properties of black pepper essential oil, such as its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity, have also been confirmed. Amphotericin B is one of the effective antibiotics for treating infections caused by pathogenic fungi. The mechanism of action of amphotericin B is to destroy fungal cells in such a way that by binding to ergosterol in the cell membrane of fungi, it creates pores and eventually destroys them. One of the most important and common antibiotics used in the treatment of infections caused by pathogenic bacteria is chloramphenicol. This antibiotic is effective against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria due to its broad spectrum. The aim of this study was to identify bioactive functional groups, antioxidant potential, phenol and total flavonoid compounds and to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of black pepper extract against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus coagulans and Aspergillus niger.

 In this study, the antimicrobial effect of black pepper aqueous extract was investigated against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus coagulans and Aspergillus niger by disc diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration methods. Total phenol and flavonoid contents of the species were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu and AlCl3 assays, respectively. Three biochemical assays, namely 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and 2,2-azinobis 3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) free radical scavenging and β- caroten/linoleic acid activity systems, were used to evaluate antioxidant activity. Identification of functional groups as well as the structure of organic compounds in black pepper extract was also performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). To evaluate the synergistic effect of black pepper extract in combination with amphotericin B and chloramphenicol antibiotics, Sub-MIC was used.

 The peaks observed in aqueous black pepper extract confirmed the presence of O-H (3000-3500 cm-1), C-H (2800-3000 cm-1), C=O (1613.62-1633.52 cm-1) and C-O (100.57-1038.82 cm-1) functional groups of bioactive compounds. The total phenol and flavonoids content of the extract were 45.12 mg GAE/g extract and its flavonoid content was 29.66 mg QUE/g extract which had an important role in its antioxidant activity. The aqueous black pepper extract had remarkable DPPH free radical scavenging activity (IC50=32.37 μg/ml), ABTS free radical scavenging activity (IC50=28.45 μg/ml) and beta-carotene bleaching inhibitory effect (46.45%), revealing the electron/hydrogen donating ability of the essential oil. The results of measuring the antimicrobial activity of extract by disk diffusion and agar well showed that black pepper extract showed more antimicrobial effect on gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus coagulans than gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This could be due to the difference in their cell wall structure. Aspergillus niger is the most sensitive species to aqueous black pepper extract. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of extract for Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus coagulans and Aspergillus niger were equal to 32, 16, 4, 8 and 4 mg/ml, respectively. The minimum bactericidal concentration of black pepper extract for two bacterial species, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was more than 512 mg/ml. Also, the minimum bactericidal concentration for Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus coagulans was 128 and 256 mg/ml, respectively, and 128 mg/ml for Aspergillus niger. The results of interaction of black pepper extract with chloramphenicol antibiotic showed that the Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus were synergistic, but antagonism was observed for the gram-positive Bacillus coagulans.

Bioactive compounds such as polyphenols and fibers in plant products are recognized for their health benefits . The beneficial effects of phenolic compounds are related to their antioxidant properties . The date seed is a waste of the date processing factories. Depending on the variety, the average weight of date seeds is about 10 - 15 % of date weight and as a source of dietary fiber . The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of traditional extraction methods (maceration) and ultrasound on the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds extracted from the three date seed varieties of Kababak, Zahedi and Astamaran in Bushehr Province and their antioxidant properties .

Date kernels were separated from the fruit and then washed with water to remove the flesh and finally dried and powdered. The maceration method was used to extract the powder . In order to investigate the effect of ultrasonic process on extraction of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, (5 , 15 , 25 minutes) and sound intensity ( 50 and 100 % ) were used . Total phenols and flavonoids were measured by Folin - Ciocalteu and aluminum trichloride colorimetry . Antioxidant activity was also determined by two methods of free radical scavenging DPPH and ABTS .

