Assessment of Probiotic Properties and Technological Potential of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei

Background: Food additives and preservatives are integral components of the modern food industry, serving essential functions such as enhancing organoleptic properties, extending the shelf life of products, and facilitating food processing. However, as these substances play a crucial role in food production, concerns have emerged regarding their potential toxicity and effects on human health. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted exploring the sources, including scientific journals on PubMed, Scopus, government publications, and websites. The article reviews existing literature and explores the latest findings in the field, shedding light on the multifaceted aspects of food additives and preservatives. It outlines the various functions these substances serve and their significance in contemporary food production, emphasizing their role in optimizing the consumer experience and food supply chain efficiency. Discussion: Numerous studies have explored the potential adverse effects of food preservatives and additives, shedding light on their impact. Striking a balance between reaping the benefits of these substances and mitigating their potential risks remains an ongoing challenge, necessitating ongoing research and oversight. This research article provides an in-depth analysis of the toxicology of food additives and food preservatives, examining their safety, regulations, and potential health impacts. It highlights the need for a comprehensive evaluation of these substances to ensure the safety of the food supply. Natural food preservatives and food additives would be better options rather than opting for synthetic and chemical forms. Conclusion: The use of natural preservatives offers a safer and more sustainable approach to food preservation, addressing consumer concerns about synthetic preservatives and promoting the production of healthier and more environmentally friendly food products.

Many studies have demonstrated the use of synthetic preservatives and chemical additives in food is causing poisoning, cancer, and other degenerative disorders. New solutions for food preservation with quality maintenance are currently emerging. As a result, public concern has grown, as they desire to eat healthier products that use natural preservatives and compounds rather than synthetic ones. Clove is a highly prized spice used as a food preservative and for a variety of therapeutic reasons. Clove essential oil and its principal active component, eugenol, indicate antibacterial and antifungal action, aromaticity, and safety as promising and valuable antiseptics in the food sector. Clove essential oil and eugenol are found to have strong inhibition effects on a variety of food-source bacteria, and the mechanisms are linked to lowering migration and adhesion, as well as blocking the creation of biofilm and various virulence factors. This review emphasizes the importance of CEO (clove essential oil) in the food industry and how it can be explored with edible coatings to deliver its functional properties in food preservation.

This review provides a systematic analysis of ten spices representing the largest share of global production, with a particular focus on their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and their role in food preservation. These bioactive properties are of special importance for ensuring food safety, maintaining product quality, and extending shelf life. The review analyzes current approaches to the application of spices in the food industry, both in their natural form and as essential oils. The effectiveness of essential oils is analyzed in various applications, including their use as food additives, surface treatment agents, and components of edible coatings. Advanced delivery systems, such as micro- and nanoencapsulation and nanoemulsion-based formulations, are discussed as promising strategies to enhance stability, bioavailability, and controlled release. Special attention is given to the incorporation of spices into the development of active packaging systems. Additionally, the review addresses current challenges and limitations associated with the use of spices and their derivatives in processed food production and highlights future perspectives for their rational and sustainable use.

Lacticaseibacillus paracasei species are widely used for their health-promoting properties in food and agricultural applications. These bacteria have been isolated from various habitats such as the oral cavity, cereals, vegetables, meats, and dairy products conferring them the ability to consume different carbohydrates. Two subspecies are recognized, Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei and Lacticaseibacillus paracasei subsp. tolerans according to their acid production from carbohydrates. Some strains are currently used as probiotics. In this study, we performed a comparative genomic analysis of 181 genomes of the Lacticaseibacillus paracasei species to reveal genomic differences at the subspecies level and to reveal adaptive and probiotic features, and special emphasis is given to inulin consumption. No clear distinction at the subspecies level for L. paracasei was shown using a phylogenetic tree with orthologous genes from the core-genome set. In general, a good correlation was observed between genomic distance and isolation origin, suggesting that L. paracasei strains are adapted to their natural habitat, giving rise to genetic differences at the genomic level. A low frequency of undesirable characteristics such as plasmids, prophages, antibiotic resistance genes, absence of virulence factors, and frequent bacteriocin production supports these species being good candidates for use as probiotics. Lastly, we found that the inulin gene cluster in L. paracasei strains seems to differ slightly in the presence or absence of some genes but maintains a core defined by at least three fructose-PTS proteins, one hypothetical protein, and extracellular β-fructosidase. Finally, we conclude that further work has to be done for L. paracasei subspecies classification. Improving outgroup selection criteria is a key factor for their correct subspecies assignation.

