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Design of biosystems to provide healthy and safe food. Part A: effect of emulsifier and preparation technique on physicochemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties

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Abstract

In this study, the effect of emulsifier and preparation technique on physicochemical properties and antioxidant/antimicrobial activity of plant oil (lemongrass and oregano, 1:1)/citrus extracts incorporated in oil-in-water (O/W) microemulsion in comparison to coarse emulsion, was investigated. The optimization of O/W microemulsion was performed by two surfactants with different hydrophilic–lipophilic balance values and two techniques of preparation such as sonication and microfluidization. The stability of microemulsions during storage time regarding to the droplet size, ζ-potential, viscosity, total polyphenolics content, total flavonoids content, antioxidant, antiradical and antimicrobial activity were assessed. Micro-emulsification increased the bioactivity of plant oil/citrus extracts by increasing the surface area of droplets induced by size decrement. Microfluidized and sonicated emulsions showed the same relatively stable profile during storage time. Micro-emulsification improves the functionality of plant oil/citrus extracts, such as antioxidant and antiradical activity. An increment about 16–32 times in antimicrobial activity of plant oil/citrus extracts was also attained. Furthermore, the morphology of microemulsions observed by transmission electron microscopy, confirmed a mono-dispersed nano-sized emulsion.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ; Project # IA-115316) and Biosecur Lab Inc. Also, the members of RESALA laboratory appreciate the Biosecur Lab for providing Biosecur products.

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  1. Research Laboratories in Sciences Applied to Food, Canadian Irradiation Centre, INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier, 531, Boulevard des Prairies, Laval, QC, H7V 1B7, Canada

    Behnoush Maherani, Mohamed Ali Khlifi, Stephane Salmieri & Monique Lacroix

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  1. Behnoush Maherani
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  2. Mohamed Ali Khlifi
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  3. Stephane Salmieri
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  4. Monique Lacroix
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Correspondence to Monique Lacroix.

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Behnoush Maherani declares no conflict of interest. Mohamed Ali Khlifi declares no conflict of interest. Stephane Salmieri declares no conflict of interest. Monique Lacroix declares no conflict of interest. She has received the research grant from Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ; Project # IA-115316) and Biosecur Lab Inc.

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This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

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Maherani, B., Khlifi, M.A., Salmieri, S. et al. Design of biosystems to provide healthy and safe food. Part A: effect of emulsifier and preparation technique on physicochemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Eur Food Res Technol 244, 1963–1975 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-018-3108-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00217-018-3108-2

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