mohammad mohsenzadeh

Food security and nutrition are the main themes of national development that new attitudes, necessities and priorities have been revealed at the policy-making level and have become one of the challenges of the 21st century in recent years. The current study is practical and in terms of nature and methodology is descriptive and analytical. For collecting data, (questionnaire, interview, and observation) has been used. The context of study is Heris and Bostanabad Counties in East Azerbaijan city.Three factors were considered in selecting the sample villages in the above-mentioned cities; 1) Geographical distribution in rural areas, 2) Topographic factor and altitude, and 3) Number of rural population and households (villages with more than 50 households), and thus 18 villages from Bostanabad county and 10 villages from Heris county were selected for research. The statistical population consists of heads of rural households. The selected villages have a population of 26,087 people and 7,574 rural households, of which 392 households were selected using the Cochran's formula. In order to analyze the data, sample t-tests, SAW technique, Kendall, Kruskalovalis, etc. were used. The results showed that the status of all food security indicators (access, access, consumption method and stability) in the study area was evaluated favorably and the villages of Jigheh, shirvanehdeh and Charmkhurane-Sofla are in the first to third ranks in terms of food security and food security is high compared to other villages studied. Meanwhile, the villages of Khashndarq, Ein al-Din and Baroug are in the last ranks in terms of food security in the study area and in these villages, food security is low compared to other villages. Also, economic factor (income, employment, production, exploitation, economic diversification, etc.) has been identified as the most important factors in increasing food security in rural areas from the perspective of research respondents.

Staphylococcus aureus is a prevalent bacterial colonizer with zoonotic potential, affecting humans and various animal species, including livestock, poultry, and pets. This study investigates methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) isolates in poultry meat portions using Multiplex PCR methods. A total of 210 samples, including 70 wings, 70 thighs, and 70 necks, were collected from Mashhad, Iran markets. S. aureus identification employed culture and phenotypical methods, while the disk diffusion method assessed antibiotic susceptibility using 14 different disks. The Multiplex PCR assay was developed to confirm S. aureus isolates and detect antibiotic resistance genes. Among the 210 samples, 52 (24.76%) tested positive for S. aureus. Antibiotic susceptibility testing revealed that 17 (32.69%) of the S. aureus isolates were resistant to methicillin. Tetracycline exhibited the highest resistance, followed by ampicillin (61.5%) and penicillin (57%). Conversely, chloramphenicol demonstrated the lowest resistance at 3.8%. All isolates were susceptible to gentamicin, vancomycin, imipenem, and ciprofloxacin. PCR analysis confirmed the presence of 16S rRNA and femA genes in all isolates, while 14 (26.92%) harbored the methicillin-resistant gene (mecA). The study suggests multiplex PCR is a valuable and sensitive technique for detecting antibiotic resistance genes in S. aureus within chicken meat, emphasizing its utility in surveillance and control efforts

This study aimed to evaluate the viability of encapsulated probiotics using electrospinning technique. Specifically, the study focused on polyvinyl alcohol-whey protein isolate nanofibers (PVA/WPI) containing Bifidobacterium bifidum. These nanofibers have potential applications in active food packaging to improve food safety and extend shelf life, as well as in medical and pharmaceutical fields.

PVA/WPI nanofibers were electrospun in varying ratios (ranging from 100:00 to 50:50) and evaluated for their morphology, mechanical properties, FT-IR and DSC characteristics. B. bifidum was also encapsulated in the optimized PVA/WPI nanofibers to assess their encapsulation efficiency and viability, and the antimicrobial properties of the nanofibers were determined using the disk diffusion method.

All prepared nanofibers displayed a diameter range of 186.42-612.5 nm, with an inverse relationship between WPI ratio and nanofiber diameter. The PVA/WPI nanofiber with a ratio of 60:40 was found to be the most favorable. DSC analysis showed that adding WPI decreased thermal stability, and the enthalpy of endothermic peaks decreased in nanofibers containing B. bifidum. Mechanical evaluation revealed that adding WPI reduced tensile strength and elongation at break, without significant effects from B. bifidum (P>0.05). Bacterial encapsulation efficiency was 80.58%. Probiotic nanofibers exhibited antimicrobial properties against Listeria monocytogenes (11.00±0.37 mm) and Escherichia coli (9.71±0.06 mm).

