Abstract
The development of new food preservatives is essential to prevent foodborne outbreaks or food spoilage due to microbial growth, enzymatic activity or oxidation. Furthermore, new compounds that substitute the commonly used synthetic food preservatives are needed to stifle the rising problem of microbial resistance. In this scenario, we report herein, as far as we know, for the first time the use of the zein protein as a gating moiety and its application for the controlled release of essential oil components (EOCs). The design of microdevices consist of mesoporous silica particles loaded with essential oils components (thymol, carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde) and functionalized with the zein (prolamin) protein found in corn as a molecular gate. The zein protein grafted on the synthesized microdevices is degraded by the proteolytic action of bacterial enzymatic secretions with the consequent release of the loaded essential oil components efficiently inhibiting bacterial growth. The results allow us to conclude that the new microdevice presented here loaded with the essential oil component cinnamaldehyde improved the antimicrobial properties of the free compound by decreasing volatility and increasing local concentration.
Highlights
A new antimicrobial device applying for the first time the zein protein as a gating moiety and based on mesoporous silica particles (MSPs) loaded with essential oil components is developed for the controlled release of natural antimicrobial compounds (essential oil components (EOCs) thymol, carvacrol and cinnamaldehyde)
The antimicrobial action of cinnamaldehyde encapsulated inside the microdevice against E. coli is demonstrated by culturability and viability assays
The results show a good inhibitory effect of cinnamaldehyde when encapsulated in gated MSPs, and the enhancement of the cinnamaldehyde bactericidal effect when compared with the corresponding free compound
Summary
Pesticides, food preservatives and antibiotics have been generally used with the aim of fighting the pathogenic microorganisms that cause foodborne outbreaks. They have been used indiscriminately, generating an even greater problem, i.e., antimicrobial resistance [2,3]. In this context, the development of new alternatives is necessary to solve this increasing problem of public health. The development of new alternatives is necessary to solve this increasing problem of public health With this aim, numerous studies have focused on the potential use of natural compounds due to the problems derived from common preservatives and their rejection by consumers [4,5,6]
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