Spice Extracts Research Articles

In vitro antibacterial activity of seven Indian spices against high level gentamicin resistant strains of enterococci.

IntroductionThe aim of the study was to explore the in vitro antibacterial activity of seven ethanolic extracts of spices against high level gentamicin resistant (HLGR) enterococci isolated from human clinical samples.Material and methodsTwo hundred and fifteen enterococcal strains were isolated from clinical samples. High level gentamicin resistance in ethanolic extracts of cumin (Cuminum cyminum), cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), ginger (Zingiber officinale), fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum), cloves (Syzygium aromaticum), cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum Maton) and black pepper (Piper nigrum) were prepared using Soxhlet apparatus. The antibacterial effect of the extracts was studied using the well diffusion method. Statistical analysis was carried out by χ2 test using SPSS 17 software.ResultsOnly cinnamon and ginger were found to have activity against all the isolates, whereas cumin and cloves had a variable effect on the strains. Fenugreek, black pepper and cardamom did not show any effect on the isolates. The zone diameter of inhibition obtained for cinnamon, ginger, cloves and cumin was in the range 31–34 mm, 27–30 mm, 25–26 mm and 19–20 mm respectively.ConclusionsCinnamomum zeylanicum and Z. officinale showed the maximum antibacterial activity against the enterococcal isolates followed by S. aromaticum and C. cyminum. The findings of the study show that spices used in the study can contribute to the development of potential antimicrobial agents for inclusion in the anti-enterococcal treatment regimen.

Antibacterial activities of crude extracts of Nigerian spices and herbs on enteropathogens

Article History Aim: This study was designed to evaluate the antibacterial activities of water and ethanolic extracts of Nigerian herbs and spices against enteric pathogens. Methodology: Crude extracts of fresh leaves of Ocimum gratissimum, Psidium guajava, Vernonia amygdalina, Kigelia africana, Azadrichata indica, Pistia stratiotes, Euphobia hirta; bulb of Allum sativum and rhizomes of Zingiber officinale and Curcuma longa were evaluated using the agar diffusion assay method and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) to determine the antibacterial activities against Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp. Gentamicin (28 mg/ml) was used as antibiotic control. Results: Antimicrobial sensitivity test indicated that while Salmonella sp. was not inhibited by ethanolic extracts of Euphobia hirta and Curcuma longa, both water and ethanolic extracts of others inhibited the growth of Vibrio cholerae, Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp. to varying degree. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) determined for the crude extracts of the various herbs and spices, using water and aqueous ethanol inhibited the test isolates at high dilutions. Conclusion: This study has shown the antibacterial potential of the herbs and spices against the tested enteric pathogens. The antibacterial activities of all the herbs and spices observed in this study justify their use in alternative medicine.

Spiced Pineapple Ready-To-Serve Beverages

There is a great potential for commercialization of spiced RTS beverages as natural health drinks from major and under exploited fruits not only in domestic but also at the export front. The present study portrays the nutrient content of spiced pineapple ready-to-serve beverages during fresh period. The pineapple RTS beverages were processed with extracts of ginger, green chillies, pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. The combined spices extracts such as ginger + pepper, ginger + cardamom and ginger + nutmeg were blended with pineapple juice and prepared the RTS beverages. The spiced pineapple RTS was standardized based on organoleptic evaluation. The nutrient content such as Total Soluble Solids (TSS), pH, acidity, reducing sugar, total sugar, tannin, β-carotene, ascorbic acid and non enzymatic browning were analysed. The sensory evaluation revealed that the all the beverages had good sensory properties except B 2 and B 3 beverages

Spiced Pineapple Ready-To-Serve Beverages

There is a great potential for commercialization of spiced RTS beverages as natural health drinks from major and under exploited fruits not only in domestic but also at the export front. The present study portrays the nutrient content of spiced pineapple ready-to-serve beverages during fresh period. The pineapple RTS beverages were processed with extracts of ginger, green chillies, pepper, cardamom and nutmeg. The combined spices extracts such as ginger + pepper, ginger + cardamom and ginger + nutmeg were blended with pineapple juice and prepared the RTS beverages. The spiced pineapple RTS was standardized based on organoleptic evaluation. The nutrient content such as Total Soluble Solids (TSS), pH, acidity, reducing sugar, total sugar, tannin, β-carotene, ascorbic acid and non enzymatic browning were analysed. The sensory evaluation revealed that the all the beverages had good sensory properties except B2 and B3 beverages. Keywords: Spiced Pineapple Ready-to-serve Beverages-nutrient Content-sensory Evaluation