According to the obtained results, the optimized PVA/WPI nanofiber (60:40) contained suitable morphological, mechanical and thermal characteristics with the highest encapsulation efficiency in regards to B. bifidum (>80%). Probiotics-containing PVA/WPI nanofibers are a suitable platform for medical applications and food industry packaging due to their antimicrobial properties.

Microencapsulation is a common method to improve the viability of probiotic bacteria against environmental stresses. In this research, by using double emulsion with Persian gum, emulsion stability, physicochemical properties, microcoating efficiency and microcoating viability were investigated during storage and in a simulated gastrointestinal conditions of the digestive system. Encapsulation of Lactobacillus acidophilus in double emulsion (W/O/W) with Persian gum improved the survival under storage conditions at 4 °C for 28 days, and only 0.58 log decreased and free bacteria after passage 7 days reached zero. The microcoating efficiency was 88% and the emulsion stability was between 85% and 95.43%. The optical microscope image showed a distinct double emulsion. In the simulating conditions of the stomach, the number of bacteria decreased by 1.97 log for the micro-coated treatment and by 3.9 log for the treatment containing free bacteria, and in the simulating conditions of the intestine, it decreased by 0.45 log for the micro-coated treatment and for the treatment containing free bacteria. 1.3 decreased. The particle size was (525 nm), zeta potential (-44.68 mv) and dispersion index (0.33). The results showed that the use of Persian gum double emulsion improves the survival of Lactobacillus acidophilus against storage conditions and the simulated environment of the digestive system.

This experiment was conducted in order to assess genetic variation and determination of the best genetic structure and the grouping of safflower genotypes using ISSR and retrotransposon markers and different agricultural traits. In this study, 28 safflower genotypes were evaluated using 7 ISSR markers, 3 retrotransposon markers and 12 combined ISSR and retrotransposon markers, as well as eight different morphological traits with different statistical methods. From 22 primers, 117 polymorphic bands were created. The primers, primer-of UBC-827 and TOS-1 with 13 band maximum number of bands, and primer UBC-811 and UBC-822 in combination with 5-band TOS-1 with the lowest band for ISSR primers and Retrotransposons. The average percent polymorphism obtained in this study for markers ISSR, Retrotransposons and primer combinations was from 38.46 to 88.88 percent ISSR and Retrotransposons is variable and the mean percentage of polymorphic for this is equal to 62. High standards of straw gene diversity, Shannon index, the PIC and the number of effective allele primer UBC-810, UBC-811 and primer combination TOS-2 + HB-12, TOS-1 + HB12 and TOS-1+ UBC822 show performance Primers on the assessment of genetic diversity in this article. The morphological traits of 28 genotypes by UPGMA and Euclidean distance criteria were divided into 4 groups. Grouping results of cluster analysis by linear discriminant analysis using Fisher's focal 82.1 percent for morphological traits were confirmed. Principal component analysis showed that the main vectors of the first and second respectively are 8.22 and 6.84 and the 10 first components validated 63.47 percent of total variance. Mantel test the relationship between molecular and morphological data matrix equivalent 0.214 that show little correlation between the two data. Overall, the results showed that there is a considerable genetic variation in safflower germplasm that can be used to select parents and desirable genotypes in safflower breeding programs.

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of chitosan edible film containing nanoemulsion of Melissa officinalis L. extract and Bunium persicum essential oil on Listeria monocytogenes inoculated into camel meat. The studied films were prepared using 2% chitosan and 2.5% and 5% of nanoemulsion of Bunium persicum essential oil and 4% of Melissa officinalis L. extract. The antimicrobial and antioxidant effects of coated camel meat during 16 days of storage at 4 °C with a 4-day interval (0, 4, 8, 12, 16) were evaluated. The coated portions were chemically evaluated. Most of the essential oil compounds include: cuminaldehyde (24.37%), γ-Terpinene (19.99%), and P-cymene (9.71%). The MIC of Melissa officinalis L. extract and Bunium persicum essential oil against L. monocytogenes were 1% and 0.25%, respectively. The antioxidant effects of films by DPPH method showed that the addition of essential oils and extracts increases the antioxidant properties of films. The antimicrobial effect of films by disk diffusion method, the largest diameter of growth inhibition zone (17.15 ± 0.16) was related to chitosan film containing 5% Bunium persicum essential oil and 4% Melissa officinalis L. extract. The average count of L. monocytogenes in the control treatment was higher than the other treatments. The results of TBARS showed that the antioxidant properties of films containing Bunium persicum essential oil and Melissa officinalis L. extract was higher than the control sample. The pH level in the samples coated with chitosan film containing 5% Bunium persicum essential oil and 4% Melissa officinalis L. extract was lower than the other treatments. In general, the prepared films have good antimicrobial and antioxidant properties against L. monocytogenes, which increase with the addition of plant compounds.

