Antimicrobial ingredients of Zanthoxylum motuoense and potential in fresh pork meat preservation

Zanthoxylum motuoense (Tibetan prickly ash, MTHJ), different from the Chinese prickly ash species, is distributed only in the Tibet. Now the chemical characterization and antibacterial activity of MTHJ extracts were analyzed for the first time. As a result, Schinifoline (12), γ-Fagarine (8), (2E,7E,9E)-6 S-Hydroxy-N-(2-methylpropyl)-11-oxo-2, 7, 9-Dodecatrienamide (6), and Neoechinulin A (17) were found to be the major different factors by untarget LC-MS metabolomics together with quantitative analysis on target. These four compounds were also the major antibacterial constituents. Then, the antimicrobial activity of MTHJ fractions was evaluated with colony forming units (CFU), fluorescence microscopy imaging, SEM and investigating the potential food preservation. Nutritional composition, colour and sensory evaluation of extract-treated samples were evaluated along storage time. The results suggested the MTHJ may be used for meat products preservation, and the scores were significantly higher for its unique flavor, which offered a promising choice for food safety, preservation and reducing foodborne illness.