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are promising probiotics and natural biopreservatives, yet non-dairy sources remain underexplored. We identified four LAB from sugarcane juice−Limosilactobacillus fermentum SCJ26, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum SCJ27, L. fermentum SCJ28 and Lactiplantibacillus pentosus SCJ29, evaluated through an integrated “safety-to-application” framework. Unlike single-endpoint assessments, we combined gut-adaptation (acid, bile, phenol tolerance; adhesion traits), functional bioactivities (antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant, anti-biofilm), safety (antibiotic susceptibility, absence of hemolysis and DNase), and technological properties (EPS production, milk coagulation, biopreservation). SCJ28 and SCJ29 showed the highest simulated gastrointestinal survival, while SCJ26 and SCJ29 displayed superior aggregation and hydrophobicity. Functional bioactivities were strain-specific: SCJ27 produced inhibition zones up to ~ 20 mm against E. coli; SCJ29 reduced E. coli biofilm by ~ 53% and SCJ27 reduced S. aureus biofilm by ~ 70%; SCJ29 reached ~ 86% DPPH scavenging. Filtered supernatants effectively reduced microbial loads in food matrices, with reductions of up to 3.8 log10 in fish and 3.6 log10 in tomato. The isolates produced exopolysaccharides and coagulated milk, underscoring technological potential. None of the isolates exhibited hemolytic or DNase activity, and their antibiotic susceptibility profiles were typical for LAB, but warrant genomic follow-up to ascertain resistance traits are intrinsic. Overall, the LAB strains exhibited multifunctionality, supporting both health and food applications.

Biocompatible formulation of cationic antimicrobial peptide Polylysine (PL) through nanotechnology principles and its potential role in food preservation — A review

as 'GRAS' (Generally RecognizedAs Safe) under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act [5] ,

Chemical additives in food—A review of the regulatory processes governing their control and the procedures for evaluating their safety in use

Nowadays, the food industry is focused on improving the shelf life of products by controlling lipid oxidation using natural antioxidants. The study of natural antioxidants is a field that attracts great interest because of their greater safety compared to synthetic ones. Plant-derived antioxidants being eco-friendly and effective are increasingly playing an important role in food preservation. When incorporated into active packaging, plant-derived antioxidants have no direct contact with foods, and will not change the colour or taste of the foods. They will, however, inhibit the development of rancidity, retard formation of toxic oxidation products, maintain nutritional quality, and prolong the shelf life of products. This review summarises research on the development of plant-derived antioxidants in food packaging. Antioxidants are found in plants such as green tea, olive leaves, ginkgo leaves, rosemary, Indian gooseberry, cinnamon, savoury, bay leaves, mango leaves, sage and clove etc. Antioxidants can scavenge free radicals and inhibit the activity of polyphenol oxidase. Therefore, they can inhibit lipid oxidation and browning of fruit and vegetables. These active substances can be obtained through extracting the plants using solvents with different polarities. The oxidation resistance of active substances can be determined by DPPH radical scavenging capacity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, PPO enzyme inhibition capacity and other methods. In recent years, research on the preparation of food packaging with plant-derived antioxidants has also made significant progress. One development is to encapsulate plant-derived antioxidants such as tea polyphenols with capsules containing inorganic components. Thus, they can be blended with polyethylene granules and processed into active packaging film by industrial production methods such as melting, extrusion and blowing film. This research promotes the commercial application of active packaging incorporated with plant-derived antioxidants.

Microbial safety of food and preservation by reduction of food spoilage throughout the supply chain still remains a challenge to food industries, regulatory agencies, and consumers (Negi, 2012). The concern of the consumer regarding synthetic chemical additives in food, awareness of clean labels and preservation using natural additives, underpins the importance of nding alternative sources of safe and effective preservatives (Burt, 2004). Plants fulll this requirement as herbs, and spices have been used traditionally to preserve food for long periods of time in different cultures (Tajkarimi et al., 2010). Plant extracts with known antimicrobial activity alone will not extend the shelf life of food, but they in combination with other technologies such as processing and packaging can preserve food for longer periods of time. The application of plant extracts as natural preservatives has the greatest potential in fresh food such as fresh-cut salads, marinated chilled sh and meat products, and ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook food as the consumer is looking for convenient food and has the desire to lead a healthy lifestyle. An extended storage life for fresh food, which is highly perishable, is also benecial to the food retailer as it gives a longer period on the shelf. However, growth of the fresh food market adds new risks due to the changes in food production practices and distribution chains (Havelaar et al., 2010). Plant extracts as an emerging technology to extend storage life of food can be used by the industry to address the needs of today's consumer looking for clean, green technologies to preserve food and to overcome some of the food safety issues associated with fresh food.

