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Essential-Oil-Based Nanoformulations: An Efficient Technology to Boost the Antimicrobial Potential of Plant Essential Oils in Food Systems

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A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Engineering and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 February 2022) | Viewed by 12589

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Pascal Degraeve

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Guest Editor

Université de Lyon, Laboratoire BioDyMIA (Bioingénierie et Dynamique Microbienne aux Interfaces Alimentaires) (Université Lyon 1 - ISARA Lyon Research Unit), IUT Lyon 1, Technopole Alimentec, 155 rue Henri de Boissieu, 01000 Bourg en Bresse, France
Interests: food preservation; antimicrobial biomolecules; active edible coating and packaging; dairy products; proteins; bioactive peptides

Prof. Dr. Rafael Pagán

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Guest Editor

Departamento de Producción Animal y Ciencia de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Instituto Agroalimentario de Aragón-IA2 (Universidad de Zaragoza-CITA), Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: food microbiology; antimicrobial biomolecules; food preservation; microbial inactivation; microbial resistance; hurdle technology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the rising concerns about the safety of food additives pushing the “clean label” trend forward, natural ingredients such as food-grade essential oils are increasingly used not only for their flavouring but also for their antimicrobial properties. However, the amount of essential oils necessary to inhibit the growth of unwanted microorganisms in food systems and/or to extend their shelf life often exceeds their organoleptic acceptance levels. In this context, essential-oil-based nanoformulation preparation is promising to improve the stability of essential oil dispersions before and along their application, as well as to increase their antimicrobial activity and/or reduce their volatility. Essential oil nanoemulsion or nanoencapsulation technologies have thus been increasingly reported to favour their application to food systems (direct addition in food matrices, indirect addition with active edible coatings or food packaging systems, use as disinfection agents in food production facilities, etc.) during the last decade.

In this Special Issue of Foods, we encourage the submission of manuscripts covering all aspects of essential-oil-based nanoformulations from the preparation processes and the characterization of their properties to their application in food systems. Contributions regarding the combination of essential oil nanoformulations with other factors limiting the growth of unwanted microorganisms following hurdle technology principles are also welcome.

Our aim is to gather all of the new information in this field and include it in the Special Issue on “Essential-Oil-Based Nanoformulations: An Efficient Technology to Boost the Antimicrobial Potential of Plant Essential Oils in Food Systems”. We invite researchers to contribute original and unpublished research and review articles on this topic.

Prof. Dr. Pascal Degraeve
Prof. Dr. Rafael Pagán
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

essential oils
antimicrobial activity
nanoformulations
nanoencapsulation
nanoemulsion
food preservation
food safety
shelf-life extension
hurdle technology
disinfection

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 1948 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nanoencapsulation of Thyme Essential Oils: Formulation, Characterization, Storage Stability, and Biological Activity

by Asma Jayari, Francesco Donsì, Giovanna Ferrari and Abderrazak Maaroufi

Foods 2022, 11(13), 1858; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11131858 - 23 Jun 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2241

Abstract

This study aimed to improve the effectiveness of Thymus capitatus and Thymus algeriensis essential oils (EOs), as food preservatives, through their encapsulation in different delivery systems (DSs), namely nanoemulsions and biopolymeric nanoparticles. DSs’ preparation is tailored to enhance not only physical stability but also resulting Eos’ antioxidant and antibacterial activities through different fabrication methods (high-pressure homogenization emulsification or antisolvent precipitation) and using different emulsifiers and stabilizers. DSs are characterized in terms of droplet size distribution, ζ-potential, and stability over time, as well as antioxidant and antibacterial activities of encapsulated EOs. The antioxidant activity was studied by the FRAP assay; the antibacterial activity was evaluated by the well diffusion method. EOs of different compositions were tested, namely two EOs extracted from Thymus capitatus, harvested from Tunisia during different periods of the year (TC1 and TC2), and one EO extracted from Thymus algeriensis (TA). The composition of TC1 was significantly richer in carvacrol than TC2 and TA. The most stable formulation was the zein-based nanoparticles prepared with TC1 and stabilized with maltodextrins, which exhibit droplet size, polydispersity index, ζ-potential, and encapsulation efficiency of 74.7 nm, 0.14, 38.7 mV, and 99.66%, respectively. This formulation led also to an improvement in the resulting antioxidant (60.69 µg/mg vs. 57.67 µg/mg for non-encapsulated TC1) and antibacterial (inhibition diameters varying between 12 and 33 mm vs. a range between 12 and 28 mm for non-encapsulated TC1) activities of EO. This formulation offers a promising option for the effective use of natural antibacterial bioactive molecules in the food industry against pathogenic and spoilage bacteria. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Essential-Oil-Based Nanoformulations: An Efficient Technology to Boost the Antimicrobial Potential of Plant Essential Oils in Food Systems)

