Bioinformatics-Guided Assessment of Luffa Cylindrica Seed Oil for Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Preservation of Ground Beef

Smaali, Takoua

doi:10.25673/123674

Proceedings of International Conference on Applied Innovation in IT · 2026/03/31 · Vol. 14 · Issue 1 · pp. 1027–1032

Bioinformatics-Guided Assessment of Luffa Cylindrica Seed Oil for Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Preservation of Ground Beef

Takoua Ben Hlel and Issam Smaali

📄 Download PDF DOI: 10.25673/123674

Abstract

This study evaluated Luffa Cylindrica seed oil (LSO) as a dual-action natural preservative for ground beef. The cold-pressed oil, obtained through mechanical extraction, was characterized by a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, mainly linoleic (45.77%) and oleic (30.58%) acids, which are known for their bioactive properties. Physicochemical and antioxidant analyses confirmed the strong radical scavenging potential of LSO. When incorporated into ground beef stored at 4 °C for 10 days, the treatment significantly reduced total viable counts by 0.73 log CFU/g compared to the untreated control, indicating effective microbial inhibition. Furthermore, LSO markedly suppressed lipid oxidation, maintaining the product’s freshness and sensory quality throughout storage. Molecular docking studies supported these results by revealing that linoleic and oleic acids exhibit strong binding affinities (−6.8 kcal/mol and −6.4 kcal/mol, respectively) to the bacterial enzyme enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (FabI), suggesting a potential antimicrobial mechanism at the molecular level. These findings establish LSO as a promising, sustainable preservative with combined antimicrobial and antioxidant activities for perishable meat products.

Keywords

Luffa Cylindrica Seed Oil Preservative Ground Beef Lipid Peroxidation Bioinformatics Antibacterial.

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