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Food commodities are often contaminated by microbial pathogens in transit or during storage. Hence, mitigation of these pathogens is necessary to ensure the safety of food commodities. Globally, researchers used botanicals as natural additives to preserve food commodities from bio-deterioration, and advances were made to meet users' acceptance in this domain, as synthetic preservatives are associated with harmful effects to both consumers and environments. Over the last century, the genus Curcuma has been used in traditional medicine, and its crude and nanoencapsulated essential oils (EOs) and curcuminoids were used to combat harmful pathogens that deteriorate stored foods. Today, more research is needed for solving the problem of pathogen resistance in food commodities and to meet consumer demands. Therefore, Curcuma -based botanicals may provide a source of natural preservatives for food commodities that satisfy the needs both of the food industry and the consumers. Hence, this article discusses the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of EOs and curcuminoids derived from the genus Curcuma . Further, the action modes of Curcuma- based botanicals are explained, and the latest advances in nanoencapsulation of these compounds in food systems are discussed alongside knowledge gaps and safety assessment where the focus of future research should be placed.

Background: Aloe vera is commonly used in the primary health care of human beings since time immemorial. It is an herb widely used in various traditional systems of medicine worldwide. Systematic and scientific investigation on A. vera as a medicinal plant has drawn considerable attention, and many laboratories are involved in isolation, characterization and evaluation of phytoconstituents for their nutraceutical and pharmaceutical applications., Purpose: The aim of this study was to provide an overview of the phytochemical, biological and medicinal attributes of A. vera against various diseases with special emphasis on underlying mechanisms of action., Methods: PubMed, EBOSCO host, Science Direct, Scopus, and Cochrane library databases were utilized to search literature published between1977 and 2019 (till March). Major keywords used in various combinations included: Aloe vera, phytochemistry, metabolism, pharmacological activity, prevention, treatment, health, disease, in vivo, in vitro, and clinical studies., Results: Various biological and pharmacological activities of A. vera, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory, antimicrobial, antiviral, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, anticancer, and skin-protective and wound-healing responses, have been attributed to the presence of many active compounds, including anthraquinones, anthrones, chromones, flavonoids, amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals., Conclusion: Based on various preclinical studies, A. vera constituents have enormous potential to prevent and treat various diseases. Randomized clinical trials are needed to understand the full therapeutic potential of this unique medicinal plant., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.)

Present communication reports the scientific evaluation of Tinospora cordifolia for its medicinal efficacy which includes phytochemical screening, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of the plant. Secondary metabolites including anthraquinones, terpenoids, and saponins were present in many extracts in addition to phenolics. Total phenol contents in various extracts were found in the range of 8.75-52.50 catechol equivalent per gram (CE/g). In disc diffusion assays, polar extracts exhibited considerable inhibition against Klebsiella pneumoniae. Several other extracts also showed antibacterial activity against pathogenic strains of E. coli, Pseudomonas spp., and Proteus spp. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of potential extracts were found between 1.29 and 22.73 mg/mL. The lowest MBC (1.29 mg/mL) was recorded for acetone and ethyl acetate extracts against K. pneumoniae and Pseudomonas spp., respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was comparable to that of standard antioxidants and concentration-dependent response was shown in reducing power assay. Aqueous extracts demonstrated substantial metal ion chelating activity (67-95%) at lower concentrations (10-40 μ g/mL). Other extracts also exhibited considerable metal chelating response. Most of the extracts revealed considerable inhibition of MCF-7 cancer cell line. The study established remarkable antibacterial, antioxidant, and anticancer potential in T. cordifolia stem extracts.

