Types Of Spices Research Articles

Prevalence of Salmonella in 11 Spices Offered for Sale from Retail Establishments and in Imported Shipments Offered for Entry to the United States

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration conducted a survey to evaluate Salmonella prevalence and aerobic plate counts in packaged (dried) spices offered for sale at retail establishments in the United States. The study included 7,250 retail samples of 11 spice types that were collected during November 2013 to September 2014 and October 2014 to March 2015. No Salmonella-positive samples (based on analysis of 125 g) were found among retail samples of cumin seed (whole or ground), sesame seed (whole, not roasted or toasted, and not black), and white pepper (ground or cracked), for prevalence estimates of 0.00% with 95% Clopper and Pearson's confidence intervals of 0.00 to 0.67%, 0.00 to 0.70%, and 0.00 to 0.63%, respectively. Salmonella prevalence estimates (confidence intervals) for the other eight spice types were 0.19% (0.0048 to 1.1%) for basil leaf (whole, ground, crushed, or flakes), 0.24% (0.049 to 0.69%) for black pepper (whole, ground, or cracked), 0.56% (0.11 to 1.6%) for coriander seed (ground), 0.19% (0.0049 to 1.1%) for curry powder (ground mixture of spices), 0.49% (0.10 to 1.4%) for dehydrated garlic (powder, granules, or flakes), 0.15% (0.0038 to 0.83%) for oregano leaf (whole, ground, crushed, or flakes), 0.25% (0.03 to 0.88%) for paprika (ground or cracked), and 0.64% (0.17 to 1.6%) for red pepper (hot red pepper, e.g., chili, cayenne; ground, cracked, crushed, or flakes). Salmonella isolates were serotyped, and genomes were sequenced. Samples of these same 11 spice types were also examined from shipments of imported spices offered for entry to the United States from 1 October 2011 to 30 September 2015. Salmonella prevalence estimates (based on analysis of two 375-g composite samples) for shipments of imported spices were 1.7 to 18%. The Salmonella prevalence estimates for spices offered for sale at retail establishments for all of the spice types except dehydrated garlic and basil were significantly lower than estimates for shipments of imported spice offered for entry.

Ozone in the food industry: Principles of ozone treatment, mechanisms of action, and applications: An overview

ABSTRACTThe food contamination issue requires continuous control of food at each step of the production process. High quality and safety of products are equally important factors in the food industry. They may be achieved with several, more or less technologically advanced methodologies. In this work, we review the role, contribution, importance, and impact of ozone as a decontaminating agent used to control and eliminate the presence of microorganisms in food products as well as to extend their shelf-life and remove undesirable odors. Several researchers have been focusing on the ozone's properties and applications, proving that ozone treatment technology can be applied to all types of foods, from fruits, vegetables, spices, meat, and seafood products to beverages. A compilation of those works, presented in this review, can be a useful tool for establishing appropriate ozone treatment conditions, and factors affecting the improved quality and safety of food products. A critical evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of ozone in the context of its application in the food industry is presented as well.

Incidence of Fungal Flora and Aflatoxin in Some Spices Sold in Central Market, Funtua, Nigeria

Spices get contaminated with fungi and aflatoxin due to poor agricultural and storage practices. A total of 42 dried, raw, powdered and processed samples representing fourteen different types of spices were randomly collected in new polythene bags from Funtua Central Market, Nigeria and were screened for fungi and aflatoxin contaminations. The spices were Clove, African nutmeg, Ashanti pepper, Candlewood, Ethiopian pepper, Pineapple of the bush, Ginger, Garlic,Chillies,Kajiji,Thyme, Chilli powder (yaji), Curry and Locust bean (Dadawa). Fungi were isolated on Potato Dextrose Agar by Agar plate method for dried and raw samples and Standard Dilution Plate method for powdered samples. Seven fungal species were isolated and identified as Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, A. fumigatus, Rhizoctonia sp, Mucor hiemalis, Rhizopus stolonifer and Nigrospora sphaerica. Percentage occurrence of fungal species ranged from 0.8% to 50.4%. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used for aflatoxin determination. Aflatoxin was only detected in 4 out of 14 spices (28.6%) namely garlic (3.3µg/kg), Ethiopian pepper (5.7µg/kg), chillies (16.6µg/kg) and African nutmeg (17.2µg/kg). African nutmeg and chillies had aflatoxin levels above maximum acceptable limit of 10µg/kg set by EU and NAFDAC are therefore, not safe for human consumption.