In this study, the effect of bilayer edible coating of gelatin-chitosan containing nanoemulsion of Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil on growth control of Aeromonas hydrophila inoculated into rainbow trout fillets over a 12-day period at 4 °C was investigated. The chemical composition of the essential oil was evaluated by GC-MS, its antibacterial properties by disk diffusion, plate well and micro-dilution broth, and its antioxidant properties by DPPH.Treatments included control, gelatin, chitosan, gelatin+essential oil, chitosan+essential oil and gelatin-chitosan+essential oil. After preparation, the treatments were packed in sterile polyethylene bags in laboratory conditions and stored for 12 days at 4 °C and their microbial, chemical and sensorial properties were evaluated every 3 days. The results of GC-MS showed that eucalyptol (24.51%) and camphor (22.02%) are the main components. The MIC and MBC of Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil nanoemulsions were reported to be 0.0625 and 0.125%, respectively. The amount of TVB-N and POV increased during the study period. According to the results of POV and pH measurements, there was a significant difference between all treatments and control treatment (P<0.05). The mean reduction log of bacteria was significantly different between all treatments and the highest antibacterial effect was observed in the gelatin-chitosan coating containing nanoemulsion of Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil. According to the results, Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil has good antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and according to the test results, it was found that chitosan-gelatin coating containing nanoemulsion of  Perovskia abrotanoides Kar. essential oil has an effective antimicrobial effect against Aeromonas hydrophila and can protect sensory properties and increase shelf life of rainbow trout fillets as well as useful coating to increase the shelf life of food products.

The effect of chicken feet gelatin coatings and green walnut husk extracted on chemical, physical, microbial and sensory properties of rainbow trout fillet was investigated during storage period (12 days) at 5 °C. Chemical analyses (pH, TVB-N, TBA and FFA measurements), physical tests (moisture, color and texture measurements), microbial tests (TVC) and sensory evaluation were carried out periodically every four days. The results showed that by increasing the concentration of walnut green skin extract, the efficiency of the coating increased that the coatings containing 2.5 and 5% gelatin along with 1000 ppm of the extract improved the quality and shelf life of fish fillets compared to other ones. The values ​​of pH, TVB-N content, TBA and FFA in coated samples were significantly lower than the control sample (p<0.05). The coating treatment containing 1000 ppm of the extract also maintained the moisture, texture and color of the fillets and showed a lower microbial load than other treatments. From a sensory point of view, the treatments containing chicken foot gelatin and walnut green skin extract had the highest score at the end of the storage period compared to the control sample. Furthermore, the highest score was obtained for the samples coated by 1000 ppm walnut green skin extract.

In this study, the genetic diversity of 63 hazelnut genotypes was evaluated using 10 ISSR primers, two retrotransposon markers and seven combined ISSR and retrotransposon primers, which of the seven combined primers, only three showed scorable bands and other primers did not form a band. The 15 primers used in this study were able to create a total of 116 polymorphic bands. The UBC822 produced the highest number of polymorphic bands with 14 bands, the UBC814 with 3 bands had the least number of bands. The polymorphic information content and marker index of primers ranged from 0.18 to 0.44 as well as 0.50 to 11.31 respectively. Principal coordinate analysis showed that the first three components were able to explain a total of 37.12% of the total variance. COMPLET cluster analysis divided 63 studied genotypes into seven groups, which were 8, 13, 7, 3, 3, 13, 16 genotypes, respectively. The accuracy of grouping obtained from cluster analysis was confirmed by the Fisher linear focal detection function with 0.81 percent. Overall, primers UBC822, UBC813, TOS-2 and TOS-1+TOS2 can be introduced as useful and desirable for separation of genotypes and cultivars of hazelnut.

Plant essential oils are used as natural preservatives due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to investigate the chemical composition, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of Perovskia abrotanoides Kar essential oil (PAEO) nanoemulsion.

