Abstract

In the food sector, bacterial adhesion on surfaces followed by biofilm development is responsible for food contamination and spoilage, and foodborne illness , leading to considerable economic losses. Therefore, this present study aimed to elaborate a biodegradable material that inhibits bacterial adhesion and thus biofilm formation. For this purpose, chitosan-based films (CH-films) containing four different essential oils (EOs) were elaborated. The impact of these EOs on the physicochemical properties as well as the antiadhesion activity of the CH-films was evaluated. The contact angle results showed that the addition of EOs has modified significantly the physicochemical properties of the CH-film. The electron donor (γ - ) and Lifshitz-Van der Waals component (γ LW ) values increased, whereas the qualitative hydrophobicity ( θ w) and electron acceptor (γ + ) values decreased. The analysis of bacterial adhesion using environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) revealed that the CH-film containing C. zeylanicum EO exhibits the strongest antiadhesion activity against E. coli , E. hirae , and S. aureus compared to the other CH-films, with coverage rate values equal to 5.16 ± 1.13%, 2.8 ± 0.38%, and 1.52 ± 0.53%, respectively. Moreover, ESEM analysis showed that the antiadhesion effect of C. zeylanicum EO on P. aeruginosa strain was accompanied by a rupture of bacterial cells. From these findings, the CH-films incorporated with EOs could potentially be applied in the food industry to prevent microbial adhesion to surfaces and eventual biofilm formation. • The elaboration of a biodegradable film with antiadhesion activity using chitosan and essential oils. • The chemical constituents of pelargonium, thyme, cinnamon, and clove essential oils were identified. • The physicochemical properties of the chitosan-based film were affected by the incorporation of essential oils. • The chitosan-based film containing cinnamon essential oil showed strong antiadhesion activity against the tested strains. • The cell structure of P. aeruginosa was destabilized after contact with the film containing cinnamon essential oil.

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