Detection and Determination of Bacillus cereus in Cooked Rice and Some Types of Spices with Ribosomal 16SrRNA gene Selected from Iraqi Public Restaurants

Detection and Determination of Bacillus cereus in Cooked Rice and Some Types of Spices with Ribosomal 16SrRNA gene Selected from Iraqi Public Restaurants

Alzheimer's Disease and Natural Products: Future Regimens Emerging from Nature.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), which largely affects the elderly, has become a global burden. Patients with AD have both short- and long-term memory impairments. The neuronal loss in AD occurs due to abnormally folded amyloid beta proteins and aggregation of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins in the brain. Eventually, amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles are formed, which subsequently disintegrate the neuronal transport system. There are several factors which are involved in AD pathogenesis, including oxidative stress, inflammation and the presence of metal ions. The modern therapies utilized for AD treatment have many adverse effects, driving the quest for more safe and effective medications. Many dietary components, including different types of fruits, vegetables, spices, and marine products as well as a Mediterranean diet, are a good source of antioxidants and have anti-inflammatory properties, with many showing substantial potential against AD pathogenesis. In this review, we discuss the potential of these foods for treating AD and opportunities for developing disease-targeted drugs from active compounds extracted from natural dietary products.

Aflatoxins in mesir paste

ABSTRACTIn this research, 42 mesir paste samples produced by a limited number of manufacturers in Manisa, Turkey, were analysed for aflatoxin content by high-performance liquid chromatography with a fluorescence detector after pre-separation using immunoaffinity columns. A good correlation was found with good performance in terms of precision for the method. Limit of detection-limit of quantitation of AFG2-AFB2 and AFG1-AFB1 were 0.05/0.15 and 0.03/0.09 µg/kg, respectively. AFG2, AFG1 and AFB1 were detected in 29%, 71% and 52% samples, whereas AFB2 was not detected in any sample. AFtotal, AFG2, AFG1 and AFB1 content varied between 0.04/10.20 µg/kg, 0.07/0.42 µg/kg, 2.02/10.11 µg/kg and 0.04/0.11 µg/kg, respectively. About 9.5% of samples were found to be above the maxium limit (ML) for AFtotal (10 µg/kg), but none of samples exceeded the ML for AFB1 (5 µg/kg) as set by the European Union for spices. According to the results, it was concluded that traditional products like mesir paste which contains different types of spices should be examined in terms of aflatoxins.

Impact of Pre-Ozonation on Mechanical Properties of Selected Genotypes of Cucumber Fruits During the Souring Process

ABSTRACTCucumber souring is a process mediated by a microorganisms present on the surface of cucumber fruits. Sour pickles are fresh cucumbers that have been poured over with a sodium chloride solution and various types of spices. In the present research, pre-ozonated and control cucumber fruits were subjected to the souring processes. It was observed that ozone treatment had no negative impact on the quality of the fruit before the souring process. Moreover, sour pickles after pre-ozonation had better mechanic and sensory properties than the control.

Health Threats from Contamination of Spices Commercialized in Romania: Risks of Fungal and Bacterial Infections.

The study of fungal contamination in food and mycotoxicoses is a priority today, both internationally and nationally. The purpose of this study is to have a general view over the quality of the most common spices that are sold in Romanian markets, by assessing the degree of fungal, bacterial and mycotoxin contamination in pepper and chili powders. We tested four types of spices: white pepper, black pepper, sweet and hot chili powders from 12 different distributing companies, summing a total of 35 sample types. The fungal and bacterial load was assessed by Standard Plate Count, while the mycotoxin content by High-performance liquid chromatography. Environmental conditions (humidity, pH) and the selling price for each product were also followed. Fungi were observed in 72.7% of black pepper samples, 33.3% in white pepper, 30% in sweet chili and 25% in hot chili products. The most common isolated fungus was Aspergillus spp., while Rhizopus, Mucor, Fusarium, Penicillium, Absidia species were found, in smaller percentage. Four producers (44.4%) presented fungal contamination of over 10^3 CFU/g and two producers (22.2%) presented no fungal contamination in their products. Bacterial contamination was found in 85.7% of the tested products, consisting mostly in Bacillus spp. Aflatoxin B1 was present in all the tested products, mostly in black pepper (mean value 126.3 ng/g); Ochratoxin A was present in sweet chili (mean value 328 ng/g) and Zearalenone in hot chili (mean value 604 ng/g) and sweet chili (mean value 382 ng/g). All spices presented either fungal contamination, mycotoxin contamination, or both. The high humidity and the high pH of spices represent favorable conditions for fungal growth. The selling price was partly related to the physic-chemical conditions and microbiological quality of the spices.