Comparison between the two extraction methods showed that the efficiency of extraction of the effective compounds of the seeds of all three varieties in the ultrasound method was higher than that of the maceration method . The most effective extraction efficiency of the compounds is 10 minutes and the sound intensity is 100 % . The results of antioxidant assays showed that the hydroalcoholic extracts of the kernels of three date cultivars are concentration dependent in free radical scavenging activity and with increasing concentration, their activity increases. Recent research showed that with the presence of phenol (29.34 mg / g of gallic acid ) and flavonoid (1282.66 µg/mg of quercetin), the most of Zahedi variety seed extract, Kababab variety has the highest antioxidant activity .

It can be said that the seed powder of Zahedi, Kabakab and Astamaran is a good source of fiber, carotenoids and mineral elements. Therefore, based on this research, powder and seed extract of various date varieties can be used as natural antioxidant compounds in different foods .

In recent years, the non-destructive and fast method of image processing has been successfully used for quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the characteristics of food products. In this study, the effect of sugarcane bagasse as a source of fiber enrichment (0-25%), soybean water-soluble polysaccharide (0-2%) and frying time (2-5 minutes) on the image characteristics of donuts such as color, number , density and size of bubbles, porosity, energy, homogeneity, contrast and entropy were investigated. The findings of this research showed that the increase of sugarcane bagasse fiber increases the a* index and decreases the L* and b* components of the crust and crumb and porosity. On the other hand, increasing the frying temperature increases the redness of the crust and decreases the lightness of the crust and the porosity of the texture. Meanwhile, the polysaccharide soluble in soybean water had no significant effect on the characteristics of the treatments. The optimization results also showed that if 8.58% sugarcane bagasse and 0.36% soybean soluble polysaccharide are added to the formula and the sample is fried within 5 minutes, the best quality will be obtained.

The term "probiotic," which is relatively novel and means "for life," is typically used to refer to bacteria that include positive effects on humans and animals. In this study, probiotic characteristics of Limosilactobacillus fermentum IMAU70160, isolated from local yogurt were investigated.

In this study, molecular identification of a strain isolated from local yogurt was carried out by 16S rRNA gene analysis using 27FYM and 1492R universal primers. Probiotic potential of L. fermentum IMAU70160 was carried out.

Strain was resistant to low pH, bile salts and simulated gastrointestinal conditions. The strain cell surface hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, co-aggregation, adhesion capacity, anti-adhesion effect, antioxidant activity and cholesterol removal ability were 44.49, 33.29, 20.11, 10.30, 19.16–42.40, 48.40 and 43.20%, respectively. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were the most sensitive and the most resistant bacterial species to cell-free supernatant (CFS) of L. fermentum IMAU70160, respectively. The two aCFS and nCFS were capable of inhibiting growth of pathogens. In general, aCFS included a greater antimicrobial activity than that nCFS did. Similar results were observed in the modified double-layer method. It showed no hemolytic or DNase activity and was unable to generate biogenic amines. The strain was greatly sensitive to imipenem (22.10 mm), chloramphenicol (22.80 mm), nitrofurantoin (24.50 mm) and ciprofloxacin (28.20 mm) with inhibition zones.

Further studies are needed to verify biological and functional characteristics of L. fermentum IMAU70160-loaded food products.

Strawberries have a very short shelf-life due to their high sensitivity to fungal agents. The use of chemical antifungal compounds to increase the shelf life of this fruit has raised many concerns. For this reason, it is necessary to use safe methods to control spoilage and maintain the quality of strawberry fruit during storage. In this study, the effect of coating with Persian gum containing vanillin on the shelf life of strawberry fruit was evaluated. The levels of gum used in the preparation of the coating solution were 3%, 3.75 and 4% (w / v) and vanillin was added to the coating solution at three levels of 5, 6 and 7 mM. The studied characteristics included weight loss percentage, general acceptance, acidity, soluble solids, breakdown percentage, anthocyanin content, texture analysis and vitamin C content. The results showed an improvement in the appearance of coated fruits compared to control samples and also a significant reduction in the percentage of spoilage and weight loss in coated samples compared to the control. According to the results, the titratable acidity and texture firmness in the treated fruits improved compared to the control samples. Anthocyanin content and vitamin C content in the coated samples decreased but the rate of decrease was much slower compared to the control samples. Overall acceptance in the coated samples decreased slightly compared to the control sample. Finally, the best formulation was determined to contain 3.96% (W/V) of Persian gum, 0.857 mM vanillin and 2% (V/V) of glycerol.

