ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Food Chemistry
This article is part of the Research TopicTransforming Food By-products into Functional Ingredients for Sustainable NutritionView all 4 articles
He–Ne Laser Irradiation Enhances Curcuminoid Content in Curcuma longa: A Green Strategy for Functional Antioxidants and Antimicrobial Ingredients
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
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Introduction: Curcuma longa rhizomes are rich in curcuminoids with strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Sustainable post-harvest strategies are needed to enhance these bioactive metabolites for functional food applications. Methods: Fresh rhizomes were irradiated with a He–Ne laser for 5, 10, or 15 min. Ethanol extracts were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography analysis (HPLC) to quantify curcuminoids. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using -2,2diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays, and antibacterial activity tested against Escherichia coli (E. coli), staphylococcus aureus(S. aureus), and Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes). Results: Laser treatment increased curcuminoid content in a time-dependent manner, with 15-min exposure yielding the highest bisdemethoxycurcumin enrichment. Antioxidant assays showed strong scavenging potential, with IC50 values of 0.71 mg mL⁻¹ (10-min) and 0.69 mg mL⁻¹ (15-min). Extracts exhibited enhanced antibacterial activity, with 15-min exposure strongest against E. coli and S. aureus, while 10-min treatment yielded higher inhibition of S. pyogenes. Discussion: He–Ne laser irradiation is an effective green technique to improve the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of C. longa extracts, supporting their use as natural functional ingredients.
Keywords: antioxidant activity, Curcuma longa, curcuminoids, functional ingredients, He-Ne laser, Laser irradiation, natural antimicrobials, Sustainable processing
Received: 02 Dec 2025; Accepted: 27 Jan 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Aldayel. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Munirah. F Aldayel
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