Abstract
The global demand for safe and healthy food with minimal synthetic preservatives is continuously increasing. Natural food antimicrobials and especially essential oils (EOs) possess strong antimicrobial activities that could play a remarkable role as a novel source of food preservatives. Despite the excellent efficacy of EOs, they have not been widely used in the food industry due to some major intrinsic barriers, such as low water solubility, bioavailability, volatility, and stability in food systems. Recent advances in nanotechnology have the potential to address these existing barriers in order to use EOs as preservatives in food systems at low doses. Thus, in this review, we explored the latest advances of using natural actives as antimicrobial agents and the different strategies for nanoencapsulation used for this purpose. The state of the art concerning the antibacterial properties of EOs will be summarized, and the main latest applications of nanoencapsulated antimicrobial agents in food systems will be presented. This review should help researchers to better choose the most suitable encapsulation techniques and materials.
Highlights
IntroductionThe recent outbreaks of foodborne diseases associated with
Based on what has been learned so far, the aim of this review is to summarize the up-to-date account and advances concerning the potential of essential oils (EOs) as food antimicrobial agents
65.8~87.6 nm Compared with the control, the encapsulated thymol was more effective in lowering S. aureus counts during a period of 13 days
Summary
The recent outbreaks of foodborne diseases associated with. Food antimicrobial agents are chemicals which can prevent and inhibit the growth of microorganisms, and they are usually used in conjunction with other preservation procedures to extend the shelf life of foods. The main preservatives used in the food industry are chemically synthesized ones [3]. There is a growing concern of the potential carcinogenic and mutagenic risks associated with chemical preservatives like nitrites and parabens. “Fresher”, “more natural”, and “minimally processed” food is being demanded. In this sense, the development of alternative natural and low-toxic antimicrobial agents to replace traditional synthetic antimicrobial substances has received a lot of attention
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
