This study utilized phytochemical screening to conduct the qualitative analysis of plant extracts, aiming to identify various classes of secondary metabolites. Moreover, the antibacterial activity of different types of and extracts was determined. To achieve the aim of this study, aqueous, ethanolic, and enzymatic extracts were prepared and screened for phytochemical capacity and antioxidant activities.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRural households all over the world rear backyard chicken mainly for their own consumption and, to a lesser extent, for barter trade. These chickens represent a staple dish with numerous culinary variations and a cheap source of protein. Although some species, and particularly and , have been associated with industrial poultry carcasses, studies concerning the ecology of this genus in rural households do not exist.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe rising demand for novel antibiotic agents prompts an investigation into natural resources, notably plant-derived compounds. In this study, various extracts (aqueous, ethanolic, aqueous-ethanolic, and enzymatic) of and were systematically evaluated against bacterial strains isolated from dental lesions ( = 6) and food sources (raw milk and broiler carcass, = 2). Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC), antibiofilm activity, and time-kill kinetics were assessed across a range of extract concentrations, revealing a dose-responsive effect.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe emergence of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, rapidly escalated into a worldwide public health crisis. Despite numerous clinical treatment endeavors, initial defenses against the virus primarily relied on hygiene practices like mask-wearing, meticulous hand hygiene (using soap or antiseptic solutions), and maintaining social distancing. Even with the subsequent advent of vaccines and the commencement of mass vaccination campaigns, these hygiene measures persistently remain in effect, aiming to curb virus transmission until the achievement of herd immunity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt is accepted that the medicinal use of complex mixtures of plant-derived bioactive compounds is more effective than purified bioactive compounds due to beneficial combination interactions. However, synergy and antagonism are very difficult to study in a meticulous fashion since most established methods were designed to reduce the complexity of mixtures and identify single bioactive compounds. This study represents a critical review of the current scientific literature on the combined effects of plant-derived extracts/bioactive compounds.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKefalograviera is a well-known hard Greek cheese. The aim of this study was to determine how milk produced from ewes fed omega-3-enriched diets could influence the microbiota as well as the chemical composition of Kefalograviera cheese. At the start of the trial, 30 dairy ewes (Lesvos and Chios crossbreed) were selected and fed a conventional diet, based on alfalfa hay, straw and concentrate feed that contained soybean meal for a period of thirty days.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe development of antibiotic resistance is a major public health issue, as infections are increasingly unresponsive to antibiotics. Emerging antimicrobial resistance has raised researchers' interest in the development of alternative strategies using natural compounds with antibacterial activity, like honey, which has emerged as an agent to treat several infections and wound injuries. Nevertheless, the antibacterial effect of honey was mostly evaluated against Gram-positive bacteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe food industry's failure in planning and designing of and in implementing a Food Safety Management System and its foundation elements leads, in most instances, to compromised food safety and subsequent foodborne illness outbreaks. This phenomenon was noticed, worldwide, for all food processors, but with a much higher incidence in the medium- and small-sized food processing plants. Our study focuses on the importance of Food Safety Management System (FSMS), Critical Control Points Hazard Analysis (HACCP) and the Prerequisite Programs (PRPs) as the foundation of HACCP, in preventing foodborne outbreaks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOregano honey is an exceedingly rare and distinct product, not commercially available, produced by bees bred in oregano fields of alpine altitudes at the mountainous area of Epirus, Greece. In ethnic popular medicine, this product is used as a therapeutic in various gastric diseases. To test this hypothesis, 14 strains of (), 6 isolated from gastric ulcers and 8 from cases of clinical gastritis, were employed in the present study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFermented foods identify cultures and civilizations. History, climate and the particulars of local production of raw materials have urged humanity to exploit various pathways of fermentation to produce a wide variety of traditional edible products which represent adaptations to specific conditions. Nowadays, industrial-scale production has flooded the markets with ferments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFKopanisti is a Greek artisan cheese produced from raw milk in the island of Mykonos, Greece. The milk is left to rest for 12-24 h and then the rennet is added. After its formation the curd is left to drain for 2-3 days and is ready either for consumption (as tyrovolia fresh cheese), or with the addition of extra salt, the curd is left to ripen through further fermentation and surface development of Penicillium fungi, aprocess leading to the production of the traditional Greek cheese Kopanisti.
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