Antioxidant

Every year, during the processing of agricultural products and food production, many waste materials and by-products are produced. Most of these by-products have bioactive properties, such as antioxidants, which can be extracted to produce products with bioactive properties. In the present study, flaxseed meal, which is obtained as a byproduct of the oil extraction process from flaxseed, was hydrolyzed using two enzymes, trypsin, and pancreatin, with time (15-210 minutes) and enzyme-to-substrate ratio (1-3%) variables. The effect of microwave pretreatment on the antioxidant properties of hydrolyzed protein was investigated by the response surface methodology. Treatment of hydrolyzed protein with trypsin and microwave pretreatment in optimal hydrolysis conditions of 84.02 minutes and enzyme to substrate ratio1.77%, as the optimal treatment with the most antioxidant properties (total antioxidant activity 0.745 (absorbance at 695 nm), DPPH radical scavenging activity of 71.35% and 76.12% Fe chelating activity) were selected. As a result, flaxseed protein hydrolysate, a bioactive product with antioxidant properties, can be used as a natural antioxidant in producing health products and nutritional supplements for athletes.

Protein hydrolysate is a valuable source of bioactive peptides. The production of protein hydrolysate through fermentation is an environmentally friendly approach preferred over enzymatic and chemical hydrolysis in most cases. This research employed Bacillus species, including Bacillus pumilus, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus licheniformis, and Bacillus subtilis, to hydrolyze sesame meal protein. The investigated tests included measuring the concentration of peptides by the OPA method, DPPH radical inhibition, and iron ion reducing power, total antioxidant activity, and iron ion chelating activity. The concentration of peptides was evaluated after 24 h for Bacillus species. The lowest peptide concentration (0.656 mg/mL) was associated with the fermented treatment by B. licheniformis, while the highest value (1.38 mg/mL) was observed for the hydrolyzed treatment with B. subtilis. A significant difference (p<0.05) was observed among all the treatments. Results of DPPH radical inhibition showed the highest inhibition was associated with the samples hydrolyzed by B. coagulans (76.6%), and the lowest value was attributed to the hydrolysate by B. licheniformis (57.36%). The sample fermented with B. pumilus exhibited higher reducing power (0.992 absorbance at 700 nm) with a significant difference (p<0.05) observed between the treatments. The highest chelating activity (85.6%) was observed in the sample fermented with B. subtilis. The total antioxidant activity demonstrated that the protein hydrolysate with fermentation by B. coagulans had the highest absorbance value at 695 nm with a significant difference between the treatments (p<0.05). In conclusion, the fermentation of sesame meal protein by Bacillus species resulted in the production of protein hydrolysate with substantial antioxidant activity, positioning it as a promising source for inclusion in food formulations.

Red onion extract is rich of phenol and flavonoid component which has many application in food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. This study aims to investigate the effect of maceration and ultrasonic methods on antimicrobial activity and antioxidant properties of ethyl acetate and n-butanol extract of red onion skin. The results showed that the ethyl acetate extract obtained by ultrasonic method had the highest content of total phenols and flavonoids with averages of 439.45 mg equivalent of gallic acid per gram of extract and 33.44 mg equivalent of quercetin per gram of extract, respectively. The highest DPPH scavenging activity, reducing power and nitric oxide scavenging activity was obtained in ethyl acetate extract extracted by sonication. Comparison of the results of the effect of extraction method on the antimicrobial properties of n-butanol extract showed that the extract obtained by maceration method at low concentrations had more antibacterial properties than the extract obtained by ultrasounic method against all microorganisms except Aspergillus niger (p <0.05). Ethyl acetate extract obtained by ultrasounic at all concentrations except 6.25 μg/ml had a significantly greater effect on Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and Candida albicans (p <0.05). Based on the results obtained in the present study, extraction with ethyl acetate by ultrasonic method had the best results in terms of antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.

The aim of study was to investigate the effect of the ultrasound extraction on phenolic compounds and also to improve the properties of black raspberry juice (Rubus Dolichocarpus) by adding Lactobacillus gaseri and L.casei bacteria. First, raspberry juice was extracted by ultrasonic method with constant frequency at 225, 245, and 265 watts and different times of 30, 60, and 90 minutes at temperatures of 25, 35, 45, 55, and 65 degrees Celsius. The highest amount of phenolic compounds was obtained at the power of 285 watts and time of 90 minutes and at temperatures of 25, 35, and 45 degrees Celsius. Then the bacteria were inoculated in ultrasonicated black raspberry juice and the amount of change in phenolic and flavonoid compounds, anthocyanins, and antioxidant power and inhibition of alpha-amylase enzyme and tyrosinase formation at different hours of fermentation were determined and observed that with increasing fermentation hours, the biological power of fruit juice and inhibition of alpha-amylase and tyrosinase enzymes increased. The amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds also increased with increasing fermentation time, but the amount of anthocyanins decreased and the biological properties of fermented fruit juice were improved by more than 40%. The antioxidant power of the ultrasounded fruit juice samples along with the fermentation process in tilapia fish was also investigated for 15 days. According to the obtained results among the raspberry juice samples, the fruit juice sample extracted with ultrasound, and fermented with Lactobacillus gaseri was the strongest sample in reducing the amount of TBARS.