Food gums are additives that play variety of roles such as consistency, gel formation, and stabilizing in food solutions. In this study, the best conditions for extracting Quince seed gum as well as its antioxidant and physicochemical properties were investigated. Extraction of gum was optimized using microwave power (250 -850 W), water to grain ratio (20-60) and time (2-9 min), by the response surface methodology. Gum physicochemical properties including ash, moisture, protein and fat were measured and antioxidant properties were evaluated by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP and β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay. The extraction efficiency was in the range of 8.9% to 15.2%. As the microwave power increases in constant time, gum extraction efficiency increases, but the simultaneous power increases with increasing treatment time, resulted in decreasing gum extraction. Increasing time by keeping the power constant, initially resulted in an increase in extraction and afterward resulted in lower gum extraction. Results of scavenging capacity and antioxidant properties measured using DPPH, FRAP, ABTS and beta –carotene bleaching assay were 53.19 μg/ml, 1.06 μg/ml, 69.61 μg/ml, 2.92 μg/100g respectively, and the amount of total phenol and flavonoids were 74.66 mg GAE/g  and 670.21mg QE/g respectively.

Nowadays, by proving the harmful effects of synthetic antioxidants on human health, food scientists are seeking natural compounds to replace synthetic antioxidants. In this study antioxidant properties of Bene (Pistacia atlantica) oil in stabilizing crude soybean oil were investigated. Treatments were prepared by blending different ratios of Bene oil with soybean oil (1, 3, and 5%w/w) and synthetic antioxidants of TBHQ (100 ppm) and BHT (200 ppm) along with the antioxidant free soybean oil were used as a control to monitor stability at accelerated oxidation conditions (70 °C). At different time intervals (2 to 12 days), peroxide value, acid value and thiobarbituric acid of samples were evaluated. Fatty acid profile of Bene oil was analyzed using gas chromatography and its total phenolic content and antioxidant properties were measured using Folin-Ciocalteu and DPPH methods, respectively.  Results showed that the predominant fatty acid in Bene oil was oleic acid (% 56.53) and Free Radical scavenging activity and total phenol content were 64.7 ± 2.6 % and 87.3 ± 4.5 μg/mg, respectively. Accelerated oxidation test showed that antioxidant properties of 5% Bene oil containing samples were comparable with BHT samples. Generally, the results of this study showed the ability of Bene oil in retarding the oxidation of crude soybean oil.

Nowadays, with the increase in the incidence of diseases, the use of natural herbal compounds to treat them is increasing. Among medicinal plants, Ziziphus nummularia has been considered for its unique properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity of Ziziphus nummularia leaf extract against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria innocua and Bacillus cereus.

Extraction of Ziziphus nummularia leaves was done by maceration method for 72 hours. The phenol and flavonoid content of the extract was measured. Antioxidant capacity evaluated using DPPH, ABTS and β-carotene/linoleic acid bleaching assay. Agar well diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) were used to evaluate antimicrobial activity of extract.

Total phenolic content and flavonoid of Ziziphus nummularia leaf extract were 47.38 mg GAE/g and 28.5 mg QE/g respectively. Antioxidant activity using DPPH, ABTS and β-carotene /linoleic acid bleaching assay were 60.3, 54.55 and 57.44 percent respectively. Ziziphus nummularia leaf extract showed a significant antimicrobial effect on the studied microorganisms. The most sensitive and resistant microbial strains to the extract according to the agar well method were Bacillus cereus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, respectively.

Due to the considerable antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Ziziphus nummularia leaf extract, this extract can be used in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Diseases caused by the use of chemical preservatives have increased the tendency to use natural antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds. In this study, the herbal extract of Salvia rhytidea Benth was extracted using ethanol solvent. The content of total phenols and flavonoids in the ethanolic extract were found to be 36.14 mg GAE/g and 17.13 mg QE/g, respectively, indicating the high antioxidant properties of the extract. The antioxidant activity of the extract based on IC50 in DPPH free radical scavenging and ABTS free radical scavenging was 75.32 and 66.60 mg/ml, respectively. Evaluation of antimicrobial properties of ethanolic extract of S. rhytidea by disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration showed that although the extract was more effective against Gram-positive bacteria than Gram-positive bacteria, the plant can be used as a natural preservative in various industries.

