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Pomegranate and plum paste are acidic products that are often used in the preparation of most local foods in Guilan province. As the preparation of these pastes is mainly done in the aluminum containers traditionally, there is a possibility of aluminum leaking into the pomegranate and plum puree during processing. The presence of aluminum in the diet as a contaminant has aroused the concern of many researchers and many studies have been conducted to track the relation between the aluminum intake and the occurrence of the disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, breast cancer, neurological syndromes, and anemia and the link has been proved. In this study, pomegranate and plum paste from 13 different cities of the Guilan province were collected and the amounts of aluminum in them were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry after digestion by dry, wet, and microwave ashing methods. The results showed contamination of pomegranate and plum pastes with high amounts of the aluminum that was higher in plum paste in comparison to the pomegranate paste. The concentration of aluminum in the case of digestion by microwave was higher than the other two methods. Although the aluminum concentration in all samples did not exceed the tolerable level defined by WHO, continuous and long-term use, considering exposure to the other sources of contamination, would be a serious health threat. Therefore, it is necessary to pay more attention to the safe processing of these products.

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Synthetic preservatives, especially nitrite in food, are considered to cause chronic diseases to the human body because of their toxic effects. The per capita consumption of meat products in Iran is 2.5 to 5.5 kg per year, and due to the lifestyle changes of the Iranian families, this consumption is ascending. Therefore, cumulative intake of this preservative could be a warning. By replacing all or a part of nitrite with natural preservative its usage could be eliminated. The aim of this study was to prepare a mixture of natural preservatives from three plant extracts, i.e. clove, eucalyptus and rosemary. To this end, the hydroalcoholic extracts of the plants were obtained and then mixed in a ratio of 3:1:1 of Cloves, Eucalyptus and Rosemary, respectively. Later, Then the mixture was dried on a magnetic stirrer at 50 °C and finally turned into powder by a laboratory mill. Antimicrobial, antifungal, antioxidant properties as well as cytotoxicity effects of the mixed extract were evaluated. Six samples of the chicken sausages were produced with different ratios of the natural preservative to nitrite including 5:0, 4:1, 3:2, 2:3, 1:4 and 0:5. All the samples were evaluated in the terms of color, sensory properties and microbial indices at the periods of 15 and 30 days at 4°C. The results showed that the natural preservative had antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant properties and the sausage sample contains 100% natural preservative in terms of sensory properties, microbial indices and color evaluation was the most desirable one. The findings of the present study suggest the application of the clove, eucalyptus and rosemary mixed extract suggested as a safe alternative in chicken sausages and other meat products in food industry.

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The development of functional and strategic foods has been greatly influenced by increasing consumer awareness and demand for healthy foods without chemical additives. In this research, after identifying the dominant bacterial consortium of rice paddy flour sourdough (L. acidophilus FA690130) and determining the optimal fermentation control point with the potential performance of sourdough according to the fitted models with an accuracy and reliability coefficient of more than 78%, to evaluate the techno-functional characteristics, anti-fungal and sensory properties of sourdough semi-bulk bread during the shelf life of 7 days were studied. The decrease in water activity and cross-linking in the sourdough bread sample compared to the control sample during shelf-life resulted in a decrease in moisture loss (4% and 10% respectively) and a slower release of moisture content in the core and crust compared to the control. The specific volume and porosity showed a decreasing trend over the shelf life and the TCD color indices, BI index, YI and WI and anti-fungal properties were significantly different from the control sample. Compared to the control sample, the texture characteristics as the staling rate during shelf life showed a more favorable trend. Finally, the effect of controlling sourdough fermentation during shelf-life improved the gelatinization and spreadability, sensory and anti-fungal properties of the bread sample.