The present study investigates the potential medicinal and health benefits of the Middle Eastern and North African herb Pistacia atlantica. Research shows that its compounds, such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds, and oils, could be beneficial. It can help with heart disease, sugar sickness, and brain illness because of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory attributes. Also, P. atlantica can kill bacteria and help heal cuts. It might help fight cancer too. But we need to study more to know all its uses, enhance extraction techniques, and make sure it's safe and works well in tests with people. The review will focus on the pharmacological properties, constituents, and mechanisms of action of P. atlantica, discussing its traditional use in medicine, effects on inflammatory diseases, antibacterial properties, promise in cancer treatment, and potential for treating diabetes and other metabolic issues. The review aims to comprehensively understand P. atlantica's potential as a therapeutic agent and identify areas for further research.

The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of antioxidant activities of postbiotic mixture )Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus brevis) on the brain tissue infected with Salmonella typhimurium bacteria in male Wistar rats.In this experimental study, 21 male Wistar rats were divided into three groups, including the control group, infected with Salmonella typhimurium (108 CFU/ml) and the infected model + postbiotic recipient (109 CFU/ml). Became Induction of infection was done by intraperitoneal injection and receiving postbiotic for 30 days by gavage method. After the treatment period, to measure the level of serum cortisol and serotonin, blood was taken from the heart area and brain tissue was extracted to check the level of antioxidant activity of SOD, CAT and MDA in different groups. Data analysis in different groups was done with SPSS software and one-way variance statistical test and p<0.05 was considered significant. The results showed a significant change in the activity level of cortisol, serotonin, SOD, CAT and MDA in the infected groups compared to the control group(P<0.001). While the increase in the level of serotonin, SOD, CAT and the decrease of cortisol and MDA in the treated groups compared to the infected group were shown significantly (P<0.05). Based on the obtained results, the postbiotic mixture (Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus paracasei and Lactobacillus brevis) showed a modulating effect on the antioxidant activity of the brain tissue of rat infected with bacteria. Therefore, it may be used as a promising therapeutic tool.

The Elm polypore mushroom Inocutis levis is a macroscopic basidiomycete belonging to the Hymenochaetaceae family. Many members of this family have been of interest to researchers due to their medicinal and nutritional properties. Recent investigations have shown some bioactive properties of the fruiting body of I. levis. In this research, the nutritional and mineral composition of I. levis and the antioxidant activity of its mycelial extract have been investigated for the first time. Nutritional composition was determined according to AOAC method and mineral content was determined using ICP-MS. Mycelium cultivation was performed in PDA and then in PDB medium. Antioxidant activity of the fruiting body and mycelial extracts was evaluated via ABTS and DPPH assays. According to the results, Inocutis levis contains 14.2% protein, 73.7% carbohydrates (including 59.7% fiber), and a significant amount of minerals (11.6%) including potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron. The concentration of lead and cadmium in I. levis is at the safe level, but the Health Risk Index (HRI) values of mercury and arsenic exceed the safe level. Although I. levis fruiting body extracts had a higher free radicals inhibitor activity, due to the significant yield of the mycelium extract and also the ease of cultivation, the cultured mycelium of this mushroom can be considered as a potential source of bioactive compounds. To apply this mushroom in food and pharmaceutical industries, a deeper investigation of the compounds of I. levis is suggested.

German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.) is a well-known medicinal plant that is distributed worldwide and is widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases. In this study, the essential oil of M. chamomilla was extracted by water distillation method and its total phenol content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial effect were investigated. The total phenol content of the essential oil was 39.70 mg GAE/g and its total flavonoid content was 18.80 mg QE/g. The antioxidant activity of the essential oil was evaluated based on two methods of inhibiting free radicals DPPH and ABTS; the essential oil was able to inhibit free radicals DPPH (58.60 %) and ABTS (61.60 %). The antimicrobial effect of the essential oil against Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Shigella dysenteriae, Enterobacter aerogenes, and Salmonella typhimurium was investigated by disk diffusion agar, well diffusion agar, minimum inhibitory concentration, and minimum bactericidal concentration. The findings of the antimicrobial activity of the essential oil by the disk diffusion agar and well diffusion agar, showed that S. pyogenes and E. aerogenes were the most sensitive and resistant microbial strains to M. chamomilla essential oil, respectively. The results of this study showed that the essential oil of M. chamomilla has shown strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activity, which can be a potential candidate for the preparation of antioxidant and antimicrobial drugs.