The chemical composition of the essential oil was determined by gas chromatography apparatus connected to a mass spectrometer. The antioxidant properties PAEO essential oil by DPPH method and its antibacterial effect on Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella Typhimurium and Stylococcus aureus were determined by broth microdilution, agar well diffusion and disk diffusion methods.

In the chemical analysis of PAEO, 21 compounds were identified, of which eucalyptol and camphor and a-pinene were the major constituents. The IC50 of PAEO was 46.44 mg / ml. Among the studied bacteria, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes showed the highest sensitivity (MIC=0.03%) and Staphylococcus aureus showed the lowest sensitivity (MIC=0.2%) to PAEO nanoemulsion. The bacterial growth inhibition zone in disk diffusion method in the studied concentrations, from 7.06±0.60 to 58.43±1.40 mm and in the agar well diffusion method between 6.56±0.60 to 54.93±1.10 mm was variable.

PAEO Nanoemulsion can be used in the food industry despite its phenolic and camphor compounds as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compound.

Meat and meat products are highly important sources of protein in the diet. Nowadays, the consumption of meat and meat products has increased owing to modern manufacturing techniques. Due to the economic value of meat, the use of unauthorized tissue is possible in meat products. In some cases, there is fraud in the percentage of meat in meat products to reduce prices. In this study, 34 samples of minced meat, hamburger and sausage were randomly collected from the markets in the northeast of Iran. Then, sections were stained using Hematoxylin and Eosin (H & E), Verhoeff-van-Gieson, Masson's trichrome and periodic acid–Schiff-Alcian blue stains. In this regard, for the first time, the efficacy of stereological technique to determine the percentage of meat listed in sausages and the possible existence of fraud was evaluated. The results showed that, due to the presence of some unusual tissues, histological technique could determine different tissues in meat products. The stereological results of control samples showed a very slight difference; whereas, the results for the samples collected from the city stores showed a distinctive difference regarding the percentage of meat compared to the percentage of label. Skeletal and smooth muscles, blood vessels, nerve, gizzard, adipose tissue, glandular tissue, cartilage, bone, tendon, skin, lymphatic tissues and plant materials were observed. It was confirmed that stereology was a reliable method to determine and confirm the percentage of meat used in meat products.

Due to the importance of genetic diversity especially the necessity to assess the diversity among wild relatives of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), the present study was conducted to evaluate the genetic diversity of 52 wheat genotypes (49 wild relatives genotypes of bread wheat along with three Iranian wheat genotypes) using 10 ISSR and two SSR markers. The results showed that a total of 12 studied markers produced 145 polymorphic bands with an average number of 11.4 and 15.5 polymorphic bands and 1.60 and 1.43 effective alleles for ISSR and SSR markers, respectively. The ISSR marker 17899A with the highest effective number of alleles (1.8), Nei’s gene diversity index (0.44) and Shannon’d diversity index (0.63) was the most valuable marker in this study. Cluster analysis method based on simple matching coefficient matrix and farthest neighbor algorithm grouped the studied genotypes into five clusters including 10, 6, 24, 9 and 3 genotypes, respectively, and the discriminant function analysis also determined the accuracy of this grouping to be 100%. The results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) also showed that the four most important principal components accounted for a total of 31.59% of the total variance. Grouping the genotypes using the first and second components with explaining 10.94 and 8.22% of the total variance, respectively, divided the genotypes into five groups, so that three Iranian wheat genotypes were placed into one cluster. In total, the results showed that the markers used in this study with acceptable polymorphism could be introduced as useful and desirable markers for evaluating genetic diversity and differentiation of wheat genotypes and possibly other cereals.

Carum copticum essential oil (CEO) is used to prevent the growth of food-borne pathogens. The Carum copticum essential oil nanoemulsion (CEON) was prepared using low energy sonication at 0, 2.50, 5.00 and 10 min based on surfactant to-oil ratio (SOR=1). Chemical composition, antimicrobial and antibiofilm properties of CEON were examined. Our data showed that the average diameter of the droplets of CEON was between 46.89 and 120.90 nm. The MICs of CEON and CEO against E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes were tested. L. monocytogenes was more sensitive than E. coli O157:H7. The sonication time and the total viable bacteria (TVC) in the study were inversely related to each other. Furthermore, CEON at the 4.00 × MIC concentration and contact time of 20 min caused 77.14% and 67.03% reduction of E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes biofilms, respectively. The antibiofilm activity of CEO was significantly lower than CEON and caused a 62.60% and 43.86% reduction of E. coli O157: H7 and L. monocytogenes biofilms, respectively. The results showed that CEON produced by low energy sonication would have a higher antibacterial efficiency than non-encapsulted essential oil.