Nanopackaging of Silver using Spice Extract and their Characterization

The aim of the present study was to synthesize silver nanoparticles using spice extracts as reducing agents and further evaluate their anti-microbial activities. Silver has been shown to possess antimicrobial activity. The silver nanoparticles were prepared by solvent evaporation method. The silver nanoparticles were characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy. The functional groups present in the phyto-constituents on the plant extract were determined by FT-IR studies. The particle size of the silver nanoparticles was determined by Dynamic Light Scattering and was found to be 143, 50 and 56 nm for cloves, cinnamon and neem silver nanoparticles respectively. They exhibited antibacterial property against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi strains, tested using Well Diffusion method. Plant extracts however reduce the antimicrobial activity of the nanoparticles. In conclusion, antimicrobial activities of silver nanoparticles were reduced by plant extracts certifies vital potential in biomedical application. Keywords: Silver nanoparticles Neem Cinnamon Cloves

Effect of Addition of Extracts of Different Herbs and Spices on Fermentation Behaviour of Apple Must to Prepare Wine with Medicinal Value

An apple wine with medicinal properties using different spices and herb extract of hops, mentha, anola, ginger and garlic holds promise as a new product with high consumer acceptability. To prepare such a wine, effect of addition of different extracts of species and herbs was investigated and reported here. Must with varying concentration of extracts (1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 %) were prepared and fermented at 22 ± 1 °C using pure culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. ellipsoideus. Rest of the procedure was the same as that used for any wine preparation. Right from 48 h. Onwards the differences in TSS reduction in apple musts having different concentration of extract especially above 5 per cent manifested themselves a decline in all the treatments except that of aonla. The highest rate of TSS reduction, rate of fermentation and alcohol contents were found to be corroborative. The highest RF was observed in case of 5 % extract of ginger based must while the lowest was observed in case of garlic based must with 9 % extract. The increase in titratable acidity in all the concentrations and treatments was proportional to their respective initial values. Concentration of ethanol in general increased in all the treatments, but was the lowest in treatment above 5 % of garlic, ginger, hops or mentha based wines. The results emphatically show that concentration of extract above 5 % affects the ethanol production significantly, rather after this level fermentability, the yeast count and the ethanol content registered a decrease. The highest growth inhibition of yeast was observed in garlic based wine while lowest was recorded in anola wine. It is concluded that addition of extracts up to 5 % did not affect the TSS, fermentation rate, ethanol content of the wine, appreciably. The pronounced effect of extract addition was on initial fermentation time and later on the yeast acclimatized and the inhibitory effect was reduced or eliminated.

Evaluation of the antioxidant properties of spices by cyclic voltammetry

The individual antioxidants of spices (gallic and rosmarinic acids, capsaicin, thymol, and eugenol) are irreversibly oxidized at 0.88–1.25 V at a glassy carbon electrode in 0.1 M LiClO4 solution in ethanol. Corresponding electrode reactions are proposed. A linear dependence of the oxidation step area on the concentration is observed for all the analytes. The detection limits and the lower limits of quantification vary from 0.57–12 and 1.8–40 μM, respectively. Distinct steps and peaks of oxidation are observed on cyclic voltammograms of the methanolic extracts of spices; the potentials and areas of these peaks depend on the type of spice. The contribution of individual antioxidants to integral responses of spice extracts is evaluated. A method is developed for the voltammetric evaluation of the antioxidant capacity (AOC) of spices based on the oxidation of their antioxidants. The total area of the oxidation steps was selected as a parameter characterizing the antioxidant properties. The AOC of spices was expressed as a weight of gallic acid in milligrams per 1 g of a dry spice. Seventeen different spices were tested. The AOC decreases in the series of clove > juniper berries > nutmeg > cinnamon > rosemary > anise ≥ oregano > black pepper ≥ ginger ≥ basil > turmeric > red pepper ≈ bay leaf ≥ coriander ≈ red sweet pepper > cumin > caraway. A correlation between the AOC obtained by voltammetry and the total AOC, ferric reducing power, antiradical activity, and total content of phenolic compounds and these parameters with each other is found; the correlation coefficients vary in the range 0.8886–0.9615.

