Milk is an important source of energy and a wide range of vital nutrients, but can also harbor a variety of microorganisms that can be important sources of foodborne diseases. Storage conditions and poor processing of raw milk can lead to spoilage and reduced food safety. Indeed, the role of milk fermentation is to mitigate the impact of these conditions by enhancing shelf life and food safety. Traditional fermented dairy products are widely distributed in Morocco and rely on product specific microbiota responsible for texture, aroma and flavor. Therefore, the knowledge of indigenous microbiota of Moroccan raw milk and fermented dairy products can be of great interest in preservation of Moroccan traditional dairy products. The traditional dairy products included in this review are Lben (a fermented milk), Rayeb (a coagulated fermented milk), Zebda beldiya (a raw fresh butter), Smen (a fermented butter), and Jben (a fresh cheese). Other products were referred as Lfrik (a fermented camel milk) and Klila (a hard cheese). Little information is available on the general characteristics and processing practices of these traditional fermented dairy products. Therefore, this review will provide a brief overview of available data about artisanal dairy products preparation, and physicochemical and microbiological characteristics.

Introduction: For thousands of years, Cannabis sativa has been used for its medical and recreational benefits. Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the use of C. sativa and its non-psychoactive products/effects to treat certain diseases. This study was conducted to examine the gastrointestinal effects of a sequential ethanolic fraction of C. sativa threshing residues (EFCS). Methods: In vivo and in vitro approaches were used to investigate the gastrointestinal properties of EFCS. Antidiarrheal, antibacterial, spasmodic, laxative, and antiulcer effects were tested respectively against castor oil induced diarrhea, disc diffusion method, isolated tissue preparations, charcoal transit time, and ethanol induced ulcer model. Results: EFCS induced a spasmodic effect on an isolated rabbit jejunum, which was inhibited by atropine and verapamil. Moreover, under free calcium conditions, the effect of EFCS was significantly reduced. The acute toxicity assay in female and male mice showed that EFCS was a safe product. Additionally, EFCS like loperamide presented antidiarrheal effect in mice and inhibited intestinal fluid secretions. Unlike the standard drug (loperamide), EFCS increased the motility of the intestinal transit. Furthermore, EFCS showed a protective effect against gastric ulcers induced by ethanol in mice and exhibited antimicrobial properties against Bacillus cereus strains. Conclusion: The results of this study reveal that EFCS possesses anti-diarrheal, antibacterial, spasmodic, laxative, and anti-ulcer activities. EFCS has potential therapeutic use against gastrointestinal diseases. Also, our work values the non-psychoactive products of C. sativa.

Background and objective: Lactic acid bacteria, used in food processing for a long time, can produce various metabolites during their growth, including bacteriocins. These antimicrobials, used as natural bio-preservatives, enhance the food safety. The objective of this study was to assess lactic acid bacteria bacteriocins with anti-listerial activity and optimize their production and recovery process. Material and methods: Isolate was identified using conventional assays (morphological and biochemical characteristics) and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Lactic acid bacteria bacteriocins were characterized based on their physicochemical properties (nature, pH stability and thermoresistance). The production process was based on optimization of media components (growth media and addition of glucose, nitrogen source and tween 20) and culture conditions (temperature, pH, agitation and inoculum size). Furthermore, optimization of the recovery process was studied using ion exchange chromatography on amberlite IRC-50 (effects of resin size and NaCl eluent concentration). Results and conclusion: Enterococcus hirae OS1 was isolated from Moroccan raw cow milk as bacteriocinogenic strain. After optimization of the bacteriocin production process, results showed that the key parameters for increasing of production included temperature of 30 degrees C, pH of 6.5 and inoculum size of 5%. Production with whey-based and economic food-grade substrate allowed high production of enterocin OS1 (1,600 AU ml(-1)) (P<0.001). Simultaneous addition of glucose (1%) and Tween 20 (1%) increased enterocin titer significantly (5,866 AU ml-1) (P<0.01). Recovery efficiency increased with use of 70% amberlite IRC-50 resin and elution with 2M NaCl. Indeed, recovery of 75.4% of bacteriocin was achieved in comparison to 15.7% of bacteriocin without optimization. This promises achieving high quantities of enterocin at low costs.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of essential oils (EOs) or crude extracts (CEs) of eight aromatic and medicinal plants (AMPs) and its association with enterocin OS1 on Listeria monocytogenes and food spoilage bacteria in Moroccan fresh cheese. The cheese batches were treated with EO of Rosmarinus officinalis, Thymus vulgaris, Syzygium aromaticum, Laurus nobilis, Allium sativum, Eucalyptus globulus, or CE of Crocus sativus and Carthamus tinctorius, and/or enterocin OS1, and stored for 15 days at 8°C. The data were subjected to correlations analysis, variance analysis, and principal components analysis. Results clearly showed a positive correlation between L. monocytogenes reduction and storage time. Moreover, reduction on Listeria counts induced by Allium-EO and Eucalyptus-EO reached 2.68 and 1.93 Log CFU/g with respect to untreated samples after 15 days, respectively. Similarly, enterocin OS1 alone has significantly reduced the L. monocytogenes population with 1.46 Log CFU/g. The most promising result was the synergy observed between many AMPs and enterocin. Indeed, treatments with Eucalyptus-EO + OS1 and Crocus-CE + OS1 decreased the Listeria population to undetectable after only 2 days and throughout the storage period. These findings suggest a promising application/use of this natural combination, which preserves the safety and long-lasting conservation of fresh cheese.

The growing demand for clean-label products has intensified research into natural antimicrobial agents for food preservation. Essential oils (EOs) and crude extracts (CEs) from aromatic and medicinal plants (AMPs), along with bacteriocins, offer promising alternatives to synthetic preservatives. This study evaluated the efficacy of EO or CE from nine AMPs and their association with bacteriocin OS1 against Salmonella enterica, Bacillus cereus, and Staphylococcus aureus in a refrigerated sausage model. Sausage batches were treated with EOs of rosemary, thyme, clove, nutmeg, laurel, garlic, blue gum, and CEs of saffron and safflower, and/or bacteriocin, and stored for 15 days at 8°C. The data were analyzed using Spearman correlation analysis, variance analysis, and the Mann-Whitney test. Based on statistical analysis, bacteriocin OS1 alone (at 200 AU/g) minimally affected S. enterica counts, with 0.03-0.23 Log CFU/g reduction, and moderately reduced B. cereus (0.31-0.54 Log CFU/g) over the storage period. Notably, S. aureus displayed no susceptibility to OS1. The three populations demonstrated significant and variable sensitivity to the tested AMPs. Rosemary-EO showed the highest reduction in S. enterica and B. cereus, while S. aureus was most susceptible to garlic-EO. The combination of rosemary-EO and OS1, as well as laurel-EO and OS1, showed a synergistic effect, significantly reducing B. cereus and S. enterica. Furthermore, S. aureus exhibited greater resistance to AMPs, whether alone or combined with bacteriocin. These findings highlight species-dependent interactions between certain AMP extracts and bacteriocins validated within a sausage matrix, providing a natural food preservation approach aligned with consumer demand for clean-label products.