Mycobiota and Aflatoxin Contaminations of Some Spices and Condiments Sold in Katsina Central Market, Nigeria

Spices and condiments get contaminated with fungi and aflatoxin due to poor agricultural and storage practices. A total of 42 dried, raw, powdered and processed samples representing fourteen different types of spices and condiments were randomly collected in new polythene bags from Katsina central market (Katsina town) and were screened for fungi and aflatoxin contaminations. These were Clove, African nutmeg, Ashanti pepper, Candlewood, Ethiopian pepper, Pineapple of the bush, Ginger, Garlic, Chillies, Kajiji, Thyme, Chilli powder (yaji), Curry and Locust bean (Dadawa). Fungi was isolated on Potato Dextros Agar by Agar plate method for dried and raw samples and Standard Dilution Plate method for powdered samples. Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) was used for aflatoxin determination. Ten fungal spp were isolated and identified as Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, A. fumigatus, A. versicolor, A. niger, Mucor hiemalis, Rhizopus stolonifer, Phoma glomerata, Penicillium citrinum and Nigrospora sphaerica. Percentage occurrence of fungal species ranged from 1.8 % for Nigrospora sphaerica to 35.7 % for A. parasiticus.. Eight out of 14 spices and condiments (57.1%) contained total aflatoxin ranging from 0.7- >20µg/kg. Two of these (14.2%) namely clove (>20 µg/kg ), and ginger (11.6 µg/kg) had aflatoxin levels above maximum acceptable limit of 10µg/kg set by European Union and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control and are therefore, not safe for human consumption.

Detection and Determination of Bacillus Cereus in Cooked Rice and Some Types of Spices with Ribosomal 16SrRNA Gene Selected from Iraqi Public Restaurantsb

Detection and Determination of Bacillus Cereus in Cooked Rice and Some Types of Spices with Ribosomal 16SrRNA Gene Selected from Iraqi Public Restaurantsb

Assessment of the microbiological safety of some spices and raw vegetables in Tehran caterings

Nowadays, foodborne illnesses in public places like fast foods and caterings are one of the majority issues in development and retarded countries. Presence of some microorganism in this food segment is undesirable and upset for human health and increasing some pathogenic risks like sallmonelosis, hemorrahagic colitis and things like that. The aim of this study was to evaluate the Assessment of the microbiological safety of some spices and raw vegetables in Tehran caterings. In this cross-sectional survey, some microbial experiments of and 5 types of spices and 6 kinds of raw vegetables randomly collected from different caterings in Tehran, Iran. After that, all of the samples were analyzed for determination of total microbial, mold and fungi, salmonella, E. coli and parasite eggs count for spices and Shigella, E.coli, Salmonella, S.aureus and Enterococcus for raw vegetable, respectively. Parasitic pollution was detected in all of the spice samples. Result obtained pointed that salmonella and E.coli contamination were negative in all spice samples. The presence of S.auerus, Shigella, Salmonella, Enterococcus and E.coli is observed on samples of vegetables. The present paper indicated that high potential hazard of microbial contamination in caterings industry, therefore this segment needy to more attention about implementation of some food standard to avoided foodborne illnesses.

Determination of the antioxidant capacity of the micellar extracts of spices in Brij® 35 medium by differential pulse voltammetry

It was established that the micellar extracts of spices are electrochemically active on a glassy carbon electrode modified with cerium dioxide nanoparticles in a 0.02 M Brij® 35 in the presence of a phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4) under the conditions of differential pulse voltammetry. The number of oxidation steps and their potentials vary over a wide range depending on the type of spice. A number of the oxidation peaks of the micellar extracts of spices were identified based on the oxidation potentials of the following individual antioxidants: gallic acid, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, thymol, eugenol, vanillin, syringaldehyde, capsaicin, rutin, quercetin, catechin, tannin, and curcumin. The contribution of the main antioxidants to the amperometric response of the extracts was confirmed by the standard addition method. A procedure for the voltammetric determination of the antioxidant capacity of the extracts of spices based on the oxidation of their antioxidants was developed. The antioxidant capacity of spices was evaluated from the total area of the oxidation steps in units of gallic acid, whose analytical range, detection limit, and determination limit were 50–2490, 11.9, and 39.6 μM, respectively. Twenty types of spices were analyzed. Positive correlations of the antioxidant capacity with the ferric reducing power and the antioxidant activity (r = 0.8971 and 0.9127, respectively at r crit = 0.497) were found.

