Biodegradable active packaging containing natural extracts derived from plants with antimicrobial properties is one alternative strategy that can be considered by the food packing industry to reduce the use of environmentally harmful synthetic polymers. Chitosan is a safe, natural, no allergen and biocompatible polymer with health benefits. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of chitosan film containing different concentrations of ajwain essential oil on some foodborne pathogenic bacteria, including Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19118, Bacillus cereus ATCC 11778, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 65138 and Escherichia coli O157:H7 ATCC 25922, and Vibrio parahaemolyticus ATCC 43996 with disk diffusion method was evaluated. The results showed that by increasing the concentration of essential oil, the inhibition zone’s diameters were significantly expanded (p<0.05). The maximum and minimum antimicrobial effects of essential oil were observed against S. aureus (26.73mm) and E. coli O157:H7 (11.25 mm). The results of this study confirmed that the use of chitosan-based antimicrobial films incorporated with ajwain essential oil has a remarkable antibacterial effect and therefore it can be practical in active packaging in the food industry. تفاصيل المقالة

Edible oils can be misdescribed by substituting one ingredient for a similar, but less expensive or over-declaring a quantitative ingredient. Thus, the identification of raw materials in edible oils is important for authentication. In This study, three methods (saponification value, sterol and fatty acids analysis) were used to compare for fraud detection in edible oils. Tests used to assess the quality of sesame oil and oils obtained from mixing sesame oil with sunflower and corn oils. The results showed that campesterol, Δ7-avenasterol, Δ5-avenasterol and Δ7-stigmastenol values can be used as detectors for corn oil mixed with sesame oil, even at a concentration of 5%. Also, in the detection of sesame oil fraud, measuring the fatty acids include oleic, linolenic, linoleic and behenic is more suitable even at a concentration of 5% of sunflower oil adding. In general, the best method for detecting of fraud at all concentrations of added sunflower oil was the saponification value method, while fatty acid composition and desmethylsterols composition was suitable for both corn and sunflower oils mixing. تفاصيل المقالة

Biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles have been extensively used as colloidal materials for nanoparticles production designed for various purposes, including drug targeting, enhancement of drug bioavailability and protection of drug bioactivity and stability. In particular, poly (lactide‐co‐glycolide) (PLGA) as a polyester has been FDA approved for human use. In this research, the biodegradable polymeric nanoparticle of casein/poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) containing three concentrations of alpha-tocopherol was prepared. The comparative evaluation of these nanoparticles, including morphology, size, zeta potential, entrapment rate, spectroscopy, thermal resistance, and their release profile was carried out. The comparative results suggested that the sizes of derived nanoparticles were between 150 and 350 nanometers. In addition, there was a significant difference between the nanoparticles size and increase in alpha-tocopherol percentage used in this formulation (p<0.05). The accumulated results indicated that the highest entrapment rate belonged to 10 percent of alpha-tocopherol, and higher concentrations decrease the entrapment rate. The using of casein/PLGA can be optimized the characteristics and morphological properties of nanoparticles. The polymeric nanoparticles containing alpha-tocopherol can be used as a biologic preservative to improve drug delivery and consumer health. تفاصيل المقالة

Genetically modified foods (GM foods) have revolutionized the agricultural industry towards more proficient farming in every geographical region of the world. The major tasks of this GM food technology could be summarized in four points including increase in food products, more convenient food processing, disease prevention and treatment and avoiding of using pesticides through the generation of pest-resistant crops. Although the GM foods technology had great advantages for human health, there are some concerns regarding biodiversity induced by modified plants, which can indirectly affect human being, as well. Further studies are warranted to define precisely the status of this technology in ecosystem in which human is living. تفاصيل المقالة

Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites in plants that also have health effects. Due to the effect of synthetic antioxidants on human health, there is a growing tendency to replace them with natural antioxidants. This research aims to investigate the beneficial properties of borage extract (BE) and black hollyhock extract (BHE). First, the BE and BHE were encapsulated with whey protein and maltodextrin at 90:10, 50:50, 10:90 ratio by freeze drying method. Then, the analytical characteristics of BE and BHE were investigated. The amount of encapsulation of anthocyanin increased when the capsule had a higher whey protein content. In the encapsulation powder extract of BE and BHE with a whey protein ratio of 90 to 10 maltodextrin, the lowest amount of moisture and solubility was observed. When comparing the bulk density of the encapsulated extract of BE and BHE, no significant difference was observed, and the type of extract had no effect on the powder density. The combination of coating materials with a ratio of 10 maltodextrin to 90 whey protein has the highest encapsulation efficiency. Capsules with higher levels of whey protein were thicker walled capsules. Therefore, the optimal treatment was the capsule with a concentration of 90% whey protein and 10% maltodextrin. تفاصيل المقالة

افراد با توجه به شرایط متفاوت جسمانی خود نیازهای تغذیه ای متعددی داشته و بدین منظور تولیدکنندگان باید محتویات و برچسب‎های اقلام غذایی را در کمال صحت و صداقت ارائه نمایند تا علاوه بر آگاهی دادن به مصرف‌کنندگان منجر به سردرگمی و یا به‎خطر انداختن سلامت آن‌ها نشود. هدف از این مطالعه بررسی صحت درج این اطلاعات و میزان تطابق آن‌ها با ضوابط تعیین‎شده و شناسایی اشتباهات و تقلبات می‎باشد. در این مطالعه توصیفی- تحلیلی 272 نمونه از فرآورده‌های‌شیری انتخاب و از برچسب آن‎ها عکس‎برداری صورت گرفت، سپس اطلاعات موجود در عکس‎ها با مستندات موجود در سازمان غذا و دارو و ضابطه برچسب‎گذاری فرآورده‌های غذایی و آشامیدنی انطباق داده شد و صحت آن‌ها موردبررسی قرار گرفت. نتایج نشان داد 2/45 درصد نمونه‎ها حاوی اظهارات توصیفی بودند که 18/50 درصد این اظهارات غیرمجاز است. میزان عدم تطابق برچسب‎گذاری بر اساس ضوابط سازمان غذا و دارو در مورد اظهارات غنی‌شده، پروبیوتیک، ادعاهای سلامتی‎بخش و جدول حقایق ‌تغذیه‎ای به ترتیب 55/50، 6/95، 4/68،5/57 درصد بود. در ضمن 36/0 درصد اظهارات اخطاری ادعاشده ذاتاً بی‎اعتبار بودند. 2/3 درصد نمونه‎ها دارای ادعای ‌تغذیه‎ای و 14 درصد نمونه‎ها فاقد نشانگرهای رنگی بودند. برچسب‌های غذایی ابزاری برای سنجش سلامت محصولات است و نقش به‌سزایی در کاهش بیماری‎های‌ غیر واگیر ازجمله بیماری‌های متابولیک خواهند داشت. این مطالعه لزوم نظارت بیشتر و سخت‎گیرانه‎تر را در حیطه برچسب‌های غذایی آشکار می‎کند. تفاصيل المقالة