Nowadays, antibiotic resistance is increasing in all parts of the world and is emerging and expanding globally. Due to their natural antimicrobial properties and low tendency to develop bacterial resistance, antimicrobial peptides can be a good candidate as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics. Bioactive peptides are produced using enzymatic hydrolysis by enzymes extracted from microorganisms and plants, digestive enzymes, and fermentation by proteolytic starter cultures. Enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins is performed by commercial proteases or a combination of several proteolytic enzymes. Commercial proteases are expensive due to their specificity. Among the strategies for protein hydrolysis with the aim of obtaining bioactive peptides is microbial fermentation, which is more environmentally friendly and has a high potential for use in industry due to its relatively low cost compared to commercial enzymes. It is a suitable method for the hydrolysis of sesame meal protein. Bacillus species are bacteria that have high proteolytic activity and are able to produce different endopeptidases in the fermentation medium. The activity of endopeptidases in the environment containing proteins causes the production of peptides with small sizes and free amino acids in higher amounts compared to enzymatic hydrolysis, which is one of the advantages of using Bacillus species with high proteolytic activity compared to pure enzymes. In general, the purpose of this research was to produce sesame meal protein hydrolysate by fermentation with Bacillus subtilis and to investigate its antimicrobial and antioxidant activity.

In this study, at the first step, sesame meal was defatted with hexane at a ratio of 1:5, then it was dried and sesame meal protein isolate was extracted, and the optimization of fermentation conditions was determined by the response surface methodology (RSM). Independent variables, including temperature (30 to 45 ˚C), time (12 to 36 h), and substrate concentration (2 to 6%), were considered. The antioxidant properties of the treatments, including DPPH radical scavenging activity, ferric ion reducing power, and antimicrobial activity, were investigated, and the optimum treatment was selected. Then the protein hydrolysate was freez-dried and stored at -20 °C.

According to the results, temperature (39.68 °C), time (30.07 h), and substrate concentration (4.85%) were selected as optimum conditions. Under these conditions, DPPH radical scavenging activity and ferric ion reducing power of hydrolysate were 63.57% and 0.9951 (absorbance at 700 nm), respectively. The inhibition percentages of Staphylococcus aureus (59.58%), Escherichia coli (6.55%), Listeria monocytogenes (62.43%), and Clostridium perfringens (50.97%) were obtained in the optimized condition. Bacillus subtilis, in the presence of sesame meal protein, showed significant (p<0.05) protease activity over time. After 48 hours, the clear zone diameter was determined to be 22 mm. The clear zone created by this strain showed that Bacillus subtilis has high proteolytic activity and can be a suitable bacterium for hydrolyzing sesame meal protein with the aim of obtaining hydrolysates with the highest antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The antimicrobial activity of the protein hydrolysate can be due to the higher degree of hydrolysis. By increasing the hydrolysis time, peptides with low molecular weight are produced, which cause better interaction with the microbial cell membrane, disrupt the membrane, and lead to the inhibition of the microorganism. According to the results, the sesame meal protein hydrolysate showed more inhibitory effect against gram-positive bacteria than gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). Researchers reported that the difference in sensitivity to antimicrobial compounds between gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria can be attributed to the structure and composition of the cell envelope (cytoplasmic membrane or outer membrane, and cell wall). In general, the bioactivity properties of protein hydrolysate depend on the amino acid composition, sequence, and molecular weight of the amino acids. The antioxidant activity can be due to the high content of polar and aromatic amino acids. By further hydrolysis of proteins, peptides and polar free amino acids are produced that interact with free radicals and converted into safe and stable intermediate products.

In this study, Bacillus subtilis strain was used to ferment sesame meal protein, which is a rich source of protein, to produce protein hydrolysate with maximum antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. Results showed that the protein hydrolysate obtained from sesame meal protein isolate had antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. It can be used as a natural antimicrobial or antioxidant agent in the formulation of food or pharmaceutical industry to improve the health of society.

Fruits have a limited harvest season, and the amount of their waste is significant. Drying extends the shelf life of food, and the infrared dryer reduces the time and cost of the drying process. In this study, the effect of sonication at different powers and temperatures along with edible coating with xanthan and wild sage seed gums on the drying process of cornelian cherry by an infrared dryer was investigated.

