Evaluation of the antimicrobial, antioxidant and anticancer activity of Teucrium polium extracts and application of its nanoparticles as food preservative in some dairy products

Abstract Teucrium polium is a natural herbal and it is consumed as herbal tea. The current study’s objective is to assess T. polium extracts’ antibacterial properties and its potential preservative activity of its nanoparticles in some dairy products. Ethanol, methanol, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts were obtained and tested for its antimicrobial, antioxidants, anticancer and polyphenols were determined. An ethyl acetate extract nanoparticle was obtained and nanoparticles were characterized. The preservative effect of T. polium ethyl acetate nanoparticles in soft white cheese as a dairy model was evaluated. Ethyl acetate extracts and its nano form were the only extracts exhibited antimicrobial activity against all tested bacteria, fungi and yeast. However, ethanol and methanol extracts exhibits activity against Candida albicans , Gram Positive and Gram negative bacteria except E. coli and Salmonella enterica but not against fungi. No antibacterial activity was demonstrated by the chloroform extract. Methanol extract recorded the highest antioxidant activity with 58 µg/ml followed by ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts. The three extracts found to contains polyphenols compounds include Protocatechuic acid, p -hydroxybenzoic acid, Syringic acid, Vanillic acid, Rutin, Quercetin and Kaempferol. The potency of extracts toward breast cancer cell lines was relatively weak. In-Situ application of T. polium ethyl acetate extract Nano-formulated in soft white cheese as a food model extract significantly reduced numbers of total bacterial count as well as mold count by 1.15 and 2.78 CFU/ml respectively after three weeks of storage the thing which indicates the preservative effect of T. polium extracts. Graphical abstract