Potential of Medicinal Plants as Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Agents in Food Industry: in Food Science A Hypothesis R: Concise Reviews Luis Alberto Ortega-Ramirez, Isela Rodriguez-Garcia, Juan Manuel Leyva, Manuel Reynaldo Cruz-Valenzuela, Brenda Adriana Silva-Espinoza, Gustavo A. Gonzalez-Aguilar, Md Wasim Siddiqui, and Jesus Fernando Ayala-Zavala Abstract: Many food preservation strategies can be used for the control of microbial spoilage and oxidation; however, these quality problems are not yet controlled adequately. Although synthetic antimicrobial and antioxidant agents are approved in many countries, the use of natural safe and effective preservatives is a demand of food consumers and producers. This paper proposes medicinal plants, traditionally used to treat health disorders and prevent diseases, as a source of bioactive compounds having food additive properties. Medicinal plants are rich in terpenes and phenolic compounds that present antimicrobial and antioxidant properties; in addition, the literature revealed that these bioactive compounds extracted from other plants have been effective in food systems. In this context, the present hypothesis paper states that bioactive molecules extracted from medicinal plants can be used as antimicrobial and antioxidant additives in the food industry. Keywords: food safety, natural products, phenolic compounds, terpenes Introduction been used for thousands of years to treat health disorders and The search of new safe substances for food preservation is be- prevent diseases. ing performed around the world (Magnuson and others 2013). Medicinal plant parts (roots, leaves, branches/stems, barks, flow- Synthetic food additives are passing a difficult season in addition ers, and fruits) are commonly rich in terpenes (carvacrol, cit- to the great deal of time and money that is required to develop ral, linalool, and geraniol) and phenolics (flavonoids and phenolic and approve new synthetic preservatives, especially in view of the acids), and these compounds have been effective as food additives public pressure against them (Tajkarimi and others 2010). The ex- (Cai and others 2004). For example, lemongrass is a medicinal cessive use of synthetic preservatives, some of which are suspected plant utilized as stomachic, antispasmodic, carminative, and an- because of their toxicity, increased pressure on food manufactur- tihypertensive agent (Naik and others 2010); in addition, it is a ers to either completely remove these agents or to adopt natural source of terpenes like citral that has shown antimicrobial activity alternatives for the maintenance or extension of a product’s shelf against food pathogen and deteriorative bacteria, and antioxidant life (Seneviratne and Kotuwegedara 2009). Such obstacles provide effect avoiding lipid peroxidation in food matrices (Ahmad and new opportunities for those seeking natural alternatives for new others 2012; Masniyom and others 2012). Other medicinal plants food preservatives. that could be used to sustain the idea of generating extracts with Many plant occurring bioactive compounds can be considered potential as food additives are: Chenopodium ambrosioides rich in as good alternatives to synthetic antimicrobial and antioxidant food terpenes (used to control menses disorders, fibroids, uterine hem- additives (Cowan 1999; Silva-Espinoza and others 2013). These orrhage, and parasitic diseases); Euphorbia stenoclada rich in pheno- compounds are mostly derived from plants and their antimicrobial lics (used to control skin diseases, gonorrhoea, migraine, intestinal and antioxidant in vitro testing have resulted in many publications parasites and wart cures); Geranium mexicanum rich in terpenes and in the last decade (Nakatani 2000; Yanishlieva and others 2006; phenolics (used as remedy against tonsillitis, cough, whooping Krishnaiah and others 2011; Martins and others 2013). The an- cough, urticaria, dysentery and diarrhea); Gnaphalium oxyphyllum timicrobial and antioxidant properties of bioactive compounds are rich in phenolics (used to treat gripe, fever, asthma, bronchitis, mainly due to their redox properties, ability to chelate metals, and and cough); Helianthemum glomeratum rich in flavonoids (used to quenching reactive species of singlet oxygen (Krishnaiah and oth- treat bloody and mucoid diarrheas and for the relief of abdom- ers 2011). However, the selection of the plant sources to extract inal pain); Larrea tridentata rich in phenolic compounds (used to these compounds must be guided for the safe use of food addi- treat respiratory infections as tuberculosis); Marrubium vulgare rich tives. A possible alternative could be medicinal plants that have in terpenes and phenolics (used mainly as an expectorant); Peu- mus boldus rich in