Solutions of xanthan and wild sage seed gums were used for coating of fresh cornelian cherry. Xanthan gum powder (food grade) was purchased from FuFeng Co. (China). Wild sage seed gum was extracted and used in powder form after drying and grinding to prepare the gum solution. In this study, various concentration of gums solutions (xanthan and wild sage seed) were first prepared in a graduated glass beaker and placed in an ultrasonic bath (Backer vCLEAN1-L6, Iran). The fruits were immersed in the gum solutions (inside the beakers) and sonicated for 5 min (40 kH). Infrared dryer with an infrared radiation source (250 W, near-infrared (NIR), Noor Lamp Company, Iran) was used for drying samples. The distance of samples from the radiation lamp was 10 cm. After each pretreatment (sonication and coating), the samples were dried, until reaching a constant weight. The mass changes of samples were recorded using a Lutron GM-300p digital balance (Taiwan). The rehydration tests were conducted with a water bath (R.J42, Pars Azma Co., Iran). Dried samples were weighed and immersed for 30 minutes in distillated water in a 200 ml glass beaker at 50°C. Then, the extra moisture was drained for 30 s and the samples were re-weighed. The rehydration ratio values (%) of dried samples were determined as the ratio of the final weight of rehydrated samples over the dried samples weight × 100. The color of the cornelian cherry was calculated by determining the lightness (L*) and chromaticity (redness (a*) and yellowness (b*)), and was measured using a scanner (Hp Scanjet 300, China) and Image J software (V.1.42e, USA). The Folin-Ciocalteu (Folin-Ciocalteu's phenolics reagent, Sigma-Aldrich, USA) method was followed for measuring the total phenolics content of dried cornelian cherry. The absorbance of samples (765 nm, UV-VIS spectrophotometer, XD-7500, Lovibond, Germany) was compared with the Gallic acid standard curve. The results were expressed as mg GAE/g dry matter. Effect of applied power by the ultrasonic device at three levels of 0, 75, and 150 W and the effect of temperature at three levels of 20°C, 40°C, and 60°C on the rehydration and total color difference index of dried cornelian cherry were investigated. Also, the effect of coating with xanthan and wild sage seed gums on preserving phenolic compounds, antioxidant activity, and sensory properties of the product was evaluated.

The average drying time of uncoated cornelian cherry, coated with xanthan gum, and wild sage gum was 62 min, 48.7 min, and 48.4 min, respectively. The examined treatments in this research did not have a significant effect on rehydration change of the dried product. Ultrasonic pretreatment at both 75 and 150 W powers had a decreasing effect on the color changes, which indicates improvement of color and prevention of color change and decrease in desirability. The effect of coating on color changes was also investigated, and the amount of color changes in the uncoated, coated with xanthan gum and wild sage seed gum samples was equal to 26.71, 26.02, and 31.36, and there was no significant difference between them (p>0.05). Using wild sage seed gum preserved more of phenolic and antioxidant compounds. The total phenolics content of fresh cornelian cherry, and dried samples including market, without coating, coated with xanthan gum, and coated with wild sage seed gum was 23.0, 4.7, 0.8, 9.8, and 12.1 mg gallic acid/g, respectively. The market sample had a significant difference with other dried samples dried by infrared (p<0.05). The sample from the market had the least DPPH radical scavenging activity (p<0.05). The market sample scored as the lowest sensory evaluation and had a significant difference with all samples in all sensory attributes (p<0.05).

From the panelist’s point of view, the sample coated with wild sage seed gum was the best sample, and the highest score for sensory parameters and overall acceptance was associated with this sample.

One of the relatively new dairy products is cheese sauce, which can increase the consumption of cheese per capita and replace unhealthy sauces. Process functionality achieved by adding useful compounds to food in order to improve properties of foods while maintaining its appearance. Nowadays, due to the importance of some compounds such as essential fatty acids, antioxidants and fiber, the demand for consuming products containing these compounds in the diet is increasing. Date kernel extract contains fiber, antioxidants, lignans and essential fatty acids. Also, date kernels contain micronutrient such as selenium, iron, calcium, phenolic compounds, sterols, tocopherols, metal ions and essential amino acids. The functional properties of phenolic compounds and flavonoids in date kernels have also been proven. On the other hand, whey as a by-product in dairy plants has many nutritional properties and  contains many essential and functional amino acids. In addition to the nutritional properties of whey powder, its technological properties such as creating viscosity are considered important in sauces formulation. The purpose of this research was to prepare cheese sauce using such compounds so that while preparing a useful product, it is possible to prevent the wastage of valuable by-products.

