Synergistic antimicrobial activity of vegetable leftovers extract on chopping boards

Food wastage has been one of the major reasons for the GHG emissions. As per FAO’s report, fruits and vegetables are the second most important contributors to food wastage. However, scientific studies have revealed that the fruits and vegetables consist of major bioactive compounds that act as a natural defense system for the plant/ fruit. Similarly, in this project we have utilized the bioactive compounds present in the seeds and placenta of capsicum varieties, cucumber and ginger peels. The capsicum varieties consist of capsaicin, cucumber have cucurbitacin and ginger contains terpenoids and mono-sesquiterpenoids as bioactive agents. This project will analyze the synergistic antimicrobial effect of these compounds on the chopping boards as chopping boards are the most common tool use in the domestic environment where cross contamination occurs because of its use for both meat and non- meat products. These food items have different microbial profiles and hence this kind of contamination lead to food borne illnesses. The main objective of this project is to develop a natural disinfectant by utilizing the food waste so that issues related to foodborne illness, growing pathogen resistance and food wastage can be tackled.