ABSTRACT This study evaluates the potential of daidai flower essential oil (DFEO) (Citrus aurantium var. daidai) as a natural preservative for fresh leafy vegetables. The chemical composition of DFEO was determined by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS), revealing a neroli‐type profile dominated by linalool (42.8%), limonene (19.9%), and linalyl acetate (15.3%). The tested batch of DFEO exhibited broad‐spectrum antimicrobial activity, with Gram‐positive bacteria showing the highest susceptibility. In situ experiments in model food systems confirmed concentration‐dependent antimicrobial effects, with inhibition values reaching up to 89.47%. The application of DFEO in combination with vacuum packaging significantly improved the microbiological quality of fresh arugula during refrigerated storage (4°C, 14 days), reducing coliform bacteria by 1.26 log CFU/g compared with untreated controls. Matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS) analysis of culture‐dependent bacterial isolates revealed a dominance of Pseudomonas spp., which are key contributors to spoilage of leafy vegetables. Although DFEO also demonstrated insecticidal activity against stored‐product pests, its primary relevance lies in its antimicrobial efficacy in food systems. These findings demonstrate that DFEO has potential as a natural preservative for fresh produce, particularly when combined with vacuum packaging, contributing to improved microbiological quality of minimally processed vegetables during refrigerated storage.
Minhang Qiao, J. H. Elizondo‐Luévano, Anis Ben Hsouna et al.· Journal of Food Science· 0 citations
The growing demand for natural, sustainable food preservation strategies has intensified research into plant-derived antimicrobial proteins with multifunctional bioactivities. This study reports the functional characterisation of TdGASA2, a cysteine-rich protein of the Snakin/GASA family isolated from Triticum turgidum ssp. durum, as a candidate bioactive ingredient for antimicrobial food packaging. TdGASA2 displayed broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against all tested strains, with the lowest minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) values observed against Listeria monocytogenes and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (10.50 and 11.25 μg/mL, respectively), and retained a mean of 77.8% of its native antibacterial potency after autoclaving (121 °C, 20 min), reflecting the thermal resilience of its disulfide-stabilised Snakin/GASA scaffold. The protein additionally exhibited concentration-dependent α-amylase inhibition (IC₅₀ = 72.4 ± 0.31 μg/mL) and enhanced bactericidal inactivation of L. monocytogenes under oxidative stress. Incorporation of TdGASA2 into chitosan-based films improved tensile strength and reduced water vapor permeability and water solubility, consistent with protein-polysaccharide interactions inferred from established structure-property relationships in the literature; the films also maintained a high rate of soil-burial mass loss and macro-disintegration (>92% after 10 days), which reflects overall gravimetric mass reduction rather than confirmed biodegradation in the absence of an abiotic soil control. In a 10-day refrigerated chicken breast storage trial, TdGASA2-enriched films (2× MIC against L. monocytogenes) reduced total aerobic microbial growth by approximately 2.4 log CFU/g and attenuated lipid and protein oxidation relative to the unfunctionalised control, corresponding to an exploratory, Random Forest-predicted shelf-life extension of 3-4 days. Collectively, these results identify TdGASA2 as a promising, multifunctional bioactive candidate for biodegradable active food packaging; direct spectroscopic confirmation of the proposed protein-polymer interactions, migration behaviour in regulatory food simulants, toxicological and allergenicity profiling, sensory impact, and formal food-contact regulatory assessment remain to be established before its suitability for practical or commercial application can be confirmed.
Boutheina Ben Akacha, Anis Ben Hsouna, N. Baazaoui et al.· International Journal of Bio...· 0 citations
