Essential Oils and Their Application in Food Safety

Abstract

Food industries are facing a great challenge due to contamination of food products with different microbes such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, parasites, etc. These microbes deteriorate food items by producing different toxins during pre- and postharvest processing. Mycotoxins are one of the most potent and well-studied toxic food contaminants of fungal origin, causing a severe health hazard to humans. The application of synthetic chemicals as food preservatives poses a real scourge in the present scenario due to their bio-incompatibility, non-biodegradability, and environmental non-sustainability. Therefore, plant-based antimicrobials, including essential oils, have developed cumulative interest as a potential alternative to synthetic preservatives because of their ecofriendly nature and generally recognized as safe status. However, the practical utilization of essential oils as an efficient antimicrobial in the food industry is challenging due to their volatile nature, less solubility, and high instability. The recent application of different delivery strategies viz. nanoencapsulation, active packaging, and polymer-based coating effectively addressed these challenges and improved the bioefficacy and controlled release of essential oils. This article provides an overview of essential oils for the preservation of stored foods against bacteria, fungi, and mycotoxins, along with the specialized mechanism of action and technological advancement by using different delivery systems for their effective application in food and agricultural industries smart green preservative.

Essential Oil Blends: The Potential of Combined Use for Respiratory Tract Infections

“…The combination of Coriandrum sativum (coriander) and Cinnamonum zeylanicum (cinnamon) showed the broadest spectrum of antimicrobial effect with noteworthy effect against eight of the nine pathogens studied with synergistic or additive effects against five of the nine pathogens. These two essential oils have been used since antiquity for their antimicrobial effects [ 50 , 51 ]. An additional two combinations, namely C. zeylanicum in combination with Zingiber officinale (ginger) and Citrus bergamia (bergamot) in combination with Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) have shown the greatest number of synergistic interactions with synergy identified against six of the nine pathogens investigated.…”

Stabilization Techniques of Essential Oils by Incorporation into Biodegradable Polymeric Materials for Food Packaging

“…The most antimicrobial active compounds in essential oils are oxygenated terpenoids, aldehydes, and phenols [27]. Clove [28], thyme [29], rosemary [30], cinnamon [31], cumin [32], oregano [33], and citrus fruit [34], etc., are among the most used plants to obtain essential oils or vegetal extracts for application in antimicrobial food packaging [35].…”

Essential Oil Nanoemulsion as Eco-Friendly and Safe Preservative: Bioefficacy Against Microbial Food Deterioration and Toxin Secretion, Mode of Action, and Future Opportunities

“…The major implication of EOs for the preservation of food commodities along with other chemical components lies in the possible synergistic effect during long term preservation ( Jiang et al, 2009 ). However, applications of EOs are still restricted due to intense aroma, low water solubility, and less stability in fluctuating environmental conditions such as temperature, light, and oxygen ( Maurya et al, 2021 ; Singh et al, 2021 ). Moreover, some of the EOs only perform their antimicrobial efficacy at higher concentrations leading to negative impact on the organoleptic properties of food products ( Olatunde and Benjakul, 2018 ).…”