Abstract
Abstract In this study, cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and Schinus molle essential oils (at 125, 250 and 500 µg/mL) were encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles by ionotropic gelation. Their antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923, Enterococcus sp., Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Klebsiella pneumoniae (BLEE +) and Pseudomona aeruginosa carbapenemase producer was evaluated. The obtained nanoparticles exhibited a regular distribution and spherical shape with size range of 19.7 to 361 nm as observed by using a laser light scattering equipment. It was found that the studied chitosan nanoparticles with essential oils showed high antimicrobial effect than the chitosan and essential oils alone. Enterococcus sp. was the most sensitive bacteria and S. aureus the most resistant. Chitosan nanoparticles and chitosan nanoparticles with cinnamon and thyme essential oils were capable to inhibit growth of Enterococcus sp. and K. pneumoniae. This study demonstrated that chitosan nanoparticles with essential oils were effective against some foodborne pathogens.
Highlights
IntroductionMicrobial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and others that can be present in food may cause spoilage and contribute to foodborne disease incidence (Miladi et al, 2016)
Practical Application: Use of essential oils in encapsulated in chitosan to avoid microbial growth. Microbial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and others that can be present in food may cause spoilage and contribute to foodborne disease incidence (Miladi et al, 2016)
The potential zeta and average size in the nanoparticles decreased when essential oils (EOs) were added, except for NpCsSEO, which showed an increase in the average size and Potential Z, average size and polydispersity index of the nanoparticles obtained
Summary
Microbial pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and others that can be present in food may cause spoilage and contribute to foodborne disease incidence (Miladi et al, 2016). The antimicrobial activity of several EOs has been attributed to the presence of phenolic compounds such as the thymol, eugenol and carvacrol in thyme, clove and oregano essential oils, respectively (Tsao & Zhou, 2000; Lambert et al, 2001). The antimicrobial and antifungal activities of chitosan are some of its most interesting properties to improve food preservation and to reduce the use of chemical preservatives. Liu et al (2006) showed that chitosan in acetic acid solutions over 200 ppm have a marked biocide response to Escherichia coli. This activity of chitosan depends on diverse factors such as the type of chitosan used, its deacetylation degree and molecular weight, the pH of the medium and the temperature, the target organism, etc. Due to the fact that EOs are easy to degradation in presence of light, air and high temperatures, nanoencapsulation has been recently developed as an efficient technique to protect them from
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