Spice and Herb Extracts in the Development of Healthier Products

Spice and Herb Extracts in the Development of Healthier Products

Effects of spice extracts on lipid fraction oxidative stability of cookies investigated by DSC

The addition of natural antioxidants to the bakery products containing fats can extend their shelf life, and it may be more attractive to consumers. In this research, the antioxidant effect of spice extracts and synthetic antioxidant on oxidative stability of fat extracted from cookies was evaluated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results revealed that addition of spice extracts to the cookies in comparison to cookies without additives reduced the oxidation as evidenced by higher the onset oxidation temperature (t ON) of antioxidant-treated samples. Using the Ozawa–Flynn–Wall method, the activation energies (E a/kJ mol−1) and pre-exponential factors (Z/min−1) and then induction times (τ/min) were calculated and also used for evaluation of antioxidants efficiency. After baking, cookies were also subjected to sensory studies and to instrumental measurements of colour changes. Among the samples studied, cookies with 0.02 % of rosemary or 0.2 % thyme extracts showed good sensorial acceptability. Cookies fortified with spice extracts also characterised greater lightness compared to the control sample.

The effect of spice extracts on the production of inflammatory cytokine IL-1beta.

The effect of spice extracts on the production of inflammatory cytokine IL-1beta.

Evaluation of antioxidant activities of Iranian sumac (R. coriaria L.) fruit and spice extracts with different solvents

The antioxidant capacity and phenolic content of three sumac (Rhus coriaria L.) samples, including brown sumac fruit, brown sumac powder and red sumac powder were investigated in the present study. Methanol, ethanol, distilled water, and a mixture of methanol and ethanol (1:1) were used as solvent systems. Antioxidant activities of extracts were screened using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl DPPH radical scavenging method. Phenolic content was determined through Folin–Ciocaltaeu procedure. The efficiency of the solvents used to extract phenols from the samples varied considerably. The phenolic content of brown sumac powder ranged from 2.906 to 2.997 gallic acid equivalents/100 g (GAE/100 g), while that of the brown sumac fruit was 2.438–2.529 GAE/100 g, and that of the red sumac powder was 2.172–2.263 GAE/100 g. Findings indicated that water extracts of sumac have effective antioxidant and radical scavenging activities as compared to other extracts.

Monitoring in vitro antibacterial efficacy of 26 Indian spices against multidrug resistant urinary tract infecting bacteria

BackgroundTo screen methanolic extracts of 26 commonly used Indian spices against nine species of uropathogenic bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter baumannii, Citrobacter freundii, Enterobacter aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Proteus mirabilis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), isolated from clinical samples of a tertiary care hospital for antibacterial activity. MethodsBacterial strains were subjected to antibiotic sensitivity testing by Kirby–Bauer's disc diffusion method. Monitoring antibacterial potentiality of spice extracts was done by the agar-well diffusion method with multidrug resistant (MDR) strains of nine uropathogens. ResultsThe Gram-positive (GP) bacteria E. faecalis and S. aureus were resistant to 16 of the 21 antibiotics used. Among the Gram-negative (GN) bacteria, resistant patterns were A. baumannii and E. aerogenes to 12, C. freundii to 14, E. coli to 12, K. pneumoniae to 10, P. mirabilis to 11, and P. aeruginosa to 15 antibiotics of the 18 antibiotics used. The most effective 15 spices, having at least 25–29mm as the size of the zone of inhibition, were Allium cepa, Brassica juncea, Cinnamomum tamala, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, Coriandrum sativum, Cuminum cyminum, Curcuma longa, Mentha spicata, Murraya koenigii, Nigella sativa, Papaver somniferum, Piper nigrum, S. aromaticum, Trachyspermum ammi, and Trigonella foenum for at least one of the GP or GN MDR bacterial strains used. Moderate control capacity was registered by nine spices, Curcuma amada, Foeniculum vulgare, Illicium verum, Mentha spicata, Papaver somniferum, Syzygium aromaticum, Trachyspermum ammi, Trigonella foenum, and Zingiber officinale. However, the best two spices for controlling all the pathogens used were C. zeylanicum and C. longa, with the highest value of 29mm as the inhibition zone size. ConclusionThe most effective and unique 16 spice plants recorded for the in vitro control of MDR uropathogens could further be pursued for the development of complementary and supplementary medicine against MDR bacteria.

Selected spices and their combination modulate hypercholesterolemia-induced oxidative stress in experimental rats.