In this research, in order to prepare cheese sauce powder, the homogenized mixture was turned into powder by a spray dryer at 180°C. During the treatment of samples, date kernel extract was formulated at three levels of zero (control), 5 and 15%. In the treatments, one sample without whey and another sample with 15% of the final formula was considered. The effect of Date kernel extract and whey on the physicochemical properties of cheese sauce powder samples were investigated by determining solubility, dry matter, protein, total phenol, pH, viscosity and antioxidant activity. The organoleptic properties of samples, were also studied in 5-hedonic points. The results were analyzed in the form of a completely randomized design with 6 treatments and 3 replications. The software used was SPSS and the comparison of mean was done by Duncan's method at the 5% level. Graphs were plotted using Excel software.

The results showed that increasing the level of date kernel extract in the formulation of cheese sauce powder containing whey led to the improvement of the antioxidant power of cheese sauce and its phenolic compounds due to the presence of compounds such as gallic acid and cysteine amino acids in whey. High levels of date kernel extract in the presence of whey improved its solubility due to the increase in the amount of protein and dry matter of the sauce powder. It was also observed in the results obtained from the viscosity measurement that the presence of whey along with the date kernel extract reduced the viscosity by adjusting the percentage of carbohydrates. The result obtained in relation to the reduction of protein percentage in the conditions of simultaneous use of whey and date kernel extract was probably due to the precipitation of whey proteins based on the interaction with the carbohydrate components of date kernel extract leading to formation of unsolved products during the drying process. The presence of protein and essential amino acids, carbohydrates and fiber, mineral salts, vitamins and antioxidants in the final product increased the percentage of dry matter in samples containing  high percentage of extract along with whey. Changes in pH were also not significant in different treatments. Overall, the results showed that the use of seemingly useless compounds can be significantly effective on the properties of cheese sauce and improve the properties of cheese sauce and finally produce a functional product.

In recent years, with the increase the of scientific research, human awareness of the importance of functional food and the relationship between the types of food consumed and human health has increased (Bulut et al. 2021). Malva sylvestris is a one-year, two-year, and sometimes multi-year plant. Aqueous extracts of leaves and flowers of Malva sylvestris contain various compounds such as phenols, flavonoids, terpenoids, catalase enzyme, sulfite oxidase, fatty acids, beta-carotene and vitamins C and E (Taha Nezhad et al. 2012). Yogurt is one of the most important fermented dairy products, which is attractive to consumers due to its long shelf life, high nutritional value, favorable sensory properties, and good digestibility. Yogurt is produceds from milk fermentation by Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus and produced (Soliman et al. 2022). Yogurt is a suitable carrier for functional food additives, probiotic bacteria, and bioactive compounds with healthiness properties (Barukcic et al. 2022). In many types of researches, plant extracts have been used as carriers of bioactive compounds to produce functional yogurt. However, so far, no studies have been conducted on the production of functional yogurt enriched with malva sylvestris extract. Therefore, the latest study aims to evaluate the effect of malva sylvestris extract on the physicochemical, rheological, and sensory properties of functional yogurt.

To produce malva sylvestris extract, 200 grams of dry leaves were crushed in a blender and mixed, and washed with 80% ethanol. After centrifugation at 1107 g for 10 minutes, extraction from 20 grams of dry leaves with hot water with a ratio of solvent to dry matter of 30% was carried out. Next, the precipitated material was dried in a vacuum at a temperature of 50 ºC (Jooyandeh and Samavati, 2017). To prepare yogurt, whole milk was standardized to about 14% by adding skim milk powder (3%). Then, it was heated at 90 ºC for 10 minutes and malva sylvestris (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2%) was added to the mixture. After cooling to 42 ºC, a 2% starter was added to the mixture. Finally, the samples were stored at 4 ºC for 21 days (Cho et al. 2020). The pH of the yogurt samples was measured using a digital pH meter and the acidity was assessed by titrating the samples with 0.1 sodium hydroxide solution (Bulut et al., 2021). To determine the percentage of yogurt syneresis, yogurt samples were centrifuged at 3075 g for 20 minutes (Rojas-Torres et al. 2021). Viscosity was evaluated using a viscometer, total phenol content was evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalto method, and antioxidant activity was evaluated based on free radical reduction of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (Tizghadam et al. 2021; Atwaa et al. 2022). Sensory evaluation was performed by 12 trained panelists (including 6 women and 6 men, experts in food science, 25 to 35 years old) using the 5-point hedonic method in terms of taste, color, smell, texture, and overall acceptance (Rojas-Torres et al. 2021).

