Beneficial Effects of Spices in Food Preservation and Safety

Abstract

Spices have been used since ancient times. Although they have been employed mainly as flavoring and coloring agents, their role in food safety and preservation have also been studied in vitro and in vivo. Spices have exhibited numerous health benefits in preventing and treating a wide variety of diseases such as cancer, aging, metabolic, neurological, cardiovascular, and inflammatory diseases. The present review aims to provide a comprehensive summary of the most relevant and recent findings on spices and their active compounds in terms of targets and mode of action; in particular, their potential use in food preservation and enhancement of shelf life as a natural bioingredient.

Microbial load and antibiotic resistance in raw beef preparations from northwest Spain

“…Noteworthy among the results were the low counts for most of the microbial groups in red (spiced) sausages, the exception being enterococci. This finding points to the possibility that the spices and other additives used in the production process, for instance paprika, may have a bactericidal and/or bacteriostatic effect on certain microorganisms, as has been suggested by other researchers (Gottardi, Bukvicki, Prasad, & Tyagi, 2016).…”

Effectiveness of five flavored Tunisian olive oils on Anisakis larvae type 1: application of cinnamon and rosemary oil in industrial anchovy marinating process

“…Spices and herbs have been employed in food as a traditional practice since antiquity and have mainly been consumed as flavoring and coloring agents. They have also been used as folk medicines, exhibiting numerous health benefits and preventing and treating several diseases . Their roles in food safety and preservation have been studied widely, both in vitro and in food matrix experimental trials .…”

“…They have also been used as folk medicines, exhibiting numerous health benefits and preventing and treating several diseases. 1,2 Their roles in food safety and preservation have been studied widely, both in vitro and in food matrix experimental trials. [3][4][5][6] Spices and plants can also be added to olive oil, influencing its characteristics and properties.…”

Potentials of Cuminum Cyminum in Microbial Control

“…Studies of the chemical composition of cumin oil from different countries showed the presence of the following components: α-pinene (0.5%), Myrcene (0.3%), limonene (0.5%), 1-8-cineole (0.2%), p-menth-3-en-7-ol (0.7%), pmentha-1, 3-dien-7-ol (5.6%), caryophyllene (0.8%), β-bisabolene (0.9%), β-pinene (13.0%), P-cymene (8.5%), β-phellandrene (0.3%), D-terpinene (29.5%), cuminic aldehyde (32.4%), cuminyl alcohol (2.8%), β-farnesene (1.1%) together with much smaller quantities of α-phellandrene, α-terpinene, cis and trans sabinene, Myrtenol, α-terpineol and phellandral (Nanasombat, & Lohasupthawee, 2005). A comprehensive and extensive study was done by Liu, Q. et al (2017) (Gottardi, et al, 2016). India represents the world leader in the jeera production.…”