For the Humanitas medical encyclopedia it is a plant rich in beneficial substances, starting from the fibres, which promote the good functioning of the intestine, counteract constipation and favor the regular absorption of cholesterol and sugars, helping to fight hypercholesterolemia e hypoglycemia. Thanks to the presence of beta-caryophyllene, it also has anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, it contains two phenols, thymol and carvacrol, which make it a natural antiseptic. The plant has a high content of vitamin C and vitamin E, which they have antioxidant properties and help strengthen the body's immune defenses. Plus, it contains a high amount of potassium, which helps keep it low check heart pressure, and calcium, which favors the teeth and bone health.
All this concentrate of medicinal properties, beneficial for our body, is found in one of the most common plants used in the kitchen, above all that of southern Italy to flavor appetizers, soups, and transversally fish and meat dishes: the Origan. Pianta already appreciated and praised by Theophrase (371 BC – Athens, 287 BC) the philosopher and botanist disciple of Aristotle, author of two extensive botanical treatises who was the first to use this name for an aromatic herb. His name is made up of two words "òros" (= mountain) and "ganào" (= I am pleased) which together could allude to a concept of "mountain delight" or even "beauty, luminosity, ornament, joy of the mountain", or because it grows well in the mountains or in the upper floors of sunny areas.
Appreciated by Theophrastus the botanist disciple of Aristotle, oregano continues to surprise for its countless healthy properties
The species of this genus (about 40-50) are native above all to the Mediterranean basin (but some species are also present in Asia).
Used widely in the kitchen, oregano is not important, it has a wide spectrum of therapeutic properties: analgesic, antiseptic, analgesic, antispasmodic, expectorant, stomachic and tonic. Its essential oil is widely used in aromatherapy. His infusions are recommended against cough, the migraines, digestive disorders and rheumatic pains performing an anti-inflammatory function. Oregano is also good ant repellent: just sprinkle it on busy places and remember to replace it often to keep them away.
But this extraordinary plant never ceases to arouse surprises. Now i ENEA researchers thanks to the funds of 5×1000 have developed a innovative treatment and low cost as a bactericide for fruit juices
At the basis of the new method treatment was published in the international open access journal “Foods” (MDPI). oregano essential oil, known for its antimicrobial effects against various bacteria, especially Escherichia coli.
“The contamination of food and beverages by pathogenic bacteria poses a serious threat to public health globally. We focused on Escherichia coli, one of the main species of the normal human gut microbiota, which also includes pathogenic and spoilage strains associated with unpasteurized fruit juices,” he explains. Annamaria Bevivino, head of the ENEA Laboratory Sustainability, quality and safety of agri-food productions, which studied the innovative treatment.
Unlike the current industrial pasteurization processes, oregano safeguards all the nutritional properties of fruit juices
From the experimentation conducted on fruit juices based on apricot, peach and apple, suitably inoculated with a reference strain of E. coli, it emerged that the synergistic action of heat at 65°C and the essential oil of oregano (Origanum vulgare) may represent a promising antimicrobial alternative for improve the safety of fruit juices, because it is able to drastically reduce the bacterial load, keeping the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the juices unchanged cold pressed.
“The effectiveness of oregano essential oil lies in its hydrophobic character which allows it to penetrate the cell membrane of the pathogenic bacterium, compromising its functionality. This action can be improved and made even more effective thanks to the combined application of a mild heat treatment”, adds Bevivino.
- current industrial processes of pasteurization and aseptic packaging allow the stabilization and conservation of fruit juice at room temperature; however, the intensity of the heat treatment can negatively affect the nutritional characteristics of the final product. There are also other types of processes which, in most cases, require cutting-edge technologies and high investments that small and medium-sized enterprises cannot afford. "The treatment that we have developed at ENEA could represent a safe, effective and also low-cost solution for the food industry, recovering by-products such as natural antimicrobials and reducing the consumption of thermal energy associated with the pasteurization treatment", underlines the ENEA researcher.
To test and confirm the efficacy of the new stabilizing treatment in fruit juices, ENEA researchers used advanced analytical methodologies, such as flow cytometry and fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), which allow timely investigation real and extremely reliable of the target bacterial populations. "We have found that traditional analysis techniques are unable to identify bacterial cells in the "viable but non-culturable state (VBNC)", with important implications both in terms of quality and safety for the consumer if pathogenic microorganisms are involved . From our tests, in fact, Bevivino concludes, it emerged that the heat treatment or the treatment with essential oil, if used individually, led to a partial inactivation of the bacterial strain, mainly influencing its cultivability rather than its vitality. The combined treatment, on the other hand, was able to drastically reduce the cultivability and viability of E. coli in the long term."