The results showed that malva sylvestris extract had a significant effect on the pH and acidity of enriched yogurt samples (p<0.05). The presence of malva sylvestris extract caused a significant decrease in pH and a significant increase in acidity in treated samples. It seems that the addition of malva sylvestris extract stimulates the metabolic activity of yogurt starter, lactobacilli, and streptococci. The results show that in the presence of malva sylvestris extract the amount of total phenol (TPC) and antioxidant activity (AO) in yogurt samples increased significantly (p<0.05). It seems that the phenolic compounds in milk, which are influenced by animal nutrition, are the main factors of total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in the control sample of yogurt (Barukcic et al. 2022). Also, the presence of benzoic acid and its derivatives, cinnamic acid, ferulic acid, hydrocinnamic acid, scopoletin, tyramine, sesquiterpene lactone has been reported in the malva sylvestris extract are probably responsible for the antioxidant activity of malva sylvestris extract and treatment samples (DellaGreca et al. 2009). The results cleared that the presence of malva sylvestris extract in yogurt samples had a significant effect on increasing the stability and reducing syneresis in yogurt (p<0.05). It seems that the decrease in the syneresis in the treated samples is due to some interactions between yogurt proteins and malva sylvestris extract compounds, which strengthens the gel matrix of yogurt and the gel network can maintain more serum. Also, the interaction of polyphenols and yogurt proteins can change the structure of the protein in the gel network and improve the protein affinity (Kwon et al. 2019). The results revealed that with the increase in the concentration of malva sylvestris extract, the viscosity of the treatment samples increased significantly (p<0.05). It seems that the increase in the interaction between the phenolic compounds of the extract and casein in the gel network caused an increase in viscosity (Hassanpoor et al. 2016). According to fitting the rheological behavior of yogurt samples with Herschel Bulkley model and Power law, it was found that the behavior of yogurt samples has a high correlation coefficient with Power law model. In the sensory evaluation, it was found that the treatment with 1/5% malva sylvestris extract was the most acceptable among the panelists.

In this research, the formulation of a new functional yogurt was evaluated using cheese extract. The results of this study showed a significant increase in the amount of total phenol and antioxidant activity of yogurt in the presence of malva sylvestris extract. In general, our results recommend the consumption of this enriched yogurt as a functional product for improving consumer health. Also, the syneresis of enriched yogurt decreased and the stability of yogurt increased. The addition of malva sylvestris extract at the level of 1.5% had a good effect on the sensory characteristics of the yogurt samples, but the use of higher levels had a negative effect onhurt the sensory characteristics. Therefore, a study on the production of cheese extract encapsulated in functional yogurt is suggested.

Recent attention has been drawn to consuming probiotic-rich foods to enhance health and prevent diseases. Lactic acid bacteria are commonly used in fermenting foods due to their high potential to create aroma and flavor, inhibit pathogens, and prevent spoilage microorganisms. Probiotic strains commonly used belong to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium genera, both Gram-positive bacteria. Lactic acid bacteria are recognized for their significant presence in food items and potential use as protective cultures due to their specific attributes. These bacteria are part of the human gut microbiota, playing crucial roles in microbial balance and immune modulation (Alizadeh Behbahani et al., 2019; Alizadeh Behbahani et al., 2023; Alizadeh Behbahani et al., 2020; Fallah et al., 2021a; Fallah et al., 2021b). The primary requirement for developing a probiotic food product is selecting a suitable probiotic strain. Indigenous strains of lactic acid bacteria have gained particular importance in dairy industries due to their compatibility with regional conditions and ability to produce desirable flavors and aromas in fermented products. This research aims to evaluate the probiotic and antibacterial properties of Lpb. plantarum MOHA1 strain, including acid and bile tolerance, antibiotic resistance, cholesterol absorption, anti-adhesive properties, hydrophobicity, auto-aggregation, cell adhesion potential to Caco-2 cells, biogenic amine production, DNase activity, lack of hemolytic activity, and antioxidant activity. Additionally, the strain's antimicrobial efficacy against six foodborne pathogens (Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, and Enterobacter aerogenes) was assessed.

The research process was comprehensive and rigorous. Firstly, the Lpb. plantarum MOHA1 strain was isolated and identified using molecular methods. Subsequently, the strain was evaluated for a wide range of probiotic properties, including acid resistance (pH 2, 3, and 4), hydrophobicity, and bile resistance (0.3, 0.5, and 0.7). Cholesterol absorption was also assessed. Additionally, the strain underwent evaluation for biogenic amine production and hemolytic and DNase properties. The antioxidant property of the isolated strain (measured using DPPH and ABTS assays) was determined, and its antimicrobial activity against six foodborne pathogenic bacteria (Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes) was investigated using disc diffusion and agar well diffusion methods. Furthermore, adhesion potential to Caco-2 cells, anti-adhesion properties, auto-aggregation capacity, and co-aggregation of the strain were also evaluated.

