Essential oils (EOs) are liquid preparations, produced from plant materials. Although EOs showed a promising bioactivity in vitro, they could interact in foods with some components (fats, proteins, carbohydrates) and pH, thus many authors have reported that a significant effect of EOs toward spoiling and pathogenic microorganisms could be achieved in vivo by using higher amounts of oils. Different methods can be used to assess the bioactivity of EOs (disk diffusion and agar or broth dilution methods); however, there is not a standardized test and researchers propose and use different protocols (evaluating the Minimal Inhibitory Concentration, studying the survival curves, analysis through the scanning electron microscopy, etc.). Thereafter, the scope of this review is a focus on interactions of EOs with proteins, carbohydrates, oils, NaCl, and pH, as well as a brief description on the different protocols to assess their bioactivity both under in vivo and in vitro conditions.

Tap water samples from the toilets of an Italian national railway train were collected over a period of 10 months and tested for the presence of Cyclospora cayetanensis (C. cayetanensis) using EvaGreen® real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay coupled with high resolution melting (HRM) analysis for protozoan detection and oocyst quantification. C. cayetanensis positive samples were detected in March, April, and May 2013, with the number of oocysts of 4, 5, and 11 per liter, respectively. This is the first finding of C. cayetanensis in water samples in Italy. The findings call for an improvement of hygiene and water safety by the Italian national railway company.

The main aim of this research, performed by some students in Food Science and Technology of Foggia University, is to show how perform the selection of a functional starter through a step-by-step procedure. Fifteen yeast strains were studied in order to assess their biotechnological traits, e.g. catalase, urease, B-glucosidase, pectolytic and xylanolytic activities, production of H₂S, resistance to copper, SO₂ and acetic acid, growth at different temperatures, alkaline pH, in presence of different amounts of ethanol and glucose, and some probiotic properties. After studying these abilities, yeasts were identified through the miniaturized system API 20 C AUX and two kinds of multivariate analyses (Cluster Analysis and Principal Component Analysis) were performed to highlight the best strains.

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