Abstract
Aflatoxins are one of the most harmful fungal metabolites that represent a greater concern to food safety due to their socio-economic and adverse effect. Aspergillus flavus is considered one of the important fungi producing aflatoxins. A more frequent development of aflatoxins in the feed and food chain is obviously predicted as a result of the most recent extreme weather conditions documented globally. Novel strategies are necessity to mitigate the health and economic effects that associated with fungal and mycotoxin contamination in food without any impact on public health. Given its nutritional value and potential health benefits, pumpkin seed oil has the potential to be used in food products on a larger scale. This study was designed to investigate the effect of pumpkin seed oil (PSO) and its nanoparticles as antifungal against A. flavus and aflatoxin inhibition and investigate their potential role to be used in beef sausage. In the present study, pumpkin seed oil nanoparticles (PSO-NPs) were prepared. Morphology of PSO-NPs were analysed with transmission electron microscope (TEM). Results indicated that PSO-NPs having a size of 220 nm and PDI 0.432. The antifungal activity between PSO and PSO-NPs were evaluated by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). It was observed that MIC against A. flavus was 6.25 and 1.5 μl/ml for PSO and PSO-NPs, respectively. Furthermore, depending on MIC results, PSO and PSO-NPs were used in beef sausage to inhibit A. flavus and inhibit the total aflatoxins. Moreover, the sensory evaluation was evaluated. Regarding aflatoxins, PSO and its nanoparticles exhibited a reduction in aflatoxin levels to 66.6%) and 32.2 % respectively, as determined by the ELISA technique. In conclusion, this study confirmed the inhibitory role of PSO and PSO-NPs to be used in food product to control A. flavus growth with a potential reduction in aflatoxin levels. The results open a promising avenue for their use as a safe, bioactive natural preservative in the food industry.
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