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The aim was to develop nutritious drinks using date nectar with the two most popular Saudi date cultivars (Khalas and Sukkari) and spirulina at different substitution rates. The date puree was prepared with different concentrations of pectin enzymes. The approximate composition, microbiological quality, sugars, vitamins, and minerals of date puree and spirulina, as well as the contaminants, physical properties, fatty acids, and phytopigments of spirulina were evaluated. Chemical composition and sensory properties of the developed date drinks were also assessed. The results showed that spirulina is safe, free from contaminants and heavy metals, and appeared to contain appreciable amounts of essential fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and phytopigments. The microbiological loads of date puree and spirulina were very low, and there were no pathogenic microbes were found. Spirulina contained higher amounts of total solids, ash, protein, minerals, fiber, fat, and vitamins, than date puree, indicating its suitability as a rich source of nutrients for food fortification. In both date types, treatment of puree with 400 ppm enzyme yielded nectar with higher scores in all sensory attributes, indicating that this is a suitable concentration to yield acceptable juice amounts. The substitution of date nectar with 10% spirulina gave the highest scores for sensory attributes; consequently, this concentration was used for the formulation of functional nectar from date nectar and spirulina. Incorporation of 10% spirulina in date nectars showed a significant increase in the contents of total solids, protein, essential amino acids, ash, fat, sugars, carotenoids, and chlorophyll in the date nectars, thereby improving its nutritional and health properties.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of select spices and herbs added to cooked rice in the growth of Bacillus cereus. The results showed the actual role of herbs and spices as food flavoring ingredients rather than acting as a preservative agent. Herbs and spices extracts were added to rice before and after the cooking process, then observed the differences in Bacillus cereus growth. From all herb and spices extract used, clove was the most effective one against B. cereus. It provided a good zone of inhibition, while the others did not have similar effects. The ethanolic extracts for all tested herbs and spices at concentrations of 50-200 µg/mL showed good activity in media. The zone of inhibition was from 10 to 25 mm in diameter. Rice with Spiced/herbs was inoculated with 108 spores of B. cereus then the growth of B. cereus vegetative cells was detected at different temperature. As the result showed no different in the growth of B. cereus, We concluded that the temperature for rice cooking/reheating has main effect on the control of B. cereus cells while herbs and spices can be used only for flavor with no role in controlling the contamination in rice.

A comparative study of volatile constituents, antioxidant activity, and molecular docking was conducted between essential oils from Mentha longifolia L., Mentha spicata L., and Origanum majorana L., widely cultivated in Madinah. The investigation of volatile oils extracted by hydrodistillation was performed using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). A total number of 29, 42, and 29 components were identified in M. longifolia, M. spicata, and O. majorana representing, respectively, 95.91, 94.62, and 98.42, of the total oils. Pulegone (38.42%), 1,8-cineole (15.60%), menthone (13.20%), and isopulegone (9.81%) were the dominant compounds in M. longifolia oil, carvone (35.14%), limonene (27.11%), germacrene D (4.73%), and β-caryophyllene (3.02%) were dominant in M. spicata oil, terpin-4-ol (42.47%), trans-sabinene hydrate (8.52%), γ-terpinene (7.90%), α-terpineol (7.38%), linalool (6.35%), α-terpinene (5.42%), and cis-sabinene hydrate (3.14%) were dominant in O. majorana oil. The antioxidant activity, assessed using DPPH free radical–scavenging and ABTS assays, was found to be the highest in O. majorana volatile oil, followed by M. spicata and M. longifolia, which is consistent with the differences in total phenolic content and volatile constituents identified in investigated oils. In the same context, molecular docking of the main identified volatiles on NADPH oxidase showed a higher binding affinity for cis-verbenyl acetate, followed by β-elemene and linalool, compared to the control (dextromethorphan). These results prove significant antioxidant abilities of the investigated oils, which may be considered for further analyses concerning the control of oxidative stress, as well as for their use as possible antioxidant agents in the pharmaceutical industry.

Camel meat is one of the most consumed meats in Arab countries. The use of natural antimicrobial agents to extend the shelf life of fresh camel meat, control Campylobacter jejuni contamination, and preserve meat quality is preferred. In this study, we determined the antimicrobial effects of using 1% or 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan on the survival of C. jejuni in vitro and on camel meat samples during storage at 4 or 10 °C for 30 days in vacuum packaging. We determined the total viable count (TVC (cfu/g)), total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) content, and pH of the treated camel meat samples every three days during storage. The shelf lives of camel meat samples treated with 2% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan were longer than those of camel meat samples treated with 1% Citrox alone or in combination with 1% chitosan at both the 4 and 10 °C storage temperatures, with TVCs of &lt, 100 cfu/g after the first ten days and six days of storage at 4 and 10 °C, respectively. The addition of Citrox (1% and 2%) and 1% chitosan to camel meat samples and the application of vacuum storage were more effective than using Citrox (1% and 2%) alone and led to a reduction in C. jejuni in approximately 4.0 and 3.5 log cycles at 4 and 10 °C, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that using a Citrox-chitosan combination improved the quality of camel meat and enhanced the long-term preservation of fresh meat for up to or more than 30 days at 4 °C.

Fish and fish products of the most available protein sources for human beings. Indian mackerel is the most available and economic fish sold in markets in different countries and is included in many local dishes. Indian mackerel are characterized by dark muscles because of the high contents of myoglobin and lipids. This study aims to investigate the chemical composition, saturated and unsaturated fatty acid contents, and fatty acid fractions in Indian mackerel muscle. Indian mackerel (R. kanagurta) were purchased from the central fish market in Jizan, which is caught from the port of Jizan, Saudi Arabia. The samples were analyzed to estimate the proximate chemical composition, Lipid Fractions, and Fatty acid analyses from Indian mackerel. In this study, revealed that moisture, protein, and fat are the main constituents of Indian mackerel. The Indian mackerel contained high and comparable levels of saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids, and the different samples exhibited somewhat similar fatty acid contents. Among unsaturated fatty acids, the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids was higher than that of monounsaturated fatty acids, and those with the highest levels in Indian mackerel were palmitoleic, palmitic, myristic, oleic, 15-tetracosenoic, linolenic, and stearic acids in addition to docosanoic, eicosanoic, 5,8,11,14,17-eicosapentanoic, and 11-eicosenoic pentadecanoic acids. We conclude Indian mackerel is a rich source of protein and lipids. Polyunsaturated fatty acids are the main constituents of lipids, which exert positive effects on the body by providing the main nutrients and preventing disease in the consumer.

Despite the developments in controlling infectious disease around the world, they are still the second biggest cause of morbidity and mortality due in part to the increase in drug resistance among large numbers of the bacterial strains. This means that new strategies are needed to prevent and treat infectious disease. As a result, several ancient methods have been re-evaluated and the substances/procedures employed historically to cure diseases are now attracting renewed scientific attention. Honey is one such product that used to be widely used to combat bacteria. This review covers the antibacterial activity of honey, its use in the treatment of infection and diseases, and the features that are relevant to its activity.