The findings of this study have significant implications for the development of probiotic food products. One of the crucial criteria in evaluating the potential of probiotic strains is assessing their resistance to acidic conditions and high concentrations of bile salts. According to the World Health Organization, probiotics must be consumed sufficiently to demonstrate their beneficial effects. Conditions such as acidic pH can disrupt metabolism and reduce the growth and survival of lactic acid bacteria. The acids present in the human stomach degrade biological molecules such as fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, and nucleic acids. In this study, bile salt concentrations of 0.3%, 0.5%, and 0.7% (W/V) were tested to evaluate the resistance of the targeted strain. The results indicated that Lpb. plantarum MOHA1 has good resistance to different concentrations of bile salts. These findings are consistent with other studies that have shown lactobacilli can survive in high bile salt concentrations (Brezgár et al., 2021; Abushelaibi et al., 2017; Boricha et al., 2019; Molavi et al., 2019; Oulahal et al., 2018; Shahata et al., 2016). To assess the viability of Lpb. plantarum MOHA1, this bacterium was subjected to pH levels 3, 2, and 4. The results showed that the strain Lpb. plantarum MOHA1 has desirable viability under the examined conditions. However, the highest strain viability reduction was observed after 3 hours at pH 2. With a decrease in pH from 4 to 2, a significant reduction in the number of viable cells was observed, decreasing from 7.7 to 2.6 Log CFU/mL. Lactobacillus plantarum converts sorbic acid into 1,3-pentadiene through decarboxylation and produces carbon dioxide and ethanol during fermentation. It can also metabolize sugar compounds and produce acidic compounds such as succinic acid, which lowers the pH level (Ghorbani et al., 2018).Hydrophobicity is one of the important factors for bacteria regarding their adherence to various surfaces. Hydrophobicity depends on various factors such as van der Waals forces, Brownian motion, surface electric charge, and gravitational force. Therefore, this feature should be separately investigated for bacteria (Noshad et al., 2021). The hydrophobicity level of the Lpb. plantarum MOHA1 strain was determined to be 20.53% ± 0.60%. In a comprehensive study by Vosoughi et al. (2018), it was reported that Lpb. plantarum A44 isolated from whey exhibited the highest cellular hydrophobicity (84.5%) among other strains. In the study by Alizadeh Behbahani et al. (2019), the Hydrophobicity potential of the Lpb. plantarum L15 strain was found to be 54%. In the research conducted by Shahrampour et al. (2019), the effect of genetic diversity of Lpb. Plantarum strains isolated from different food sources were investigated for their antimicrobial, antioxidant, and cumulative activities. The results showed that the strain Lpb. plantarum KMC61 had the highest surface hydrophobicity percentage. However, there was a difference in surface hydrophobicity among the ten strains studied, which may be related to the biosynthesis and composition of their cell surface proteins and polysaccharides. The production of biogenic amines, DNase, and hemolytic activity were negative. In this study Cholesterol absorption was 40.30%. Many studies have shown that some lactic acid bacteria in cell culture media can reduce cholesterol concentration. In some studies, changes in the fatty acid pattern inside the cell have been observed following this reduction. In some cases, microscopic examination of the cell has shown deposition and binding of cholesterol to the bacterial surface. The presence of such strains as starter cultures in foods considered a source of cholesterol can be very beneficial (Modani et al., 2013).DPPH radical scavenging activity was 45.80%, and ABTS radical scavenging activity was 48%. The antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Lpb. plantarum strains have been reported in various studies. Asadi et al. (2009) investigated the technological characteristics and antimicrobial activity of 17 strains of Lpb. plantarum isolated from a type of salted meat, and observed the highest inhibitory activity of Lpb. plantarum strains against Staphylococcus aureus bacteria. Auto-aggregation potential was 37.60%, and co-aggregation potential was 19.10%. The adhesion potential to Caco-2 cells was 11.30%. One of the most important criteria for selecting lactic acid bacteria as probiotics is their safety and tolerance to gastrointestinal conditions and their ability to adhere to the mucosal cells on the intestinal surface.Challenges associated with clinical studies on adhesion testing have led to the widespread use of simulated models at the laboratory scale. In particular, the use of the Caco-2 cell line for evaluating the adhesion of probiotic strains to the digestive system has gained significant attention because, under these conditions, the morphological and functional properties of cells on the surface of small intestinal villi are well-defined (Fallahi et al., 2018). Anti-adhesion potential against E. coli was 36.70% in competition, 35.50% in inhibition, and 22.40% in displacement. Pathogenic bacteria must attach to the intestinal cell wall to cause infection. Therefore, any factors that prevent this activity benefit health and intervene with the development of infection. Probiotic bacteria, through mechanisms such as producing antimicrobial compounds and disrupting or blocking molecules that pathogenic agents use for attachment, prevent the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria (Vosoughi et al., 2022). A study evaluating the probiotic potential of indigenous Lactobacillus strains isolated from Zabol yellow cheese was conducted by Vosoughi et al. (2022). The antimicrobial effect of Lpb. plantarum MOHA1, both acidic and non-acidic, on pathogenic strains has been demonstrated using the agar diffusion and well methods Showed that the greatest inhibitory effect was observed against L. monocytogenes. This bacterium is a facultative anaerobe capable of surviving in both the presence and absence of oxygen and is known to cause a wide range of diseases in humans and animals. The least inhibition was observed in the agar diffusion method using disks against the pathogens S. typhimurium and E. coli, and in the agar diffusion method using wells against the pathogen E. coli. Intestinal Gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli and S. typhimurium are among the major causes of food poisoning and diarrhea.