BackgroundEffect of aqueous extracts of Allium sativum (garlic), Zingiber officinale (ginger), Capsicum fructensces (cayenne pepper) and their mixture on oxidative stress in rats fed high Cholesterol/high fat diet was investigated. Rats were randomly distributed into six groups (n = 6) and given different dietary/spice treatments. Group 1 standard rat chow (control), group 2, hypercholesterolemic diet plus water, and groups 3, 4, 5, 6, hypercholesterolemic diet with 0.5 ml 200 mg · kg-1 aqueous extracts of garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper or their mixture respectively daily for 4 weeks.ResultsPronounced oxidative stress in the hypercholesterolemic rats evidenced by significant (p < 0.05) increase in MDA levels, and suppression of the antioxidant enzymes system in rat’s liver, kidney, heart and brain tissues was observed. Extracts of spices singly or combined administered at 200 mg.kg-1 body weight significantly (p < 0.05) reduced MDA levels and restored activities of antioxidant enzymes.ConclusionsIt is concluded that consumption of garlic, ginger, pepper, or their mixture may help to modulate oxidative stress caused by hypercholesterolemia in rats.

Impact of sensory feed additives on feed intake, feed preferences, and growth of female piglets during the early postweaning period1

Our study aimed at investigating the effect of feed supplementation, from weaning, with 3 sensory feed additives (FA1, FA2, and FA3) on feed preferences, feed intake, and growth of piglets. The FA1 contained extract of Stevia rebaudiana (10 to 20%), extract of high-saponin plants (5 to 10%), and excipients (70 to 85%), the FA2 was mainly composed of a natural extract of Citrus sinensis (60 to 80%), and the FA3 was made of a blend of extracts of hot-flavored spices (5 to 15%) and excipients (85 to 95%). At weaning (d 1), a total of 32 female piglets housed in individual pens were allocated to 4 treatments (FA1, FA2, FA3, and control [CON]) of equivalent mean weight. The pigs were fed a standard pelleted prestarter diet from weaning (d 1) to d 15 and a starter diet from d 16 to 28. The diets were supplemented with the feed additives (FA) corresponding to their treatment, while the CON treatment was the standard diets with no additive. Feed refusals were weighed daily and piglets were weighed weekly on d 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28. On the day of feed transition (d 16) as well as 7 (d 23) and 10 d (d 26) later, the animals were consecutively subjected to 1- and 22-h double-choice feeding tests to investigate their preferences during a short period and a longer period of time for the CON starter diet and the starter diet added with the FA corresponding to their treatment. No overall effect of the feed additives was observed on ADFI, ADG, G:F, and final BW. No overall preference was highlighted for the FA1 treatment, except for a preference for the FA1 starter diet during the 1-h test on d 23 (78% of total feed intake; P < 0.01). For the FA2 treatment, the pigs consumed the FA2 starter diet more than the CON starter diet during the 22-h tests on d 16 (67% of total feed intake; P < 0.05) and 26 (62% of total feed intake; P < 0.01). For the FA3 treatment, on d 26, the FA3 starter diet was and tended to be consumed more than the CON starter diet during 1- (69% of total intake; P < 0.05) and 22-h (60% of total intake; P < 0.10) tests, respectively. In conclusion, feed supplementation with the FA1, FA2, and FA3 from weaning did not induce beneficial effects on feed intake and growth performance during the early postweaning period. The FA2 increased palatability and acceptance of the unfamiliar starter diet the day of feed transition, while the FA1 and FA3 increased palatability of the starter diet only after a few days of exposure, most likely through long-term familiarization processes.

Bio protection and preservation of raw beef meat using pungent aromatic plant substances

This study examined the effectiveness of three individual spice (clove, cinnamon and oregano) extracts and their combinations in raw beef meat during refrigerated storage. Meat samples were monitored for microbiological (total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, Brochothrix thermosphacta and Pseudomonas spp.) and physicochemical (pH, colour and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS)) attributes. Samples treated with the combination of all three spice extracts showed lower bacterial counts and better L*, a* and b* values among treated samples during the storage period. Positive and negative control samples had the highest TBARS values at the end of the storage period. With the addition of spice extracts, TBARS values in raw beef samples were retarded effectively (P < 0.05) compared with control samples, especially when the combination of all three spice extracts was used. The results of this study show that spice extracts were effective in inhibiting the growth of microbial populations and retarding lipid oxidation during refrigerated storage (4 °C) of raw beef meat. They also suggest that combinations of these extracts may have potential as natural preservatives in raw meat products.

