Mineral and Microbiological Analysis of Spices and Aromatic Herbs

Cicero, Nicola; Gervasi, Teresa; Durazzo, Alessandra; Lucarini, Massimo; Macrì, Antonio; Nava, Vincenzo; Giarratana, Filippo; Tardugno, Roberta; Vadalà, Rossella; Santini, Antonello

doi:10.3390/foods11040548

Cited by 23 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…These foods generally undergo drying processes at ambient temperature at the place of production. Moreover, in the developing countries from which they originate, harvesting and production technologies do not necessarily comply with optimal sanitary conditions [29][30][31]. The non-compliance with hygienic measures at all stages of the process, particularly during agricultural production, harvesting, washing and sun-drying, may explain the results of this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

A metagenomic assessment of bacterial community in spices sold open-air markets in Saint-Louis, Senegal

Sané,

Diouara,

Coundoul

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Natural spices are reputed to play an essential role in human nutrition and well-being due to their organoleptic and therapeutic properties. Moreover, they are increasingly being processed on various scales, exposing them to potential sources of contamination. This study aimed to describe the bacterial community in spices sold in Senegal. Thyme, Curcuma, a mixture of 7 spices and "Local Spices or Herbs" (LSH) samples were collected in selected open-air markets in August 2022 in Saint-Louis, Senegal. DNA extraction was performed using the Omega E.N.Z.A Food DNA kit. PCR assays were based on a genomic fragment encoding bacterial 16S rRNA, which was subsequently sequenced using Oxford Nanopore technology (ONT). Sequencing was carried out on two batches of samples, one containing part of the "Local Spices or Herbs" (n = 10) designated as "a mixture of food seasonings", and the other, samples of a mixture of 7 spices, Curcuma, Thyme and the other part of the "Local Spices or Herbs" (n = 39). Analysis of the sequencing data showed high bacterial diversity and the predominance of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica and Escherichia marmotae in the samples, with a total number of reads of 65744 and 165325 for the two batches, respectively. The sample category "Homemade mixture of food condiments (ready to use)", which includes all "Local Spices or Herbs" samples, showed remarkable bacterial diversity. These were followed by Curcuma, a blend of 7 spices and thyme, respectively. These results highlight a highly diverse genomic profile of the microbial community, including pathogenic bacteria, in spice samples. This is the first metagenomic study to assess microbial diversity and analyze microbial community structures in spices in Senegal.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 82%

A metagenomic assessment of bacterial community in spices sold open-air markets in Saint-Louis, Senegal

Sané,

Diouara,

Coundoul

et al. 2024

Preprint

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“…The use of medical plants has been demonstrated to be useful in hematological malignancies, and this fact is undoubtedly arousing because every day clinicians in hematology and oncology units are confronted with the adverse effects of traditional drugs, which can sometimes cause the stop of the treatment if it is intolerable for patients and dangerous for their health [ 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 ]. Scientific research showed the efficacy of different natural compounds both in the prevention and cure of cancer [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ]. Allegra and colleagues [ 33 ] studied the effects of rosemary in various types of cancer and put in evidence its action in augmenting antioxidant molecules, decreasing pro-inflammatory cytokines and preventing neo-vascularization, all functions crucial for the insurgence and progression of a tumor in general.…”

Section: Cinnamon and Hematological Malignanciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Anti-Cancer Effect of Cinnamon Aqueous Extract: A Focus on Hematological Malignancies

Caserta

Genovese

Cicero

et al. 2023

Life

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Cinnamon is an evergreen and tropical plant of the family Lauraceae, growing particularly in Sri Lanka, whose aqueous extract has been tested in different studies to evaluate its possible use as an anti-cancer compound. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments seem to confirm that it acts on various cellular pathways, contributing to down-regulating the activity of molecules that stimulate the proliferation and survival of cells such as the transcription factors NF-KB and AP-1, COX-2, dihydrofolate reductase and pro-angiogenic substances such as VEGF, while up-regulating the function of immune cells against tumors, such as cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. In hematological malignancies, aqueous cinnamon extract has been studied in order to understand if it is possible to count on its help, alone or in combination with traditional drugs such as doxorubicin, to treat patients. The aim of our work is to investigate results from in vitro and in vivo studies about the possible anti-cancer effect of aqueous cinnamon extract in hematological malignancies and the different pathways involved in its action. The possibility of using cinnamon extract in clinical practice is discussed; even if its use could appear very interesting, more studies are necessary to clear the real potentiality of this substance in cancer.

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“…For the screening of inorganic elements in breast samples, every sample (0.5 g) was added with 7 mL of HNO 3 and 1 mL of H 2 O 2 , and subsequently mineralized through a microwave digestion system (Ethos 1, Milestone, Bergamo, Italy), by raising the temperature from 0-200 • C in 10 min (hold time 10 min), with a microwave power of 1200 W. After a proper dilution in ultrapure water, the digested sample was analyzed by a quadrupole ICPMS iCAP Q (Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA), according to a method of anal-ysis previously optimized to reduce spectral (polyatomic and isobaric) and non-spectral interferences, according to what already described in our previous works [51][52][53][54][55][56]. The screening of minerals (i.e., Na, Mg and K), trace essential elements (i.e., Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Se), and potentially toxic elements (i.e., As, Cd and Pb) was performed according to a procedure reported elsewhere [57][58][59].…”

Section: Profile Of Inorganic Elementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Dietary Enrichment with Flaxseed, Vitamin E and Selenium, and of Market Class on the Broiler Breast Meat—Part 1: Nutritional and Functional Traits

et al. 2022

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The effect of dietary enrichment with flaxseed, selenium and vitamin E, and market class on the nutritional and functional value of breast meat was evaluated. A completely randomized block design was set up, where the experimental unit (n = 6000 birds) received conventional or enriched diet and was slaughtered at 37 (light class), 47 (medium class), or 57 (heavy class) days of life. Hence, functional and standard Pectoralis major muscles from every market class were analyzed for FA composition, inorganic elements and vitamin E. Lipid metabolism indices and health lipid indicators were assessed along with the nutritional value. A multiple linear model revealed that in breasts, the dietary treatment significantly influenced (p < 0.05) the FA profile, lipid metabolism and health lipid indices, while the slaughtering weight was related (p < 0.05) to most of elements (e.g., Na, Mg, K, Mn, and Se) and vitamin E. The interdependence of the two factors had strong relations (p < 0.05) with total PUFAs, including linolenic acid, desaturase activities, health lipid indices, trace essential elements and vitamin E. Consequently, enriched meat from heavy chickens showed the best functional and nutritional traits. Overall, the study pointed out that both market class and dietary manipulation are two relevant factors to consider for producing breast meat with higher nutritional and functional value.

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Mineral and Microbiological Analysis of Spices and Aromatic Herbs

Cited by 23 publications

References 43 publications

A metagenomic assessment of bacterial community in spices sold open-air markets in Saint-Louis, Senegal

A metagenomic assessment of bacterial community in spices sold open-air markets in Saint-Louis, Senegal

The Anti-Cancer Effect of Cinnamon Aqueous Extract: A Focus on Hematological Malignancies

Effect of Dietary Enrichment with Flaxseed, Vitamin E and Selenium, and of Market Class on the Broiler Breast Meat—Part 1: Nutritional and Functional Traits

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