The study of Lexical Aspect in Persian Complex Predicates has been a controversial topic in recent years. As far as telicity is concerned, there are two contrasting approaches in this field: one in which the “Preverbal elements”, including nouns, adjectives, and prepositional phrases, are considered to be determinant of telicity; and the other, in which “Light Verbs” are considered to be determinant. The present research is aimed to study the aspectual properties of Persian Denominal Complex predicates, and the role and contribution of its constituents in the aspectual properties of theses verbs. For this purpose, the First Phase Syntax is been used to divide the eventive nominal preverbs into two main classes, including process and achievement nouns. Evidences have been provided showing that telicity in eventive denominal CPrs is determined by the event structure of the nominal preverb. Therefore, CPrs which benefit from a process preverb are all atelic, due to the non-bounded nature of the nominal, while those with achievement nominals are all telic, due to the bounded event structure of their preverbal element. The result of this study illustrates that light verbs are neutral in determining the telicity of Persian Complex Predicates. Moreover, it shows that some CPrs with eventive nominals are atelic.

Nowadays, due to the proven adverse effects of synthetic antioxidants, much research has been done on using natural antioxidants, including natural extracts and essential oils, in the production of foods. One of these natural compounds is turmeric, which has traditionally been widely used in the food and pharmaceutical industries and is known as a functional food. in this research effect of turmeric essential oil on oxidative stability of soybean oil was evaluated. Turmeric essential oil was extracted using Clevenger apparatus. Different concentrations of turmeric essential oil were compared with synthetic antioxidant TBHQ during oxidation process of soybean oil for 14 days at 70 °C and peroxide value, acidity, iodine and anisidine value were measured. results showed that with increasing the concentration of turmeric essential oil, the amount of oxidation was significantly reduced. The highest antioxidant capacity were seen in samples containing 1000 ppm essential oil. Our research showed that turmeric essential oil could be used as effective natural antioxidant in oil industry.

Green mining is a set of scientific and technical methods to reduce the harmful environmental effects of mining in different stages of exploration, extraction، processing, and exploitation and inactive mine. The main purpose of this research was to design a green mining management model by determining of the indicators affecting green mining. The research is basic and applied type. We used the questionnaire form to get expert comments about green mining indicators. DEMATEL and DPSIR methods were used to evaluate these data. Based on the data, 11 indicators are affecting green mining. The results show that the economic growth index and the minining environmental database index are the main indicators of a green mining model. The indexs of environmental regulations, globalization and acting to environmental conventions are the weak indicators of a green mining model. Environmental knowledge of organization, companies and employee index, role of mine owner's index and role of NGO Index are relatively independent indicators from each other's and with low impact. The index of continuous environmental evaluation and the index of application of modern technology in green minning are independent indicators and do not have effect on other indicators.

Sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) contain various phenolic compounds with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the in-vitro antimicrobial effect of ethanolic extract of sumac on some pathogenic microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Enterobacter aerogenes, Bacillus cereus, and Candida albicans).

The ethanolic extract of sumac was obtained by the maceration method and its antimicrobial effect was then investigated by the antimicrobial methods disc diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal/fungal concentration. SPSS software and Duncan test (p< 0.05) were used to analyze the data.

The sumac ethanolic extract had a considerable antimicrobial effect on the microorganisms tested. According to the disc and well diffusion agar methods, the most sensitive and resistant bacterial species to the extract were S. epidermidis and E. aerogenes, respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration for the microorganisms was in the range of 8-32 mg/ml.

The sumac ethanolic extract shows a considerable antimicrobial effect on the pathogenic microorganisms and high antioxidant activity. Therefore, the ethanolic extract of sumac could be used as a natural antimicrobial and antioxidant agent.