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28 pages, 4031 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Essential-Oil-Loaded Nanoemulsion Lipidic-Phase Optimization and Modeling by Response Surface Methodology (RSM): Enhancement of Their Antimicrobial Potential and Bioavailability in Nanoscale Food Delivery System

by Sana Yakoubi, Isao Kobayashi, Kunihiko Uemura, Mitsutoshi Nakajima, Hiroko Isoda, Riadh Ksouri, Moufida Saidani-Tounsi and Marcos A. Neves

Foods 2021, 10(12), 3149; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods10123149 - 20 Dec 2021

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3740

Abstract

Nanoencapsulation is an attractive technique used for incorporating essential oils in foods. Thus, our main goal was to formulate a novel nanoemulsion (NE) with nanoscale droplet size and lowest interfacial tension in the oil–water interface, contributing positively to the stability and the enhancement of essential oil potential. Thereby, response surface methodology (RSM), with mixture design was used to optimize the composition of the NE lipid phase. The essential oil combinations were encapsulated through high-pressure homogenization (HPH) with the binary emulsifier system (Tween 80: Gum Arabic). Then, the electrophoretic and physical properties were evaluated. We also conducted a follow-up stability and antimicrobial study that examined the stabilization mechanism of optimal NE. Thereafter, the effect of nanoencapsulation on the essential oil composition was assessed. The RSM results were best fitted into polynomial models with regression coefficient values of more than 0.95. The optimal NE showed a nanometer-sized droplet (270 nm) and lower interfacial tension (~11 mN/m), favoring negative ζ-potential (−15 mV), showing good stability under different conditions—it synergistically enhances the antimicrobial potential. GC-MS analysis showed that the use of HPH affected the active compounds, consistent with the differences in linalool and 2-Caren-10-al content. Hence, the novel nanometric delivery system contributes to food industry fortification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Essential-Oil-Based Nanoformulations: An Efficient Technology to Boost the Antimicrobial Potential of Plant Essential Oils in Food Systems)

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Review

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29 pages, 725 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceReview

Polysaccharide-Based Edible Films Incorporated with Essential Oil Nanoemulsions: Physico-Chemical, Mechanical Properties and Its Application in Food Preservation—A Review

by Ianne Kong, Pascal Degraeve and Liew Phing Pui

Foods 2022, 11(4), 555; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/foods11040555 - 16 Feb 2022

Cited by 50 | Viewed by 5910

Abstract

Edible films with essential oils (EOs) are becoming increasingly popular as an alternative to synthetic packaging due to their environmentally friendly properties and ability as carriers of active compounds. However, the required amounts of EOs to impart effective antimicrobial properties generally exceed the organoleptic acceptance levels. However, by nanoemulsifying EOs, it is possible to increase their antimicrobial activity while reducing the amount required. This review provides an overview of the physico-chemical and mechanical properties of polysaccharide-based edible films incorporated with EOs nanoemulsions and of their application to the preservation of different food types. By incorporating EOs nanoemulsions into the packaging matrix, these edible films can help to extend the shelf-life of food products while also improving the quality and safety of the food product during storage. It can be concluded that these edible films have the potential to be used in the food industry as a green, sustainable, and biodegradable method for perishable foods preservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Essential-Oil-Based Nanoformulations: An Efficient Technology to Boost the Antimicrobial Potential of Plant Essential Oils in Food Systems)

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