Strains isolated from local fermented and dairy products are considered valuable sources of probiotics. These strains have high probiotic potential and exhibit significant antimicrobial properties. According to the results of this study, Lpb. plantarum MOHA1 can withstand acidic conditions in the stomach and the presence of bile salts, indicating essential traits for survival and effective performance in the human digestive system. This strain has demonstrated a high ability to inhibit pathogenic bacteria, attributed to the production of antimicrobial compounds that can inhibit the growth and proliferation of pathogens. Additionally, Lpb. plantarum MOHA1 is sensitive to common antibiotics, which can be beneficial in controlling infections and preventing microbial resistance. Other important characteristics of this strain include its ability to adhere to the intestinal wall, surface hydrophobicity, autoaggregation, and co-aggregation. These features enable this strain to adhere to the intestinal epithelial cells and form resilient colonies, which can improve digestive health and enhance the body's immune system. Given these properties, the Lpb. plantarum MOHA1 strain has a high potential for use as a probiotic supplement in fermentation cultures or as a co-culture in the production process of fermented food products. Using this strain can help improve food products' quality and shelf life and enhance consumer health. Further confirmatory tests and comprehensive research can strengthen these strains' practical and commercial applications in the food industry.

Rosemary is a plant from the Lamiaceae family with antioxidant properties, Therefore, the purpose of this study was to extract rosemary plant extract using different solvents, methods (maceration, hot extraction, Soxhlet, percolation and sonication), particle size (300, 500 and 800 μm) and plant to solvent ratios (1:100, 2:100, 3:100, 4:100 & 5:100) were. In this experimental study, the amount of phenolic and flavonoid compounds was measured by aluminum chloride colorimetric method and the antioxidant activity of plant extracts was evaluated by DPPH method. To extract these compounds, different solvents and methods were used and compared and analyzed and Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and ANOVA test. The best solvents for the extraction of phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidant compounds were water-methanol (20:80). The amount of total phenolic compounds using this solvent was 7.172 (mg/g) and flavonoid compounds were 28.157 (mg/g) and the antioxidant activity to inhibit free radicals was 87.2586 (mg/lit). The best method for extracting phenolic compounds was Maceration method with a rate of 7.481 (mg/g) and for flavonoid compounds with a rate of 47.85 (mg/g) and 73.524 (mg/lit) to inhibit free radicals.The results show that in order to achieve the maximum extraction of total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and antioxidants in rosemary extract, use plant powder with a particle size of 300 μm, water solvent: methanol (80:20), plant to solvent ratio 1:100 (g/ml) and the use of maceration method should be used as optimal operating conditions.

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 Allium ampeloprasum, belonging to the Liliaceae family, is an important source of antioxidant compounds. In this study, the anti-radical and antioxidant activities, as well as the determination of phenolic and flavonoid compounds in the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of this plant, were investigated. In this laboratory study, the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of Allium ampeloprasum were prepared by adding 50 grams of the plant and mixing it in a 1:5 ratio with distilled water or ethanol. The total phenolic and flavonoid content was determined by spectrophotometry, and the antioxidant activity of the plant at different concentrations was measured using the Cuprac method, DPPH free radical scavenging, and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Data analysis was performed using SAS software and one-way analysis of variance. Based on the results, the total phenolic content in the aqueous extract was 86.9859 and 23.4 micrograms of gallic acid per milliliter in the alcoholic extract. The total flavonoid content was 42.81 in the aqueous extract and 345.54 micrograms of quercetin per milliliter in the alcoholic extract. Additionally, the total antioxidant capacity in the aqueous extract was 0.2362 and 0.3876 in the alcoholic extract, and the Cuprac method reported 0.0747 in the aqueous extract and 0.1992 in the alcoholic extract. The ferric reducing antioxidant power was 0.1041 in the aqueous extract and 0.0248 in the alcoholic extract, while the DPPH radical scavenging activity was 73.18 in the aqueous extract and 72.95 in the alcoholic extract. According to the study results, Allium ampeloprasum is a good source of antioxidant compounds, and its consumption can reduce oxidative damages in the body and improve health. Moreover, after extraction and purification, it can be used in pharmaceutical and food industries.