phenolics and alkaloids (regulator of the hepatic function, colagogue, antispasmodic, digestive stimulant, and ner- MS 20130623 Submitted 5/9/2013, Accepted 11/14/2013. Authors Ortega- vous sedative); Eysenhardtia polystachya rich in flavonoids (used to Ramirez, Rodriguez-Garcia, Leyva, Cruz-Valenzuela, Silva-Espinoza, Gonzalez- treat kidney and bladder infections, diuretic, antispasmodic and Aguilar, and Ayala-Zavala are with Centro de Investigacion en Alimentacion y Desar- febrifuge). Previous studies have demonstrated that other plant rollo, A.C. (CIAD, AC). Carretera a la Victoria Km 0.6, La Victoria. Hermosillo, extracts rich in similar bioactive compounds are effective in food Sonora 83000, Mexico. Author Siddiqui is with Dept. of Food Science and Tech- nology, Bihar Agricultural Univ., BAC, Sabour, Bhagalpur, Bihar, 813210, India. systems. With this in mind, the present hypothesis paper describes Direct inquiries to author Ayala-Zavala (E-mail: [email protected]). the premises to sustain that “antimicrobial and antioxidant agents having potentialities in the food industries can be obtain from R C 2014 Institute of Food Technologists r doi: 10.1111/1750-3841.12341 Vol. 79, Nr. 2, 2014 Journal of Food Science R129 Further reproduction without permission is prohibited R: Concise Reviews in Food Science Medicinal plants as food additives . medicinal plants.” This manuscript also contemplates the sensorial C. citratus exhibited strong activity against DPPH radical (Figueir- and toxicological shortcomings to achieve this goal. inha and others 2008). In another study, C. citratus extract tested at 2 concentrations (33 and 50 μg/mL) were effective reducing the Premise I. Need of Natural Additives for Food DPPH radical (40% and 68%) and superoxide anion production Preservation (15% to 32%), and at 500 μg/mL of these extracts the oxidation Most of the food systems are highly perishable products at- of erythrocytes membranes were kept in range of 19% to 71% tributed to their intrinsic characteristics and environmental con- (Cheel and others 2005). Similarly, the tannin and flavonoid frac- ditions. Quality and safety of foodstuffs are compromised by the tions from essential oil-free infusion of C. citratus were effective in loss of nutrients, sensorial attributes, and microbial growth. Their preventing the production of reactive oxygen species. DPPH inhi- composition rich in substrates for microbial and enzymatic reac- bition (IC50) concentrations of Cymbopogon schoenanthus L. ranged tions cause these problems (Ayala-Zavala and others 2008). Food from 6.8 to 26.4 mg/mL, depending on the extraction solvent safety is an important international issue that is compromised by and sampled region (Khadri and others 2010). The same extracts the presence of pathogenic bacteria (Godfray and others 2010). showed good antimicrobial activity against Streptococcus sobrinus at Food poisoning is associated with organisms such as Staphylococcus low concentration (MIC = 4mg/mL). aureus, Salmonella spp., Bacillus cereus, Clostridium botulinum, Clostrid- C. citratus can be used as a phytochemical agent incorporated ium perfringens, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, E. coli into polymer coatings (Seabrook 2005). C. citratus oil was effective O157:H7, and Toxoplasma gondii (CDC 2011). Produce, seafood, to inactivate Salmonella enterica on romaine, iceberg lettuces, and poultry, and beef are mostly linked to foodborne illness outbreaks baby spinach (Moore-Neibel and others 2012). The essential oil and are reported to be responsible for 53% of all the cases and and its majors components (citral and geraniol) were most effective 48% of illnesses (CSPI 2013). With food safety and pathogens, the for inhibiting Streptococcus agalactiae and B. cereus than S. aureus and path forward is clear: Increase monitoring and enforcement, de- E. coli; in addition, these compounds showed antibiofilm activity velop and apply good hygiene and disinfection, and communicate against S. aureus (Aiemsaard and others 2011). The same study risks broadly to the consuming public. Besides microbial growth, concluded that the antibacterial activity depended on the con- oxidation is another problem in numerous food products. centration, compositions, and cell target sites. The state in the art Lipids are the most susceptible food molecules to oxidative pro- of the composition and uses of C. citratus exemplified clearly the cesses; however, proteins and carbohydrates can also be affected. statement that a medicinal plant can be used to generate extracts Food oxidation not only results a rancid taste and an alteration in effective as food additives, more details will be describe in the next color, flavor or texture; in addition, it can result in deterioration of premise. the