Assessing the Antimicrobial Effects of Origanum majorana Extracts on Canned Mackerel: A Study on Food Safety and Storage.

Origanum majorana L. as a member of the family Lamiaceae, is cultivated in different areas including the Mediterranean region and Egypt. O. majorana extracts were used as inhibitory agents against food-poisoning microbes. This work is also aimed to assess the antimicrobial effects of O. majorana on canned Mackerel (Trachurus trachurus). It had been noticed that all extracts displayed promising antimicrobial activities toward all tested microbes including food-borne microbes. The prepared extracts exhibited brilliant antioxidant activities especially ethanolic extracts (1040.06 and 1055.44 AAE/ g). In addition, the extracts revealed promising total phenolic contents (532.94 and 900.52 mg GAE/g). GC/Mass analysis had been performed for the four extracts and the results revealed that Terpinen-4-ol (12.82%), Tricyclene (11.08%), 9-Octadecene,1,1'-[1,2-ethanediylbis(oxy)]bis- (Z,Z)(4.74%),-methoxy-6 ethylbenzoic acid (21.04%), Dodecane, 2,2,4,9,11,11-hexamethyl (13.66%) and Ethyl9,12,15-octadecatrienoate (7.57%) were the major compounds. Results of total phenolics and antioxidant results in all extracts namely: rosmarinic acid > chlorogenic acid > kaempferol > catechin and gallic acid. The results revealed that all extracts are safe to be used as food additives (IC50 more than 200µg/ml). Therefore, we recommend incorporate these extracts into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films used to preserve foods from bacterial infections, as well as using these extracts as special food additives with mackerel to preserve them for a period of no less than 30 days and, the sensory characteristics has received excellent acceptance when adding fresh O. majorana instead of dried O. majorana to canned mackerel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]