Antipathogenic potentials of exopolysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria and their food and health applications

Chemical Preservatives and Natural Antimicrobial Compounds

Ground meat is highly perishable and has a short shelf life due to microbial contamination with food spoilage bacteria along with foodborne pathogens, which increases the risk of food poisoning. Controlling microbial growth by using chemical or synthetic food additives or preservatives is of great health concern. Natural, plant-derived antimicrobial food additives are safer alternatives. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial efficacy of different forms and concentrations of clove against food spoilage and foodborne pathogens and to determine their ability to enhance sensory quality and extend the shelf life of buffalo meatballs during refrigerated storage. Clove oil (0.25, 0.50, and 1.0 g/kg), clove extract (0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 g/kg), and clove powder (2.5, 5.0, and 7.5 g/kg) were assessed against aerobic plate counts (APCs), psychotropic counts (PCs), and foodborne pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, and Escherichia coli O157:H7, artificially inoculated in buffalo meatballs. Clove oil, clove extract, and clove powder treatments showed a significant (p < 0.01) reduction in the counts of S. aureus, S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, and E. coli O157:H7 compared to control samples. Among all tested forms and concentrations of clove, clove oil at 1.0 g/kg proved to be the most effective against the tested pathogens, as by the end of storage (day 12), it achieved 5.3 and 5.56 log reductions in S. aureus and S. enterica serovar Typhimurium, respectively, along with complete reduction in E. coli O157:H7, followed by clove extract at 1.5 g/kg, which produced 4.2, 4.92, and 7.01 log reductions in the corresponding three foodborne pathogens. The results showed that different concentrations of clove oil and extract treatments applied effectively improved the sensory attributes (flavor, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptability) of buffalo meatballs, while the sensory properties of clove powder were considered unacceptable, as it alters the taste and smell of meat. The ground buffalo meat treated with different concentrations of clove oil, clove extract, and clove powder significantly reduced the growth of APCs and PCs during refrigerated storage, resulting in 1.5 to 2.6 log reductions with a prolonged shelf life ranging from 9 to 12 days. Overall effects on shelf life and meat quality showed that all clove forms significantly slowed microbial growth and extended the shelf life of buffalo meatballs to 9–12 days, in contrast to 6 days or less for the control. The findings indicate that clove oil and clove extract are promising natural preservatives capable of improving microbial safety, maintaining sensory attributes, and enhancing the overall quality of buffalo meatballs during refrigerated storage.

This systematic review synthesizes current knowledge on nisin, an antimicrobial peptide produced by Lactococcus lactis, and explores its expanding applications across multiple fields. A structured search was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus, covering articles published between 2000 and 2024. Over 150 peer-reviewed studies were analyzed based on predefined inclusion criteria, focusing on molecular structure, biosynthesis, antimicrobial mechanisms, and applications. The review discusses nisin’s established role in food preservation and highlights its emerging potential in therapeutic medicine and biotechnology. Recent advances in production strategies, particularly genetic engineering and fermentation optimization, are critically evaluated. Key findings include the elucidation of nisin’s dual antimicrobial mechanisms and the successful development of various engineered nisin variants. Despite these advances, significant research gaps remain. In particular, the mechanisms underlying bacterial resistance to nisin and effective mitigation strategies are not yet fully understood. Additionally, the stability, scalability, and regulatory approval of nisin-loaded nanocarriers in real food systems remain underexplored. The review also assesses nisin’s safety profile, regulatory status, and performance under diverse environmental conditions. Emphasis is placed on its potential to combat antimicrobial resistance and contribute to sustainable food systems. Overall, this analysis identifies current challenges and outlines future research priorities necessary to fully harness nisin’s applications in food safety, medicine, and biotechnology.

Coriander: A holistic outlook on its chemistry and pharmacology.