SPICE Modeling of Advanced Silicon Carbide High Temperature Integrated Circuits

Due to the wide band-gap and high thermal conductivity of the 4H polytype of silicon carbide (SiC) as well as the maturity of this polytype’s fabrication processes, 4H-SiC offers an extremely attractive wide bandgap semiconductor technology for harsh environment applications spanning a variety of markets. To this end, 4H-SiC power electronics is gradually emerging as the technology of choice for next-generation power electronics; however, relatively limited progress has been made with regards to silicon carbide integrated circuits (ICs). We address this problem by developing fabrication and design methods for the SiC IC components themselves, as well as complementary SPICE type compact models for these components, and thereby facilitate the development of future SiC ICs and Process Design Kits (PDKs).

Contamination of common spices by aflatoxigenic fungi and aflatoxin B1in Algeria

Spices are usually produced in areas where the climatic conditions are favourable to growth of toxigenic fungi and production of mycotoxins. This study assesses the occurrence of aflatoxigenic fungi and aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in spices marketed in Algeria. A total of 44 spice samples (4 for each type of spice) composed of aniseed, black pepper, caraway, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, ginger, red pepper, saffron, sweet cumin, and sweet pepper were collected from four popular markets located in Algeria. Mycological analysis of the spice was by dilution plating while AFB1 contamination levels were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) after post-column derivatisation. The commonly isolated fungi were species of Aspergillus (56.4%), Penicillium (25.1%), Mucor (12.8%) and Eurotium (5.7%). Species belonging to Aspergillus section Flavi represented 28.9% of the total Aspergilli. The aflatoxin producing ability of isolates belonging to Aspergillus section Flavi was determined on coconut agar medium and confirmed by thin layer chromatography and HPLC-FLD. Ninety-four isolates (38.4%) of the 245 Aspergillus section Flavi examined produced aflatoxins. The most frequent chemotypes (84%) correspond to isolates able to produce both aflatoxin B and cyclopiazonic acid followed by the producers of only aflatoxin B. Twenty-three (63.9%) of the 36 spices contained AFB1 at levels ranging from 0.10 to 26.50 μg/kg. Two saffron (24.34 and 26.50 μg/kg) and two sweet cumin (14.65 and 19.07 μg/kg) samples were above the Algerian regulatory limit of 10 μg/kg. This work represents the first report about the occurrence of aflatoxigenic fungi and AFB1 in the common spices in Algeria.

A Novel Approach Proposed for Human Recognition using GAIT

Gait recognition is used to recognize the human by his/her walking styles. It is used in biometric authentication system, the gait is the walking sequence of human and another type of spices. In the previous methodologies a change of viewing angle causes a significant challenge for gait recognition. Proposed methodology, formulate a framework to estimate the view angle of each probe gait sequence. In this method, each gait image is represented as a set of dual-tree complex wavelet transform (DTCWT) features derived from different scales and orientations together with the x-y coordinates. The proposed representation technique is capable of capturing variations. Features extraction is done using Hough Transform. Then using the similarity of features we can recognize the person details. For classification, SVM classifier is used.

Literature Review of Spices Used in Cookbooks Published in 1400~1700s

This study aimed to characterize the use of spices in Korean cookbooks published from the 1400`s to 1700`s. We conducted a content analysis of seven old cookbooks (Sangayorok, Suunjapbang, Eumsikdimibang), Yorok, Jubangmun, Somunsaseol, and Jeungbosallimgyeongje). We collected a total of 238 food recipes, including spices as ingredients. We analyzed the types of spices used and characteristics of the recipes according to 18 dish groups. As results, a total of 10 spices were used as ingredient: ginger, pepper, Chinese pepper, garlic, sesame, chili, mustard, cinnamon, fennel, and clove. Among 238 food recipes analyzed, ginger was used most often (40.3%), followed by pepper (36.1%), Chinese pepper (30.3%), garlic (17.2%), and so on. In particular, chili was used in 18 different kinds of food recipes, which were Somunsaseol and Jeungbosallimgyeongje published in 1700s. Spices were used in different dish groups mostly as condiments. Among 18 dish groups, Chimchae was the most frequent dish group (44 recipes), followed by Jjim Seon (31 recipes), Jang Yangnyeom (20 recipes) and rice cake cookie (20 recipes). Pepper or Chinese pepper were the most frequently used spices in all food groups except Chimchae, Hoe, Jang Yangnyeom and rice cake cookie, in which garlic, ginger, sesame and ginger were used most frequently, respectively.

Study on Tenderizing Method of Beef Based on Old Literature from Joseon Dynasty

Records regarding beef cuisine and its tenderization were identified in 38 publications. Old cookbooks, agricultural texts, and Joseon`s encyclopedias addressed the subject 411 times. The beef recipe was as follows: cutting 184 times, seasoning 112 times, moist heat cooking 196 times, dry heat cooking 129 times, and drying off 33 times. Recipe also used main ingredients 194 times, sub ingredients 203 times, garnish eight times, and stock six times. Regarding seasoning and flavoring materials, there were a total of 41 types of spices, tenderizers, and others written 839 times. There are two main types of tenderizing beef: physical and chemical methods. A total of 18 types of natural tenderizers were written 57 times in the recipe.

