In vitro antibacterial and antioxidant properties of chitosan edible films incorporated with Thymus moroderi or Thymus piperella essential oils

Encapsulation of therapeutic lavender oil in an electrolyte assisted polyacrylonitrile nanofibres for antibacterial applications

Electrospinning, a feasible nanotechnology, has been exploited to engineer polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous mats enclosing a representative hydrophobic drug like essential oil of lavender.

Antioxidant activity of essential oils

Essential oils (EOs) are liquid mixtures of volatile compounds obtained from aromatic plants. Many EOs have antioxidant properties, and the use of EOs as natural antioxidants is a field of growing interest because some synthetic antioxidants such as BHA and BHT are now suspected to be potentially harmful to human health. Addition of EOs to edible products, either by direct mixing or in active packaging and edible coatings, may therefore represent a valid alternative to prevent autoxidation and prolong shelf life. The evaluation of the antioxidant performance of EOs is, however, a crucial issue, because many commonly used "tests" are inappropriate and give contradictory results that may mislead future research. The chemistry explaining EO antioxidant activity is discussed along with an analysis of the potential in food protection. Literature methods to assess EOs' antioxidant performance are critically reviewed.

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Chitosan-PE Bi-Layer Films by Incorporating Oregano Essential Oil

Chitosan-PE bi-layer films exhibit antimicrobial activity but poor antioxidant activity. Oregano essential oil (100μL/100mL) was incorporated into chitosan solution to improve films antioxidant and antimicrobial behaviors. The present work investigated the scavenging of O2·, ·OH, DPPH radical and reducing power of film, antimicrobial activity was also evaluated. The results showed that the scavenging effect of film solution on O2·, ·OH, and DPPH was 80.87%, 85.56%, and 87.24%, respectively. Reducing power of film increased with the improvement of oregano essential oil. The antibacterial activity againstE. ColiandB. Subtilisincreased from 80.77% to 96.15% and from 93.02% to 98.10%, respectively. The preservation experiments showed that chitosan-PE film incorporated with oregano essential oil could extend the shelf life of pork to 810 days at 4°C.