In this study, two canola genotypes, Hyola308 (susceptible to drought) and SLM046 (tolerant to drought) were evaluated for expression of thioredoxin H (TRX H), alternativa oxidase 1 (AOX1), pyruvate dehydrogenase 1 (PDH1), isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and fumarase 1 (FUM1) genes using real-time PCR technique under three conditions: non-drought stress, regular irrigation and methanol solutions sprayafter 72 hours irrigation interruption. PDH gene expression was the highest in SLM046 at zero stress (72 h after irrigation), IDH at 8 h after methanol spray, FUM at 24 h after methanol spray, TRX at 8 h after methanol spray, and AOX at 24 hours after sampling. In Hyola308 genotype, expression of PDH, FUM, TRX, and AOX genes increased 2, 25, 6, 1.4 and 5 folds, respectively after 8 hours of foliar application and IDH gene expression was high at zero hour of sampling. Overall, methanol foliar application increased the expression of the examined genes, which were significantly higher in SLM046 than Hyola308 genotypes.

Lactic acid bacteria in dairy products are the important bacteriocin-producing group with antibacterial activity effect. The aim of this study was the isolation and molecular identification of bacteriocin-producing enterococci and lactobacilli with a wide range of antibacterial activity. Bacteriocin-producing bacteria were isolated and purified from Iranian native dairy products. The effect of bacteriocins on the Gram-negative and Gram-positive indicator strains, as well as the impact of proteolytic enzymes, pH, and temperature changes on bacteriocin production, were investigated. A total of 431 bacteriocin-producing isolates were characterized from 100 traditional cheese and yoghurt samples. The resulting bacteriocin reduced the growth of these two strains. E. faecium TM81 had both bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties, whereas the L. curvatus TM51 only had bacteriostatic properties. The bacteriocin produced by both strains had the highest antibacterial effect among Gram-positive indicator strains such as Listeria monocytogenes and Bacillus cereus. Because produced bacteriocin (resistant to temperature and pH changes) has a wide range of inhibitory spectra on Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria especially pathogenic bacteria, it is recommended to use it as a bio preservative in the food/pharmaceutical industry, and animal feed, as well as an alternative to chemical antibiotics.

Iron toxicity lead to oxidation of photosynthetic pigments, increasing of free radicals and as a result rice yield to be severely damaged. This study was performed to investigate the effect of iron toxicity on relative expression of alternative oxidase, external alternative NAD(P)H-ubiquinone oxidoreductase, internal alternative NAD(P)H-ubiquinone oxidoreductase, NADH dehydrogenase, NATPH-thioredoxin reductase and ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase genes in two rice genotypes, IR64 (susceptible) and Pokkali (tolerant). Iron ion was applied at the levels of 0 (check), 100, 250, 400 and 500 mg.lit-1 under Yoshida hydroponic conditions. Results showed that the iron cosentration in leaves increased with increasing of stress levels. There was not a significant difference among IR64 treatments samples for leaves potassium cosentration. But it increased in Pokkali genotype relative to non stress samples .The expression levels of genes in Pokkali except NDH and IN-NDH in 250 and 400 mg li-1 and NTR in 500 mg li-1 samples were higher than IR64. In all, the difference of morphological traits and relative over expression of genes in Pokkali. In all, the difference of morphological traits and relative over expression of genes in Pokkali indicated that the gene could considerably effect on the tolerant level of pokkali by reducing ROS production under Fe-toxicity. Our results showed that high activity of the mitochondrial and genes, alone or together, could also be an important factor in iron tolerance in rice by detoxifying the harmful effects of the ROS.

Recently, the design and production of biodegradable films have received special attention than synthetic packaging due to the reduction of environmental pollution. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Persian gums (1%) and gellan gum (1%) on the physical, mechanical and morphological properties of composite films based on sodium caseinate (10%) as film reinforcing agents. The films were synthesized by solvent evaporation and the effect of each gum on the characteristics of the composite films was evaluated. The results showed that the addition of gums strengthened the composite films. So that the composite films showed mechanical resistance and good barrier properties versus moisture and light. The surface properties and morphology of the films also showed that the gums were well computability to the casein film and formed uniform and stiff films. In addition, composite films had acceptable transparency. Thus, it can be concluded that the use of composite films and the combination of different polysaccharides with protein matrices can improve the properties of the resulting films. On the other hand, by adding antimicrobial and antioxidant agents to biodegradable films, they can be considered as active packaging.

