Essential oil encapsulations: uses, procedures, and trends

Abstract

16Recently there has been an increased interest towards the biological activities of essential oils 17 (EOs). However, EOs are unstable and susceptible to degradation when exposed to 18 environmental stresses like oxygen, temperature, and light. Therefore, attempts have been 19 made to preserve them through encapsulation in various colloidal systems such as 20 microcapsules, nanospheres, nanoemulsions, liposomes, and molecular inclusion complexes. 21 This review focuses on various techniques used for the encapsulation of EOs, potential 22 applications in food, and their behaviours/trends after encapsulation. The encapsulation 23 efficiency, particle size, and physical stability of EOs encapsulated in colloidal systems is 24 dependent on the kind of technique and the type and concentration/ratio of emulsifier/wall 25 material used. Moreover, the benefits associated after encapsulation, namely bioavailability, 26 controlled release, and protection of EOs against environmental stresses are discussed. The 27 applications of encapsulated EOs are also summarized in this review. Encapsulated EOs are 28promising agents that can be used to increase the anti-microbial, antifungal, antiviral, and 29 pesticidal activities of EOs in real food systems, to study their action mechanism, and to 30 provide nonlethal therapeutic agents to treat several diseases. 31

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“…As one of widely used lipophilic compound delivery systems, oil emulsification is able to enhance their solubility in aqueous-based system, increase the compound stability and somehow improve the biological activity. [29][30][31][32][33] One important virulence factor of oral Streptococci is its biofilm formation ability during its attachment on solid surfaces. The bacterial biofilms are more difficult to remove compared to planktonic bacterial cells.…”

Pepper fragrant essential oil (PFEO) and functionalized MCM‐41 nanoparticles: formation, characterization, and bactericidal activity

“…With multiple functions and health benefits, essential oils will undoubtedly have more applications in the food industry . However, essential oils usually show high volatility, strong sensory properties, poor water solubility, and instability, which significantly limit their application . For this reason, it is necessary to adopt novel strategies, including the utilization of nanotechnologies, to improve the physicochemical properties of essential oils while maintaining / enhancing their bioactivities .…”

“…9 However, essential oils usually show high volatility, strong sensory properties, poor water solubility, and instability, which significantly limit their application. [10][11][12] For this reason, it is necessary to adopt novel strategies, including the utilization of nanotechnologies, to improve the physicochemical properties of essential oils while maintaining / enhancing their bioactivities. 13 A large number of experimental studies have been devoted to improving essential oils' antibacterial functions by nanoencapsulation using different nanomaterials.…”

Coarse and nano emulsions for effective delivery of the natural pest control agent pulegone for stored grain protection

“…Encapsulation of natural active agents such as EOs, polyphenolic acids and fatty acids has been widely studied and applied. Encapsulation formulations allow homogenous distribution of the active agents, inhibit evaporation of volatile compounds, prevent undesired modifications of sensitive compounds, and avoid undesired odors …”