1.1 Introduction
Spices are parts of plants that due to their properties are used as colorants, preservatives or medicine. Spices have been used since ancient civilization, their flavor and properties make them important for culinary and medicinal uses (Parthasarathy et al., 2008). Conquer travels to India and Africa and exploration to new countries, such as Spice Islands made possible the discovery of new species into Europe and the developing of trading networks of spices. Since past times, several countries had fought for the control of spice trade but the strongest nations have been the ones who manage the spice trade. Nowadays spice production is mainly controlled by China, Madagascar, India and Indonesia (World Trade Organization, 2012).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Spice phenolic compounds are responsible for the majority of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, these compounds confer properties that make spices useful for medicinal and preservative uses (Bozin et al., 2008). Food preservation is a main concern nowadays and most of the existing preservatives are based on synthetic chemicals. The application of some spices as preservatives in food has been evaluated in order to determine its efficiency since spices are natural sources and offer an opportunity to replace synthetic preservatives in food, such as nitrates, which have been claimed to possess negative effect on human health (Anand and Sati, 2013). Along this review, the main characteristics of spices are examined as well the chemical compounds in spices which confer several properties that lead to wide ranging applications of spices. Finally, a brief discussion is presented about the advantages and disadvantages of use of spices regarding their potential.
Asia is the super producer of spices, where all kinds of spices such as cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, clove and ginger are found. There are also Latin American countries that have the leadership in production of some trade spices, such as Brazil as the major supplier of pepper or Guatemala is the leading producer of cardamom (Parthasarathy et al., 2008).
Due to spices properties and large applications, they have become an important economical activity. Between the year 2000 and 2004, the value of spice imports increased by 1.9% per year and the volume increased by 5.9%. In the year 2004, the trade of spices was around 1.547 millions of tons with a value of US 2.97 billions reflecting the importance of spices in the world and their demand (International Trade Centre, 2006).
Spices have many applications, namely as flavoring agent, medicinal, preservative and coloring agents. Spices and their extracts possess preservative and natural antioxidant properties, spice extracts are popular and certain of them have antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral activities (Hernández et al., 2011). Due to the different applications discovered in spices, research has been done over the most popular spices to determine the chemical components that confer their properties. Main chemical compound actives have been identified in several spices, such as cinammaldehyde in cinnamon, eugenol in clove and cuminaldehyde in cumin which have proven to prevent food from spoilage and inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms (Carlos and Harrison, 1999).
Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Spices and their Bacteriostatic Effect on Foods.
1.3 Statement of Problems
The use of some spices as insecticides provides an opportunity to replace the synthetic compounds from insecticides by natural alternatives which creates a sustainable market for this kind of products. Several chemical insecticides in market are claimed to have toxic compounds adverse to human health. With the use of spices as insecticidal natural products, this problem can be solved by the substitution of the synthetic compounds that have been related to harmful health effects with the main active compound of spices which are safe (Eddleston et al., 2006).
Mostly, their organoleptic characteristics may impact the results of in vitro and in vivo trials. For this reason, combinations of spices or their pure natural compounds, applied with or without additional technologies, represent a promising alternative to avoid this problem. Synergistic effects can lead to a reduction of both natural compounds used and treatment applied. In several cases, additive activities have been also reported. The study of spices, natural compounds, and novel combination technologies can be source of inspiration for developing novel or enhanced molecules acting against spoilage microorganisms.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Spices and their Bacteriostatic Effect on Foods. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To investigate the bacteriostatic effect of spices in foods
- To assess the spices for food preservation and safety
1.5 Significance of Study
Spices provide beneficial effects, such as antioxidant activity levels that are comparable to regular chemical antioxidants used so they can be used as a natural alternative to synthetic preservatives. In this review, the main characteristics of spices will be described as well as their chemical properties, different applications of these spices and the advantages and disadvantages of their use.
This study will be of immense benefit to other researchers who intend to know more on this study and can also be used by non-researchers to build more on their research work. This study contributes to knowledge and could serve as a guide for other study.
1.6 Scope of Study
The study focuses on the Spices and their Bacteriostatic Effect on Foods in Nigeria food Industries.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
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