Throughout history, spices have been employed for their pharmaceutical attributes and as a culinary enhancement. The food industry widely employs artificial preservatives to retard the deterioration induced by microbial proliferation, enzymatic processes, and oxidative reactions. Nevertheless, the utilization of these synthetic preservatives in food products has given rise to significant apprehension among consumers, primarily stemming from the potential health risks that they pose. These risks encompass a spectrum of adverse effects, including but not limited to gastrointestinal disorders, the disruption of gut microbiota, allergic reactions, respiratory complications, and concerns regarding their carcinogenic properties. Consequently, consumers are displaying an increasing reluctance to purchase preserved food items that contain such additives. Spices, known for their antimicrobial value, are investigated for their potential as food preservatives. The review assesses 25 spice types for their inherent antimicrobial properties and their applicability in inhibiting various foodborne microorganisms and suggests further future investigations regarding their use as possible natural food preservatives that could offer safer, more sustainable methods for extending shelf life. Future research should delve deeper into the use of natural antimicrobials, such as spices, to not only replace synthetic preservatives but also optimize their application in food safety and shelf-life extension. Moreover, there is a need for continuous innovation in encapsulation technologies for antimicrobial agents. Developing cost-effective and efficient methods, along with scaling up production processes, will be crucial to competing with traditional antimicrobial options in terms of both efficacy and affordability.

Background: Zingiber officinale rhizome is widely cultivated in the central region of Sudan (Gezira) and data on the biological properties of this variety grown in Sudan’s climate are scarce. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the antibacterial, antioxidant, phytochemical, and GC-MS properties of Zingiber officinale (ginger rhizome) to explore its potential applications. Methods and Results: The in vitro antibacterial assessment of the aqueous extract of Sudanese ginger revealed moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella pneumonia, as determined by the disc diffusion method. The inhibition zones ranged from 12.87 ± 0.11 mm to 14.5 ± 0.12 mm at 30 µg/disc. The minimum inhibitory concentration ranged from 6.25 to 25 µg/mL, while the MBC ranged from 25 to 50 µg/mL. The MBC/MIC exhibited a bactericidal effect against all tested bacteria. Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of various chemical constituents, such as saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, and the absence of tannins in Sudanese ginger rhizome. Furthermore, GC-MS analysis of ginger rhizome identified 22 chemical compounds with retention times ranging from 7.564 to 17.023 min. The identification of 22 chemical compounds through GC-MS analysis further underscores the prospect of harnessing ginger rhizome for the development of novel medications. Computational analyses showed that ginger compounds bind the Protein Data Bank (PDB) codes 1JIJ and 2QZW with high binding affinities, reaching −9.5 kcal/mol. Ginger compounds also established promising molecular interactions with some key residues, satisfactorily explaining the in vitro results and supporting the pharmacokinetic and experimental findings. Conclusions: This study lays the groundwork for future research and pharmaceutical exploration aimed at harnessing the beneficial properties of ginger rhizome for medicinal and therapeutic purposes, particularly its antimicrobial potential.

The synthesis of nanoparticles utilizing green techniques is becoming increasingly important due to its low cost, biocompatibility, high productivity, and eco-friendliness. Herein, the current work focused on the biosynthesis, characterization, and biological applications of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) from Anabasis articulata, including antioxidant anticancer and larvicidal properties, as well as modifications to the phytochemical ingredients. Hence, the tannin, phenolic, and flavonoid concentrations of the produced nanoparticle samples were lower than those of the original aqueous extract. When compared to the results of ascorbic acid (12.78 mg/mL), the produced extract of A. articulata and its zinc nanoparticles showed remarkable efficacy as antioxidant agents with IC₅₀ values of 27.48 and 69.53 mg/mL, respectively. A normal lung fibroblast cell line (WI-38) and three tumor cells were used to test the compounds’ anticancer properties. With an IC₅₀ of 21.19 µg/mL, the ZnO-NPs of A. articulata showed the greatest cytotoxicity against HePG-2 cell lines. Additionally, A. articulata zinc nanoparticles showed significant cytotoxicity against MCF-7 and PC3 tumor cell lines, with IC₅₀ values of 30.91 and 49.32 µg/mL. The biogenic ZnO-NPs had LC₅₀ and LC₉₀ values of 13.64 and 26.23 mg/L, respectively, and are very effective against Aedes aegypti larval instar (III). Additionally, the percentages of larval mortality increased from 28.61% at 5 ppm to 84.69% at 25 ppm after 24 h post-treatment. The overall results of this study point to the potential of A. articulata as a substitute biological agent for potential therapeutic/leutic uses in the medical domains and for preventing the proliferation of malarial vector insects.

Zingiber officinale rhizome is widely cultivated in the central region of Sudan (Gezira) and data on the biological properties of this variety grown in the Sudan climate is scarce. The study aims to comprehensively analyze the antibacterial, antioxidant, phytochemical, and GC-MS properties of Zingiber officinale (Ginger rhizome) to explore its potential applications. The in vitro antibacterial assessment of the aqueous extract of the Sudanese ginger revealed moderate activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli , and Klebsiella pneumonia, as resulted from the disc-diffusion which ranged between 12.87±0.11 mm to 14.5±0.12 mm at 30 µg/disc. The minimum inhibition concentration ranged between 6.25 to 25 µg/ml, the MBC were between 25 and 50 µg/ml, and the MBC/MIC exhibited its bactericidal effect against all tested bacteria. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of various chemical constituents such as saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, terpenoids, and absence of tannins in the Sudanese ginger rhizome. Furthermore, the GC-MS study of ginger rhizome identified 22 chemical compounds with retention times ranging from 7.564 to 17.023 minutes. The identification of 22 chemical compounds through GC-MS analysis further underscores the prospect of harnessing ginger rhizome for the development of novel medications. The computational analyses showed that ginger compounds bind the 1JIJ and 2QZW with high binding affinities, which reach –9.5 kcal/mol. Ginger compounds also established promising molecular interactions with some key residues, that satisfactorily explain the in vitro results and support the pharmacokinetic and experimental findings. This study lays the groundwork for future research and pharmaceutical exploration aimed at harnessing the beneficial properties of ginger rhizome for medicinal and therapeutic purposes, particularly its antimicrobial potential.