 Prebiotics are indigestible substances in the upper gastrointestinal tract that have a positive effect on the health host improvement due to the stimulation of growth and activity of a group of beneficial bacteria in the colon (probiotics). Short-chain fructooligosaccharides such as β-glucan fibre, resistant starch, pectin, inulin and many indigestible carbohydrates are examples of prebiotic compounds. Inulin is a storage biological polymer composed of D-fructose molecules with β (1  2) bonds, which at the end has a D-glucose molecule with α (2   1) bond. Inulin configuration and arrangement of fructose monomers causes inulin to be indigestible in the human gastrointestinal tract and Inulin doesnchr('39')t increase blood sugar levels. Also, inulin has beneficial effects on the composition of the intestinal flora, minerals absorption, the combination of blood lipids and the prevention of colon cancer. Inulin stimulates the growth of health beneficial microorganisms while inhibiting enteropathogenic bacteria. The beneficial microorganisms ferment inulin and produce acids including short-chain fatty acids that lower the pH in the colon and inhibit pathogens. The amount of inulin in different plants varies from 1% in bananas to more than 15% in chicory root. Fructan-type inulin is found mainly in a variety of dicotyledonous plants belonging to the genus Astrases, including chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, artichoke, dandelions and dahlia. The present study introduces the most common of salutary prebiotic combinations, especially inulin.

Essential oils (EOs) have been utilized as a growth inhibitor of microorganisms. This study was aimed to recognize the composition, antioxidative‎, antibacterial‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎, and time-kill activities of Origanum vulgare, Zataria multiflora, Syzygium aromaticum; and Cinnamomum verum EOs against Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shewanella putrefaciens and Pseudomonas fluorescens. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to determine the chemical composition of EOs. Disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration, and time-kill methods were used to determine the antibacterial ‎‎activity of EOs. The antioxidative ‎ activity of EOs were determined by 2, 20-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidative ‎ power methods. All EOs exhibited antibacterial ‎‎activity, however, Z. multiflora EO was the most effective followed by O. vulgare EO. The lowest antibacterial‎‎‎‎‎ activity was observed in C. verum EO. The most sensitive among tested bacteria to Z. multiflora and O. vulgare EOs was E. coli O157:H7 and to S. aromaticum; and C. verum EOs were S. putrefaciens and P. fluorescens, respectively. Z. multiflora and O. vulgare EOs were able to kill 85.00% and 80.00% of the E. coli O157: H7 and S. putrefaciens cells in 4 hr, respectively. The highest antioxidative ‎activity was observed in Z. multiflora EO. The tested EOs showed the highest antioxidative ‎activity at a concentration of 2.00 g L-1. Ferric reducing antioxidant power value of Z. multiflora, O. vulgare, S. aromaticum and C. verum was 2.01 ± 0.03, 1.47 ± 0.04, 1.01 ± 0.03, and 0.66 ± 0.34, respectively. High concentrations of tested EOs showed a decrease in antioxidative ‎ activity.

In response to concerns arising from the application of synthetic preservatives in foodstuffs, several alternative methods have been proposed, such as the application of natural preservatives. This study aimed to evaluate the potential application of natural-based Lavandula angustifolia essential oil (LEO) as a food preservative by means of in-vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant assays.  The main constituents of LEO were determined by GC-MS method. To assess the antibacterial efficacy of the tested LEO, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of the oil were determined against four important foodborne pathogens by microdilution broth method. Finally, DPPH method was used for the evaluation of the antioxidant properties of the LEO.  According to the chemical analysis, terpenes, like linalool and 1,8- Cineol, constitute the main part of LEO. Antioxidant evaluation revealed that the DPPH radicals inhibitory percentage of LEO in concentrations of 40, 80, 120, 160, 200 and 240 (μg/ml) were 31, 43, 47, 53, 60 and 66 (%), respectively. Regarding antibacterial analysis, the tested LEO could efficiently inhibit and kill the microorganisms including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimorium and Listeria monocytogenes with the MIC and MBC range of 1.5 to 4 mg/ml.  In conclusion, this work indicates the promising antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of LEO to be considered by food scientists and researchers in future studies.

