AUTHOR=Morsy Mohamed K. , Al-Dalain Sati Y. , Haddad Moawiya A. , Diab Mohamed , Abd-Elaaty Elsayed M. , Abdeen Ahmed , Ibrahim Samah F. , Shukry Mustafa , Banatean-Dunea Ioan , Fericean Liana , Ghamry Heba I. , El-Sayed Amal , Abdelaziz Manal , Kadhim Noor , Elsabagh Rasha 

TITLE=Curcumin nanoparticles as a natural antioxidant and antimicrobial preservative against foodborne pathogens in processed chicken fingers

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/sustainable-food-systems/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1267075

DOI=10.3389/fsufs.2023.1267075

ISSN=2571-581X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>Curcumin has highly antimicrobial and antioxidant activities but has poor bioavailability and low solubility in water. The current study aimed to assess curcumin nanoparticles (Curcumin-NPs) antibacterial and antioxidant efficacy against some pathogens in chicken fingers at 4 °C/27 days.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>Curcumin-NPs with particle sizes of 80 ± 2 nm were synthesized using a planetary ball-mill and chitosan-gelatin nanoparticle (CS-G-NPs) solution and then placed into chicken fingers at three concentrations, (2, 5, and 10 μg g<sup>−1</sup>). The physicochemical properties, antioxidant activity, and antibacterial capacity were evaluated.</p></sec><sec><title>Results and discussion</title><p>Curcumin-NPs showed high phenolic content (67.48 mg GAE g<sup>−1</sup>) and antioxidant activity (22.47 μg ml<sup>−1</sup>) at 10 μg g<sup>−1</sup> compared to other concentrations and curcumin bulk. Curcumin-NPs showed noticeably greater antibacterial ability (<italic>in vitro</italic>) against <italic>S. aureus</italic> (18 mm), <italic>E. coli</italic> (15 mm), and <italic>B. cereus</italic> (13 mm). In challenge studies, Curcumin-NPs effectively inhibited the three inoculated pathogens ~3–4 log CFU g<sup>−1</sup>; <italic>in vivo</italic>; in chicken fingers kept for up to 27 days, compared to the control. In curcumin-NPs chicken samples, the contents of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) compared to the control were substantially lower (27 days). TEM analysis provided an estimate of the antibacterial mechanism of Curcumin-NPs. The findings demonstrated that Curcumin-NPs at 10 μg g<sup>−1</sup> were more successful in reducing microbial load in chicken fingers as well as improving quality parameters, enhancing shelf life, and reducing lipid oxidation in poultry meat products.</p></sec>