The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of production of a functional half-fat synbiotic stirred yogurt using Panirak (Malva neglecta) and lactulose (as a prebiotic compound) with an acceptable physicochemical and sensory properties. To produce half-fat synbiotic stirred yogurt samples, Lactobacillus fermentum SL163-4 from a fermented food (Ashkardeh) was isolated and used as probiotic bacteria. Panirak at four levels (0, 5, 10, 15%) and lactulose at three levels (0, 1 and 2%) were used as prebiotic substances. Physicochemical and sensory properties of the yogurt samples were investigated during 21 days of refrigerated storage. Based on the results obtained from the data analysis, it was found that as the level of Panirak enhanced, pH increased and acidity decreased (p<0.05) while by increasing the amount of lactulose and with passing the storage time, pH decreased and acidity increased (p<0.05). Also, by increasing the amount of Panirak and lactulose and with passing the storage time, the extent of syneresis of the yogurt samples decreased (p<0.05). Based on the sensory results, it was found that by addition of Panirak up to 10% level, taste and acceptability of yogurt samples improved (p<0.05), but lactulose caused a significant reduction in these sensory attributes (p<0.05). Furthermore, there were no differences between yogurt samples containing 10 and 15% Panirak and samples having 0 and 1% lactulose. Therefore, according to the results obtained from this study, the use of 15% Panirak and 1% lactulose to produce a functional stirred yoghurt with an acceptable quality is recommended.

The aim of this study was to determine the functional groups and qualitative identification, the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of Lavandula stricta essential oil. Essential factor groups were determined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy in the wavelength range of 500–4000 cm-1. Total phenols and flavonoids were measured by Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum trichloride colorimetry, respectively. Antioxidant activity was also determined by two methods of free radical scavenging DPPH and ABTS. The peaks observed in Lavandula stricta essential oil confirmed the presence of O-H, C-H, C=O, C=C, C-C and C-O functional groups of bioactive compounds. The amount of phenol and flavonoids in total essential oil was 68.60±0.68 mg GAE/g and 19.10±0.52 mg QE/g, respectively. Antioxidant activity was also obtained based on the percentage of free radical scavenging DPPH and ABTS equal to 59.50±0.63 and 67.68±0.53, respectively. The antimicrobial activity of essential oil was evaluated by four methods disk diffusion, agar well, minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration. The results of measuring the antimicrobial activity of essential oil by disk diffusion and agar well showed that Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is the most sensitive strain to Lavandula stricta essential oil. The minimum inhibitory concentration of essential oil for Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Listeria innocua, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was equal to 3.125 mg/ml and for Bacillus cereus it was equal to 6.25 mg/ml. The minimum bactericidal concentrations for Listeria innocua, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella typhi was equal to 100, 200 and 400 mg/ml, respectively, and for other bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli) it was more than 400 mg/ml.

The increased resistance of bacteria to antibiotics has increased the tendency of consumers to use natural antimicrobial compounds. Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) contains bioactive compounds and it has long been used to treat many diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the total content of phenolics and flavonoids, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial property of hydro-alcoholic extract of Purple Coneflower on some pathogenic microorganisms.

In this study, the hydro-alcoholic extract (50% distilled water + 50% ethanol) was prepared according to the maceration method. Total content of phenolics and flavonoids, and antioxidant activity (DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging) were determined. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated through disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration, against Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus aureus, and Bacillus cereus.

The minimum bactericidal concentrations for S. aureus, B. cereus, E. coli, and S. typhi were 16, 32, 64, and 64 mg/ml, respectively. In disk and well diffusion agar methods, the lowest and highest inhibition zones were observed for S. typhi and S. aureus, respectively. The hydro-alcoholic extract had a remarkable level of phenolic and flavonoid compounds and antioxidant activity.

The hydro-alcoholic extract of Purple Coneflower had a considerable antimicrobial effect against the bacterial species tested; however, the gram-positive bacteria were more sensitive to the extract in comparison to the gram-negative ones. Therefore, the Purple Coneflower could be used as an effective antimicrobial agent against pathogenic microorganisms.