Rep-PCR typing of Staphylococcus spp. strains in meat paste production line and identification of their origin

A meat paste production line and its microbial parameters have been evaluated in single Czech company. The raw meat paste samples before heat treatment were tested positively for the presence of three staphylococci species: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus haemolyticus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. Subsequent microbial analysis of meat paste components and ingredients (fresh meat, water, spices, equipment) identified only the spices used as positive for S. aureus (coriander, cinnamon, badian, mustard – (10 - 40 cfu/g)) and S. haemolyticus strains (juniper, ginger). The collection of sixteen collected strains (S. aureus (n = 4), S. haemolyticus (n = 4), S. epidermidis (n = 8)) has been typed with the rep-PCR method utilising (GTG)5 primer. Analysis of the fingerprints using the unweighted pair-group method using arithmetic averages (UPGMA) clustering method revealed presence of eleven strain clusters with similarity lower than 90%: two fingerprint clusters of S. aureus, three individual clusters characteristic for S. haemolyticus and six different S. epidermidis specific clusters. The S. aureus strains from different types of spice were identical, resp. very similar. Molecular tracking composed from the rep-PCR analysis of acquired isolates and comparison among all collected fingerprints confirmed the spices to be the source of both S. aureus and S. haemolyticus strains identified in raw meat paste. The additional rep-PCR analysis of the S. epidermidis collection confirmed usability and performance of this method. The antibiotic susceptibility to fourteen individual antibiotics has been examined among the collected staphylococci strains. The predominant erythromycin resistance (68.8%) was followed with the resistance to amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (56.2%). Other resistances observed were less frequent (clindamycin – 12.5%, oxacillin – 6.3%, tetracycline – 6.3%, sulphamethoxazole-trimethoprim – 6.3%, chloramphenicol – 6.3%, novobiocin – 6.3%). As shown by our experimental results, rep-PCR with the (GTG)5 primer is an applicable tool for typing of bacterial strains and may be used for identifying the source of contamination.

Mycobiota and Natural Incidence of Aflatoxins, Ochratoxin A, and Citrinin in Indian Spices Confirmed by LC-MS/MS.

Nine different Indian spices (red chilli, black pepper, turmeric, coriander, cumin, fennel, caraway, fenugreek, and dry ginger) commonly cultivated and highly used in India were analysed for natural occurrence of toxigenic mycoflora and aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), and citrinin (CTN) contamination. Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus niger were the most dominant species isolated from all types of spices. Red chilli samples were highly contaminated with aflatoxins (85.4%) followed by dry ginger (77.7%). 56% Aspergillus flavus from red chilli and 45% Aspergillus ochraceus from black pepper were toxigenic and produced aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, respectively. Qualitative detection and quantitative detection of mycotoxins in spices were analyzed by ELISA and further confirmed by LC-MS/MS. Penicillium citrinum produced citrinin in red chilli, black pepper, coriander, cumin, fenugreek, and dry ginger samples. The highest amount of AFs was found in red chilli (219.6 ng/g), OTA was in black pepper (154.1 ng/g), and CTN was in dry ginger samples (85.1 ng/g). The results of this study suggest that the spices are susceptible substrate for growth of mycotoxigenic fungi and further mycotoxin production. This is the first report of natural occurrence of citrinin in black pepper and dry ginger from India.

Electrical characteristics of a novel interposer technique using ultra-low-resistivity silicon-pillars with polymer insulation as TSVs

In this paper, a novel silicon interposer technique using silicon pillars with ultra-low-resistivity as the conductor while polymer Benzocyclobutene (BCB) as liner layer is proposed. Fabrication flow of the proposed interposer structure is developed and implemented. Electrical performances, including transmission performance and signal distortion characteristics, are investigated and presented using 3D full wave simulator and SPICE type circuit simulator such as ANSYS’s HFSS software and Agilent’s ADS software, respectively. The impacts of geometric parameters and resistivity of silicon substrate on electrical characterizations are investigated in both frequency domain and time domain. Results show that the proposed interposer has comparable electrical performances such as return loss and insertion loss with conventional Cu-based through-silicon-via (TSV) structure in frequency region from 0.1GHz to 10GHz, despite of slight degradation at low frequency, but it involves a much simpler and more feasible process flow compared with the latter technique.