In natura action of spices in food on pathogenic microbiota during the processing, preparation and/or consumption of fish: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Food Safety seeks to guarantee the physical and economical access to non-harmful and nutritious foods to the population. The present study aimed to investigate the in natura antimicrobial activity of food seasonings used in the processing, preparation and/or consumption of fish through a systematic literature review of identified articles published by July 2016. The search was carried out in the LILACS; MEDLINE, SciELO; Google Scholar; CAPES, Cochrane Library; Scopus; ScienceDirect; and PubMed electronic databases. The inclusion of articles in the systematic review was based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA) and the Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). The interpretation of the selected texts was performed through descriptive statistical analysis and expressed in illustrations, tables, data dispersion diagrams and a Box Plot graph, using the IBM SPSS Statistics Base 22.0 program. Of the initially identified manuscripts, 21 articles were eligible for review. The selected literature suggests that spices are an effective choice for combating the growth of bacteria, yeasts, filamentous fungi and microbial toxin synthesis, as well as the inhibition or retardation of the oxidation of fish. Additionally, the condiments oregano, rosemary and sage exhibited the most effective antimicrobial activity.