Baraich Abdellah, Elbouzidi Amine, El Hachlafi Naoufal, Taibi Mohamed, Haddou Mounir, Baddaoui Sanae, Bellaouchi Reda, Addi Mohamed, Benabbes Redouane, Asehraou Abdeslam, Jaouadi Bassem, Al-Farga Ammar, Al-Maaqar Saleh M, Saalaoui Ennouamane
Laboratory of Bioresources, Biotechnology, Ethnopharmacology and Health, Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed First University, Boulevard Mohamed VI, B.P. 717, 60000, Oujda, Morocco.
Laboratoire d'Amélioration des Productions Agricoles, Biotechnologie et Environnement (LAPABE), Faculté des Sciences, Université Mohammed Premier, 60000, Oujda, Morocco.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 4;15(1):28425. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-07424-5.
The health risks associated with synthetic preservatives have intensified the search for natural antimicrobial alternatives. Crocus sativus L. (saffron) generates abundant by-products, such as tepals and leaves, which are rich in bioactive compounds with demonstrated antimicrobial potential. Compared to other natural alternatives, saffron by-products offer distinct advantages, including a unique combination of phenolic compounds (e.g., ellagic acid, rutin) and carotenoids (e.g., crocin) that act synergistically against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, as well as fungi. Additionally, these by-products represent a sustainable solution, with approximately 63 kg of agricultural waste generated per kg of saffron spice. This study optimized the antibacterial and antifungal efficacy of saffron extracts using a simplex centroid mixture design. Phytochemical analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection (HPLC-DAD) identified key antimicrobial compounds, including ellagic acid (68.43% in leaves, 50.31% in tepals) and crocin (9.59% in stigmas). Antimicrobial assays against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Candida albicans, and Geotrichum candidum revealed that stigma extracts exhibited superior antibacterial activity (MIC = 25 mg/mL for S. aureus and E. coli), while tepal and leaf extracts showed promising antifungal effects (MIC = 12.5 mg/mL for G. candidum). The mixture design approach uncovered synergistic interactions, with an equimolar combination of stigma, tepal, and leaf extracts (33:33:33) demonstrating the strongest antibacterial activity (MIC = 25 mg/mL) and a ternary mixture (34% stigma, 30% leaf, 36% tepal) achieving the lowest antifungal MIC (6.25 mg/mL). These findings highlight saffron by-products as highly effective and sustainable natural antimicrobials, providing a cost-efficient (40-60% reduction compared to conventional extracts) and multi-functional alternative to synthetic preservatives. Their dual functionality (antimicrobial + natural coloring) and agricultural waste origin make them particularly valuable for industrial applications in food preservation, pharmaceuticals, and biopharmaceuticals. The integration of statistical modeling maximizes their potential, meeting the growing demand for safe, natural antimicrobial solutions with clear competitive advantages.
与合成防腐剂相关的健康风险加剧了对天然抗菌替代品的探索。藏红花（番红花）会产生大量副产品，如花瓣和叶子，它们富含具有抗菌潜力的生物活性化合物。与其他天然替代品相比，藏红花副产品具有明显优势，包括酚类化合物（如鞣花酸、芦丁）和类胡萝卜素（如藏红花素）的独特组合，这些成分对革兰氏阳性菌、革兰氏阴性菌以及真菌均具有协同抗菌作用。此外，这些副产品是一种可持续的解决方案，每生产1千克藏红花香料会产生约63千克农业废弃物。本研究采用单纯形质心混合设计优化了藏红花提取物的抗菌和抗真菌效果。利用高效液相色谱-二极管阵列检测（HPLC-DAD）进行的植物化学分析确定了关键抗菌化合物，包括鞣花酸（叶子中含量为68.43%，花瓣中含量为50.31%）和藏红花素（柱头中含量为9.59%）。针对金黄色葡萄球菌、大肠杆菌、白色念珠菌和念珠地丝菌的抗菌试验表明，柱头提取物表现出卓越的抗菌活性（对金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌的最低抑菌浓度为25毫克/毫升），而花瓣和叶子提取物显示出良好的抗真菌效果（对念珠地丝菌的最低抑菌浓度为12.5毫克/毫升）。混合设计方法揭示了协同相互作用，柱头、花瓣和叶子提取物的等摩尔组合（33:33:33）表现出最强的抗菌活性（最低抑菌浓度为25毫克/毫升），三元混合物（34%柱头、30%叶子、36%花瓣）达到最低抗真菌最低抑菌浓度（6.25毫克/毫升）。这些发现突出了藏红花副产品作为高效且可持续的天然抗菌剂的特点，为合成防腐剂提供了一种经济高效（与传统提取物相比成本降低40 - 60%）且多功能的替代品。它们的双重功能（抗菌 + 天然着色）以及源自农业废弃物的特性使其在食品保鲜、制药和生物制药的工业应用中具有特别的价值。统计建模的整合使其潜力最大化，满足了对具有明显竞争优势的安全、天然抗菌解决方案日益增长的需求。
