Screening and Detection of Egyptian Citrus Essential Oils Extracted from Food and Juice Industrial Waste Products as Natural Preservatives and Antioxidants in Food Industries.

Background: Chemical preservatives cause mutagenicity and carcinogenicity and a lot of other side effects in food industries. The aim of the study:Screening and detection of Egyptian Citrus essential oils extracted from food and juice industrial waste products as natural preservatives in food industries. Methodology: In our screening experimental study, we could extract the essential oils of the waste products of the food and juice industries. They were extracted by the hydrodistillation method, separated and analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. We assessed their chemical composition and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of them with their preservative activity against Listeria monocytogenes inoculated in minced beef meat at 4 ⁰C. Results:They showed antimicrobial and preservative effects through the disc diffusion method for screening and assay of their antimicrobial effects in comparison with standard antimicrobial drugs. They were excellent natural preservatives because they are devoid of carcinogenicity. They also, showed moderate antiviral activity against Herpes viruses as indicated by the inhibition of the cytopathic effect and viral replication of these viruses. They also showed antioxidant activities and inhibited the development of cancers. Conclusion:In our study, we could discover new natural antioxidants, and antimicrobial and preservative compounds obtained from essential oils of Citrus industrial waste products.