Abstract

Because herbal nanoparticles have antimicrobial properties, researchers have tried to synthesize them to aid in increasing the shelf time of food and food products. In this regard, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) synthesized by plants are particularly important. In this study, fresh and clean leaves of Satureja hortensis were selected for the synthesis of AuNPs. We also evaluated the efficacy of these nanoparticles to increase the shelf life of and remove Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes from minced camel's meat. The nanoparticles were analyzed by UV-visible spectroscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction tests. The FT-IR spectroscopy results demonstrated that the antioxidant compounds in the plant were the sources of reducing power, reducing gold ions to AuNPs. FE-SEM and TEM images revealed the size of the nanoparticles to be 22.26 nm. The 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl test revealed similar antioxidant potentials for S. hortensis, AuNPs, and butylated hydroxytoluene. S. hortensis and AuNPs had high cell viability dose-dependently against the human umbilical vein endothelial cell line. At the beginning of the food industry part of this experiment, all samples of control, S. hortensis, and AuNPs were preserved at 4 degrees C for 20 days. During these 20 days, the sensory, chemical, and microbiological parameters were assessed for all samples. AuNPs significantly inhibited the growth of E. coli and L. monocytogenes. In addition, AuNPs significantly increased the protein carbonyl content, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, pH, peroxide value, total volatile base nitrogen, and sensory attributes (color, odor, and overall acceptability). The best results were seen in AuNPs (1). These findings reveal that the inclusion of S. hortensis extract improves the solubility of AuNPs, which led to a notable enhancement in their preservative and antibacterial effects.