Recent advances in delivering free or nanoencapsulated Curcuma by-products as antimicrobial food additives

Food commodities are often contaminated by microbial pathogens in transit or during storage. Hence, mitigation of these pathogens is necessary to ensure the safety of food commodities. Globally, researchers used botanicals as natural additives to preserve food commodities from bio-deterioration, and advances were made to meet users’ acceptance in this domain, as synthetic preservatives are associated with harmful effects to both consumers and environments. Over the last century, the genus Curcuma has been used in traditional medicine, and its crude and nanoencapsulated essential oils (EOs) and curcuminoids were used to combat harmful pathogens that deteriorate stored foods. Today, more research is needed for solving the problem of pathogen resistance in food commodities and to meet consumer demands. Therefore, Curcuma-based botanicals may provide a source of natural preservatives for food commodities that satisfy the needs both of the food industry and the consumers. Hence, this article discusses the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of EOs and curcuminoids derived from the genus Curcuma. Further, the action modes of Curcuma-based botanicals are explained, and the latest advances in nanoencapsulation of these compounds in food systems are discussed alongside knowledge gaps and safety assessment where the focus of future research should be placed.

食品类产品在运输或储存过程中常受病原微生物污染，因此对这类病原体进行防控是保障食品类产品安全的必要举措。全球范围内，研究者已采用植物源制剂作为天然添加剂以延缓食品类产品的生物劣变；由于合成防腐剂会对消费者与环境均造成有害影响，该领域的相关研究已取得诸多进展，以提升用户接受度。近一个世纪以来，姜黄属（Curcuma）植物已被应用于传统医学，其粗提物、纳米包埋精油（EOs）及姜黄素类化合物（curcuminoids）均可用于抑制导致储存食品发生劣变的有害病原微生物。当前，为解决食品类产品中的病原微生物耐药性问题并契合消费者需求，仍需开展更多研究工作。因此，姜黄属来源的植物源制剂可为食品类产品提供天然防腐剂来源，同时满足食品工业与消费者双方的需求。鉴于此，本文综述了姜黄属来源的精油与姜黄素类化合物的抗菌及抗氧化活性。此外，本文还阐释了姜黄属植物源制剂的作用机制，并探讨了此类化合物在食品体系中纳米包埋技术的最新研究进展，同时梳理了当前存在的研究空白与安全性评价方向，指明未来研究的重点领域。