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Antibacterial Nanoemulsion of Oregano Oil for Food Preservation: In Vitro and In Situ Evaluation Against Escherichia coli

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Abstract

The food industry faces challenges in maintaining food quality, preservation, and safety. Chemical preservatives like sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate can change the odor, taste, and texture of fruit juices. So, there is consumer demand for safe and eco-friendly food preservatives which are of natural origin. Therefore, in the present study, oregano essential oil–based nanoemulsion has been prepared for use as a natural preservative. Oregano essential oil (OEO)-based nanoemulsion was prepared using of oregano essential oil, Tween80, and water by ultrasonic emulsification. The average droplet diameter of the stable formulated nanoemulsion was 22 nm with polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.107 and spherical morphology. The optimized formulation showed significant antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli, affecting membrane permeability and causing bacterial death and lysis. To test whether the antibacterial activity would translate to food systems, antibacterial activity of selected oregano oil nanoemulsion in fresh fruit juice (mango) was determined using sodium benzoate as positive control. The shelf life of the mango juice was extended up to 120 h by incorporating oregano essential oil nanoemulsion. The nanoemulsion exhibited better antimicrobial activity at 4 °C storage than at 25 °C. This study suggests that oregano oil nanoemulsion could be used as a natural preservative for preserving fruit juice from microbial spoilage.

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Acknowledgements

Authors acknowledge Sophisticated Analytical Instrumentation Facility (SAIF), Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) analysis facility used for this work.

Funding

This work was supported by Uka Tarsadia University, Bardoli, Gujarat (Research Promotion Scheme Grant Number: UTU/RPS/2703/2017).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. GD Rungta College of Science & Technology, Kohka, Bhilai, 490024, Chhattisgarh, India

    Vijayalakshmi Ghosh, Aachal Lonhare & Neema S. Balan

  2. C.G. Bhakta Institute of Biotechnology, Uka Tarsadia University, Bardoli, 394350, Gujarat, India

    Vijayalakshmi Ghosh & Sapna K. Chandwani

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  1. Vijayalakshmi Ghosh
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  2. Sapna K. Chandwani
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Contributions

VG conceptualized the idea, supervised, analyzed, and interpreted data apart from acquisition of the funding. SC carried out the experiments and wrote the original draft. AL revised and edited the manuscript. NSB revised and edited the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Vijayalakshmi Ghosh.

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Highlights

• Oregano essential oil (OEO) nanoemulsion was formulated with droplet diameter of 22 nm with polydispersity index (PDI) of 0.107 and spherical morphology.

• The optimized formulation exhibited effective antibacterial activity against E. coli.

• Nanoemulsion altered E. coli membrane permeability, confirmed by quantifying the leakage of 260 nm absorbing materials.

• FTIR spectra also confirmed alteration in functional groups on nanoemulsion treated bacteria surface.

• SEM micrographs demonstrated distortion of membrane in nanoemulsion treated bacteria.

• OEO nanoemulsion also exhibited significant antibacterial activity in situ in fresh mango juice.

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Ghosh, V., Chandwani, S.K., Lonhare, A. et al. Antibacterial Nanoemulsion of Oregano Oil for Food Preservation: In Vitro and In Situ Evaluation Against Escherichia coli. BioNanoSci. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12668-024-01300-8

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