In the wake of continual foodborne disease outbreaks in recent years, it is critical to focus on strategies that protect public health and reduce the incidence of foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Currently, there are limitations associated with conventional microbial control methods, such as the use of chemical preservatives and heat treatments. For example, such conventional treatments adversely impact the sensorial properties of food, resulting in undesirable organoleptic characteristics. Moreover, the growing consumer advocacy for safe and healthy food products, and the resultant paradigm shift toward clean labels, have caused an increased interest in natural and effective antimicrobial alternatives. For instance, natural antimicrobial elements synthesized by lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are generally inhibitory to pathogens and significantly impede the action of food spoilage organisms. Bacteriocins and other LAB metabolites have been commercially exploited for their antimicrobial properties and used in many applications in the dairy industry to prevent the growth of undesirable microorganisms. In this review, we summarized the natural antimicrobial compounds produced by LAB, with a specific focus on the mechanisms of action and applications for microbial food spoilage prevention and disease control. In addition, we provide support in the review for our recommendation for the application of LAB as a potential alternative antimicrobial strategy for addressing the challenges posed by antibiotic resistance among pathogens.

Laurel, Laurus nobilis L. is an evergreen plant belonging to the Lauraceae family, native to Southern Europe and the Mediterranean area. This is the first report on the composition and bioactivity of laurel essential oil (EO) from Bulgaria. The oil yield was 0.78%, 0.80%, and 3.25% in the fruits, twigs, and leaves, respectively. The main constituents in the fruit EO were 1,8-cineole (33.3%), α-terpinyl acetate (10.3%), α-pinene (11.0%), β-elemene (7.5%), sabinene (6.3%), β-phellandrene (5.2%), bornyl acetate (4.4%), and camphene (4.3%); those in the twig EO were 1,8-cineole (48.5%), α-terpinyl acetate (13.1%), methyl eugenol (6.6%), β-linalool (3.8%), β-pinene (3.4%), sabinene (3.3%) and terpinene-4-ol (3.3%); and the ones in the leaf EO were 1,8-cineole (41.0%), α-terpinyl acetate (14.4%), sabinene (8.8%), methyl eugenole (6.0%), β-linalool (4.9%), and α-terpineol (3.1%). The antibacterial and antifungal properties of laurel EOs were examined according to the agar well diffusion method. The leaf EO showed antibacterial and antifungal activities against almost all strains of the microorganisms tested, whereas the twig EO was only able to inhibit Staphylococcus aureus. Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 and Escherichia coli ATCC 8739 were the bacterial strains that showed the highest resistance to the laurel EO. The results can benefit the EO industry and biopesticide development.

Forty-four bicyclo ((aryl) methyl) benzamides, acting as glycine transporter type 1 (GlyT1) inhibitors, are developed using molecular modeling techniques. QSAR models generated by multiple linear and non-linear regressions affirm that the biological inhibitory activity against the schizophrenia disease is strongly and significantly correlated with physicochemical, geometrical and topological descriptors, in particular: Hydrogen bond donor, polarizability, surface tension, stretch and torsion energies and topological diameter. According to in silico ADMET properties, the most active ligands (L6, L9, L30, L31 and L37) are the molecules having the highest probability of penetrating the central nervous system (CNS), but the molecule 32 has the highest probability of being absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. Molecular docking results indicate that Tyr124, Phe43, Phe325, Asp46, Phe319 and Val120 amino acids are the active sites of the dopamine transporter (DAT) membrane protein, in which the most active ligands can inhibit the glycine transporter type 1 (GlyT1). The results of molecular dynamics (MD) simulation revealed that all five inhibitors remained stable in the active sites of the DAT protein during 100 ns, demonstrating their promising role as candidate drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the possibilities for using date fruit from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the formulation of a novel snack bar while replacing the used honey with date paste. The technological, textural, microbiological and sensory qualities of the obtained food products were evaluated during storage for 12 days after their production. Date palm fruit in the form of date paste was used as an ingredient in the composition of the new snack bars that also included nuts and dried fruits. Five formulations were prepared: a control bar, snack bar with 40% date paste, snack bar with 50% date paste, snack bar with 60% date paste, and snack bar with 70% dates paste. The resulting date paste’s textural characteristics supported the bonding potential of the food system and gave a sweet taste to the final product. The formulations containing 50% date paste presented the highest overall acceptability and were the formulation with the best sensory characteristics. Thus, the addition of date paste in snack bars would be a good option to develop a functional product that contributes to rational nutrition principles. The obtained values in the current study confirmed the technological and functional potential of date fruit as a product that can find adequate application in the composition of foods with functional properties.