Nowadays, the use of biodegradable packaging based on natural ingredients has attracted much interest from researchers. In this research different concentrations of persian gum (PG) (0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 and 1%) with different concentrations of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (1 and 1.5%) were used to optimize biodegradable film production. For optimization of film production, maximum transparency value, contact angle, tensile strength, strain at break and minimum solubility, swelling and water vapor permeability were calculated. The results of the model showed that the effect of carboxymethyl cellulose and persian gum on all responses were significant (P <0.05) and increasing the percentage of carboxymethyl cellulose and persian gum increased solubility, swelling, tensile strength and contact angle and decreased moisture content, water vapor permeability permeability and transparency value. Based on the results of model prediction and comparison with experimental values, carboxymethyl cellulose at 1.5% and persian gum at 0.65% is the best result.

Listeria monocytogenes is a species of foodborne pathogen often related to foods, such as poultry, ready-to-eat products, fruits, and vegetables. The culture method is a standard procedure for the detection of bacteria in food products. The real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) technique can be used for the quantification of foodborne pathogens. The current research was aimed to assess and compare the culture, conventional PCR, and qPCR methods for detecting L. monocytogenes in chicken carcass specimens collected from various slaughterhouses situated in Mashhad in Iran. The TaqMan approach was applied for amplifying a 160 bp fragment corresponding to the prfA gene in the qPCR method. The Limit of Detection (LOD) was obtained at 27 CFU/25 g. Among 100 individual specimens tested, 13 specimens were recognized positive for L. monocytogenes using the culture method, 15 samples by the direct qPCR method, and 17 samples by the enrichment/qPCR method. From the similarity of the results of PCR and qPCR, without the enrichment stage, it can be concluded that the DNA of the bacteria killed in the specimens was due to the presence of previous contamination, which can be determined by determining the number of copies of DNA by qPCR. The severity of contamination indicates the health status of the foodstuff. Our results indicate that qPCR is an effective, quicker, and more sensitive technique for the identification of L. monocytogenes in chicken.

Escherichia coli O157: H7 is one of the most important pathogens causing food poisoning in meat products. In this study, the antimicrobial effects of Lavandula angustifolia and NaCl on growth control of Escherichia coli O157: H7 inoculated into minced beef during storage were investigated. minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of Lavender essential oil for Escherichia coli O157: H7 were determined 0.625% and 1.25% by micro broth dilution method, respectively. Lavender essential oil was added to the minced meat in three concentrations (0, 0.5 and 1%) and NaCl in three concentrations (0, 2 and 4%). Subsequently, Escherichia coli O157: H7 was inoculated into minced meat at 105 CFU/gr. Minced meat treatments with Escherichia coli O157: H7 were counted on days (0, 3, 6 and 9) kept at refrigerated temperature (4 °C). The results showed that growth control of Escherichia coli O157: H7 of all treatments was significant (P<0.05) and mean log CFU/gr of bacterial count in 9 days was lower in all groups than control. Comparatively, the effect of NaCl alone was greater than that of essential oil alone. The greatest inhibitory effect was related to the simultaneous use of essential oil and NaCl.

Listeria monocytogenes is a foodborne bacterial pathogen causing Listeriosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of methyl cellulose edible coatings containing Carum copticum L. essential oil and turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) extract to control the growth of L. monocytogenes inoculated in chicken portions storaged at 4°C. For this purpose, chicken meat samples were coated with different concentrations of 0.3, 0.45 and 0.65% of essential oil and concentrations of 0.25 and 0.5% of turmeric extract. In the control group, sterile distilled water was used instead of the solution. The samples were coated by dipping method. All specimens were then stored in the refrigerator and counted for L. monocytogenes on days 0, 4 and 8. In the present study, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Carum copticum essential oil was 0.064%. The results of this study showed that there is a significant difference between L. monocytogenes population in coated and non-coated chicken samples (p<0.001). Statistical analysis showed that the mean log of the number of bacteria in all groups from day 1 to 8 showed a decreasing trend. In total, according to the results, it can be concluded that methyl cellulose coating containing Carum copticum EO with turmeric extract can be used to control the growth of L. monocytogenes in chicken meat.