Three essential oils extracted from three samples ofArtemisia vulgarisL. (AV1, AV2, AV3) collected from three places of Garhwal region of Uttarakhand Himalaya (India) were evaluated for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. All the essential oil samples showed substantial antioxidant activity at 60 μL, chiefly essential oil sample AV2 showed highest activity (79.03 and 73.50 %) during both β-carotene bleaching and DPPH bioassays, respectively. The oil sample AV2 also exhibited highest antimicrobial potential against all the bacterial and fungal species with range of 19.50-23.23 mm zone of inhibition against tested 5 bacterial strains and with 72.40-82.50 % range of percent mycelial inhibition against 5 tested fungal species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Excessive production of free radicals has been implicated in many diseases including cancer. They are highly reactive and bring about oxidation of biomolecules i.e., proteins, lipids and nucleic acids which are associated with many degenerative diseases. Natural products acting as antioxidants have ability to neutralize free radicals and their actions and hence they mitigate their harmful effects. The present study was designed to investigate pharmacological properties viz., antioxidant, antibacterial and antiproliferative activities of cinnamaldehyde and eugenol, the two naturally occurring phenylpropanoids present in Cinnamomum spp. and other plants. Methods: The antioxidant potential of test compounds was evaluated by measuring DPPH free radical scavenging, reducing power and metal ion chelating activities. Protection against membrane damage was assayed by inhibition of lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenate. Antibacterial activity was measured by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method while antiproliferative activity of test compounds was measured by sulforhodamine-B (SRB) assay. Results: Eugenol exhibited noticeable antioxidant potential in DPPH radical scavenging (81 %) and reducing power (1.12) assays at 1.0 µM/ml and 0.1 µM/ml concentrations, respectively. IC50 value of eugenol for radical scavenging activity was found to be 0.495 µM/ml. Cinnamaldehyde demonstrated considerable metal ion chelating ability (75 %) at 50 µM/ml and moderate lipo-protective activity in lipid peroxidation assay at 3 µM/ml. In addition cinnamaldehyde also showed appreciable antibacterial activity (zone of inhibition 32-42 mm) against Bacillus cereus (MTCC 6840), Streptococcus mutans (MTCC 497), Proteus vulgaris (MTCC 7299), Salmonella typhi (MTCC 3917) and Bordetella bronchiseptica (MTCC 6838) while eugenol produced moderate activity at 80 µM/disc. Cinnamaldehyde exhibited comparatively better antiproliferative potential against breast (T47D) and lung (NCI-H322) cancer cell lines than eugenol in SRB assay at 50 µM concentration. Conclusion: Cinnamaldehyde possessed metal ion chelating, lipo-protective, antibacterial and antiproliferative activities while eugenol showed potent H-atom donating potential indicating radical quenching and reducing power abilities. Medicinal attributes shown by both the compounds indicated their usefulness in food and pharmaceutical sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aerial parts of Nepeta hindostana (Roth) Haines collected from Gorakhpur Division, U. P., India possessed an essential oil in 0.42% yield. GC and GC-MS analysis of the oil revealed recognition of thirty three compounds, representing 91.0% (area percent) of the total oil composition. Oil was rich in sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, exhibited higher percentage of (E) β- farnesene (10.4%) followed by ageratochromene (9.7%), spiro [4.5] decan-1-one, 6-hydroxy (9.5%), β-caryophyllene (8.6%) and spiro [4.5] decan-6-ol, 6-methyl (8.2%). At 60 μL, oil showed 80.7% antioxidant activity by β-carotene bioassay (IC50 = 8 μL) and 73.4% by DPPH free radical scavenging bioassay (IC50 = 8.5 μL). Furthermore, the oil was tested for its antimicrobial activity in opposition to five plant and human pathogenic bacteria namely Bacillus subtilis, Erwinia herbicola, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas putida, Salmonella typhi and six post-harvest fungi such as Aspergillus flavus Link., A. niger van Tieghem, A. ochraceus Wilhelm, A. terreus Thom, Fusarium nivale (Fries) Cesati and F. oxysporum Schlecht. The oil was found to be more efficacious for E. coli, Erw. herbicola and A. ochraceus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dematiaceous moulds are pathogenic microorganisms and act as etiological agents of mycoses with different degrees of severity in humans and animals. These moulds also cause loss of food crops and storage food products. The information regarding antimicrobial efficacy of the plant preparations on these moulds is scanty. The present study reveals phytochemical characterization and the effect of bark and leaf extracts of Indian spice plant, Cinnamomum zeylanicum (Cz), against the growth of two species of dematiaceous moulds, Alternaria solani and Curvularia lunata. Methods: Cz bark and leaf samples were sequentially extracted in different solvents using Soxhlet apparatus. Phytochemical analyses of extracts were done as per standard protocols. The antifungal bioassay of extracts was done by hanging drop technique. The inhibition of fungal spore germination was monitored under influence of three different concentrations of extracts. Results: The lowest test concentration (50 µg/ml) of extracts of Cz bark prepared into acetone and that of Cz leaf into petroleum ether and ethanol exhibited complete inhibition (100%) of spore germination in both the moulds. At 100 µg/ml concentration all the extracts showed about 50 to 100% inhibition. However, the treatment of the spores of the two fungal species with highest concentration (500 µg/ml) of bark and leaf extracts in all the solvents showed 100% fungicidal activity as it completely arrested the germination of spores. Relatively lower activity of aqueous extracts at 50 and 100 µg/ml concentrations suggests that the antifungal ingredients present in Cz bark and leaf are more soluble in organic solvents than water. Conclusion: The results demonstrated that the Cz bark and leaves contain certain fungicidal constituents exhibiting potential antimould activity against A. solani and C. lunata. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]