Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant used in traditional medicine against different diseases because of its various properties (antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, etc.). Ginger is “generally recognized as safe” by the Food and Drug Administration. Numerous studies have been carried out to characterize and isolate its main bioactive compounds to elucidate the mechanisms of its antimicrobial activity against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in foods. Results indicate that ginger contains monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, phenolic compounds, and its derivatives, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters, which provide a broad antimicrobial spectrum against different microorganisms and make it an interesting alternative to synthetic antimicrobials. However, its application in foods has been scarcely explored and represents an opportunity area for further research. This review provides an updated overview of the main bioactive compounds of ginger, its potential application, and toxicity as an antimicrobial in food products.

The antimicrobial effectiveness of essential oils (EOs) against many foodborne microorganisms when applied by direct contact has been extensively demonstrated. However, the vapor phase and volatile components present in EOs have not been thoroughly investigated; there are a small number of published reports on the antimicrobial activity of some EOs and a few of their components against selected microorganisms. It is well known that the antimicrobial activity of EOs depends mainly on their chemical composition. It is also important; however, to understand the volatility of these compounds as well as the methodologies used to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of their vapor phase. This review focuses on recent research regarding the chemical composition of EOs, their biological activity and mechanisms of action, the antimicrobial activity of EOs in the vapor phase, the different techniques that have been proposed to evaluate the antimicrobial effects of EOs in the vapor phase, and actual and potential applications of EOs in the vapor phase. Although there is still no standard methodology for determining the activity of EOs in the vapor phase, results reported thus far are encouraging and suggest possible applications in food preservation.

The aim of this research was to optimize, by response surface methodology, antioxidant compounds extraction from apple pomace, orange and banana peel. The extracts were obtained at different temperatures and times. All by‐products show a good content of vitamin C (12–102 mg of ascorbic acid/100 g dw), flavonoids (455–756 mg of catechin/100 g dw), phenolic compounds (227–689 mg of gallic acid equivalent/100 g dw), antioxidant capacity by 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH; 454–1,040 mg of Trolox/100 g dw) and ferric‐reducing antioxidant power (FRAP; 4–32 mM Fe²⁺/100 g dw) assays. Polynomial models obtained from each by‐product showed a good fitting (0.81–0.97). Temperatures of 41–60C promote the major extraction of bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacity from apple pomace. In orange peel, the optimum condition for vitamin C extraction was 20C (0.5 h); flavonoids, total phenols and antioxidant capacity (DPPH) were mostly extracted at 60C. In banana peel, the optimization indicates that major flavonoid concentration and antioxidant capacity (DPPH and FRAP assays) were at 60C (0.5 h). Practical Applications By‐products are a good source of bioactive compounds that could be used to obtain products with added value; in this sense, the optimization of extraction of bioactive compounds with antioxidant capacity may be an important step in order to obtain the major concentration of antioxidant compounds with the less use of energy and cost. Therefore, the information presented in this study may be a good tool to apply in the industrial extraction of bioactive compounds from apple pomace, orange and banana peel.