No abstract

Date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera) have long history in food application due to the nutritional value, pleasant flavour and biological activity. This study aimed at investigating the antimicrobial activity of date fruits fermented with Lactobacillus plantarum ATCC8014. The fermented date fruit was added as ingredient for confectionary making and evaluated for it is effects on the physiochemical properties and shelf life of toffee-like South Asian product (Dodol). The results showed broad range antifungal activity of fermented date fruit towards Aspergillus niger (90.85%), Aspergillus flavus (92.86%) Escherichia coli (13 mm) and Staphylococcus aureus (15 mm). The identified bioactive metabolites included propylene glycol (0.028 mmol mL À1), lactic acid (0.763 mmol mL À1), acetic acid (0.292 mmol mL À1), acetoin (0.046 mmol mL À1) and gamma-Aminobutyric acid (0.041 mmol mL À1). Fermented date fruit (125 g/kg) significantly (p < 0.05) extended the shelf life of Dodol for 19 days at 25 ± 2 C in comparison to the control that showed mould growth after 12 days. The microbial growth was significantly reduced in the modified Dodol. A significant influence was observed in the physiochemical properties for modified Dodol such as increasing moisture and water activity and reducing the product firmness. No significant differences (p ! 0.05) were observed for the consumer acceptability between traditional and modified Dodol. The results indicated that the high antifungal activity is due to the presence of several bioactive metabolites. Moreover, the findings indicated the promising applications of fermented date fruit as functional ingredient to improve quality and the shelf life stability for confectionaries.

Objective: After the ban in 2006 of the use of antibiotic growth promoters, the search for an alternative led to the utilization of plants like Moringa oleifera Lam. The present study was carried out to determine the effect of Moringa and Echinacea supplementation on drinking water on growth performance and liver function. Methods: One hundred and fifty one-day-old chicks (Cobb strain) were randomly allotted to three experimental groups G1 (basic diet, control group), G2 (basic diet + watering of Echinacea herbal extract), and G3 (basic diet + watering of Moringa herbal extract). The liver function test was performed through the detection of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels in plasma. Results: The herbal mixture groups (G2 and G3) significantly (P<0.05) improved the growth performance while no significant difference in serum levels of liver function enzymes AST and ALT as compared to the control group. Conclusion: With these results, we could conclude that replacing antibiotic growth promoters with herbal supplements is safe and improve the growth performance of broilers.