In this study, Egyptian beebread (EBB) was investigated for its nutritive value, chemical composition, antioxidant properties, antimicrobial and antitumor activities. Results indicated that EBB was a good source of protein (23.58 ± 0.183 g/100 g BB), total free sugar (20.266 ± 0.930) and potassium (290.202 ± 2.645 mg/100 g). Additionally, 14 fatty acids were identified in EBB, wherein polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids represented 51.06% ± 0.09% and 9.86% ± 0.01%, respectively. The EBB extract exhibited almost 400% better antiradical activity than BHT, with IC50 of EBB extract being 10.7 µg/mL compared to 39.5 µg/mL for BHT. EBB exhibited higher inhibitory activity than the reference compound against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, followed by Bacillus subtilis. No inhibitory activity was observed against Aspergillus Niger. Additionally, the highest inhibitory activity was recorded against Caco-2 cells, followed by PC3 and HepG-2 cancer cell lines with IC50 values 262, 314 and 386 μg/mL, respectively. These findings establish the potential of EBB as an antioxidant, antimicrobial and antitumor agent, with possible applications as natural food supplements and natural preservatives.

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Plant leaves are a great source of bioactive materials that are utilized in various food applications due to their functional properties (Bernhoft, 2010). In this context, the antiradical activities of leaf extract of several plants such as olive leaves (Andrikopoulos, Salta,

The present study evaluated the impact of edible coatings based on whey protein concentrate (WPC) and mango peel extract (MPE) on the shelf life, physicochemical, and microbial properties of minimally processed broccoli preserved at 5 ± 1 °C for 28 days. The variations in the physicochemical and microbial properties of the broccoli fresh-cuts were evaluated by determining the following parameter changes: weight loss, color, respiration rate, ascorbic acid content (AsA), sulforaphane content (SF), total phenolic content (TPC), antioxidant activity (AOA), total bacteria, fungi counts, and sensory evaluation. Broccoli fresh-cuts were treated with WPC alone or in combination with MPE (WPC/MPE) at 1% or 3%, and uncoated broccoli fresh-cuts were a control. The obtained results revealed that all the coated broccoli fresh-cuts showed lower weight loss than the uncoated broccoli fresh-cuts. The coating with WPC/MPE at 3% recorded the lowest weight loss among all treatments; however, it wasn’t significantly lower compared to WPC/MPE at 1%. The addition of MPE to WPC in coating solution at 1% and 3% resulted in a higher value of the (-a*), indicating better green color retention and decreased floret yellowing. All applied coatings significantly conserved the bioactive compounds (AsA, SF, and TPC) and AOA of broccoli fresh-cuts compared to uncoated ones. At the end of the storage period, the maximum values of the aforementioned bioactive compounds were recorded in the broccoli fresh-cuts coated with WPC/MPE at 3% followed by WPC/MPE at 1%, and WPC alone compared to uncoated broccoli fresh-cuts. The broccoli fresh-cuts coated with WPC/MPE at 3% recorded a higher score on sensory evaluation than those coated with WPC/MPE at 1%, followed by broccoli fresh-cuts coated with WPC alone. The WPC-based edible coating combined with MPE (WPC/MPE) at 3% showed the highest reduction in the total fungi and bacterial counts compared to all the other treatments.