Management of post-harvest fruit spoilage fungi by some potential spice extracts

The experiment was carried out to evaluate the antifungal potential of aqueous and ethanolic extracts of four spices (Allium sativum, Zingiber officinale, Cinnamomum zeylanicum and Capsicum annuum) against the important post-harvest spoilage fungi isolated from diseased fruits. In total, 276 isolates of post-harvest spoilage fungi were isolated from four different fruit types (Persea americana, Musa acuminata, Citrus sinensis and Lycopersicon esculentum), out of which 183 isolates were identified while 93 isolates were remain unidentified. The most dominant post-harvest spoilage fungus was Rhizopus sp. (26.45%), followed by Penicillium sp. (19.93%), Aspergillus sp. (10.86%) and Fusarium sp. (9.06%). Results of disc diffusion assay showed that ethanolic extract of C. zeylanicum was found to be most effective against Penicillium sp., followed by aqueous extracts of A. sativum. The ethanolic extract of C. zeylanicum in agar amended assay and minimal inhibitory concentrations were found to be very efficient (100% inhibition) against all the tested fungi. Results of in vivo study showed that pre-inoculated C. zeylanicum ethanolic extract and A. sativum aqueous extract were found effective in reducing the disease severity (6.24–13.67%) and (7.91–13.15%) against the Penicillium, Rhizopus, Aspergillus and Fusarium sp.

Corrosion Inhibition of Aluminium Alloy in 0.75 M KOH Alkaline Solution Using Xylopia aethiopica Seed Extract

The present study investigated the corrosion inhibition of Al alloy in 0.75 M KOH solution at room temperature usingX. aethiopicaseed extract. Gravimetric technique was employed in the study. It was revealed that the presence of the spice extract in the test solution retards the corrosion rate. The calculated inhibition efficiency from the inhibitor surface coverage was observed to increase linearly with the inhibitor concentration . The consideration of the Langmuir adsorption isotherm indicated that the mechanism of adsorption is Physisorption. Temkin isotherm models explained that there were lateral attractions of the inhibitor molecules on the Al alloy surface. Flory -Huggins isotherm model confirms that there is bulky displacement of water molecules on the metal surface due to the presence of the inhibitor molecules.

Modification of enzymatic and non-enzymatic in vitro oxidative defence system by bioaccessible phytonutrients of selected spices

The bioaccessibility and bioactivity of spice polyphenols using the in vitro model simulating gastro-intestinal conditions and intestinal absorption has been investigated.The amount of bioaccessible polyphenols, flavonoids and phenolic acids increases during gastrointestinal digestion. All dialysates obtained after digestion were characterized by lower content of phenolics compounds in a comparison with digested samples but higher in comparison with raw material. It was found that compounds obtained after simulated digestion and absorbed showed significantly higher antioxidant potential than raw materials. Additionally, absorbed extracts of spices significantly modified the activity of enzymes involved in the enzymatic defence system (activation of superoxide dismutase and catalase) and activity of prooxidant enzymes (inhibition of lipoxygenase and xanthine oxidase).Our results suggest that the gastro-intestinal tract may act as an extractor where polyphenols are progressively released from solid matrix and made available for the absorption or to exert their biological effects in the gastro-intestinal tract.

Quality Characteristics, Nutraceutical Profile, and Storage Stability of Aloe Gel-Papaya Functional Beverage Blend.

Aloe vera gel, well known for its nutraceutical potential, is being explored as a functional ingredient in a wide array of health foods and drinks. Processing of exotic fruits and herbal botanicals into functional beverage is an emerging sector in food industry. The present study was undertaken to develop a spiced functional RTS beverage blend using Aloe gel (AG) and papaya. Aloe gel (30%), papaya pulp (15%), spice extract (5%), and citric acid (0.1%) were mixed in given proportion to prepare the blend with TSS of 15 °Brix. The product was bottled, pasteurized, and stored at room temperature. The quality characteristics and storage stability of the spiced beverage blend (SAGPB) were compared with spiced papaya RTS beverage (SPB). Periodic analysis was carried out up to five months for various physicochemical parameters, sugar profile, bioactive compounds, microbial quality, instrumental color, and sensory acceptability. The SAGPB exhibited superior quality characteristics compared to SPB both in fresh and in stored samples. The SPB was acceptable up to four months and SAGPB for five months. The results indicate that nutraceutical rich AG could be successfully utilized to develop functional fruit beverages with improved quality and shelf life.

Effect of Some Spices Essential Oil and Extracts on Fermentation of Capers Buds

Effect of Some Spices Essential Oil and Extracts on Fermentation of Capers Buds