Encapsulated Limonene: A Pleasant Lemon-Like Aroma with Promising Application in the Agri-Food Industry. A Review

Abstract

Limonene, mainly found as a major component in Citrus spp., has been proven to possess a valuable potential as sustainable replacement to synthetic pesticides and food preservatives. This review intends to give a clear overview of the principal emerging applications of limonene in the agri-food industry as antimicrobial, herbicidal and antioxidant agent. To successfully use limonene in a greener agri-food industry, its preservation had become a top concern for manufacturers. In order to elucidate the most efficient and sustainable manner to encapsulate limonene, the different techniques and materials tested up to the present are also reviewed. In general, encapsulation conserves and protects limonene from outside aggressions, but also allows its controlled release as well as enhances its low water solubility, which can be critical for the discussed applications. Other parameters such as scalability, low cost and availability of equipment will need to be taken into account. Further efforts would likely be oriented to the elucidation of encapsulating sustainable systems obtained by cost-efficient elaboration processes, which can deliver effective concentrations of limonene without affecting crops and food products.

Antioxidant and Anti-Proliferative Activity of Essential Oil and Main Components from Leaves of Aloysia polystachya Harvested in Central Chile

“…Despite the fact that carvone and limonene did not show cytotoxicity in this study as in other works [ 20 , 48 , 49 ], previous studies showed cytotoxic activity against prostate and breast cancer cell lines [ 50 , 51 , 52 ]. These monoterpenes are present in low concentrations in food and have applications in industry and agriculture, increasing the human exposure to these compounds [ 53 , 54 ]. Finally, our data may represent, in the near future, developments for natural-based cancer treatments or a potential preservative agent.…”

Synthesis of D-Limonene Loaded Polymeric Nanoparticles with Enhanced Antimicrobial Properties for Potential Application in Food Packaging

“…The as-synthesized dry nanoparticles contained 10.9 ± 1.5% w/w of D-limonene, quantified by TGA analysis. The relatively low percentage of D-limonene in the dry particles is typical for air-dried particles, and it is attributed to the high volatility of D-limonene, while there is also great repentance to the particles’ materials [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 ]. On the other hand, the amount of D-limonene used during the mini-emulsion polymerization is retained during the polymerization reaction, and the drying process, leading to encapsulation efficiency close to 100%.…”

Sacha Inchi Seed (Plukenetia volubilis L.) Oil: Terpenoids

“…Therefore, terpenoids as natural preservatives can be used to slow down food spoilage. Some monoterpenoids such as limonene can be used as substitutes for synthetic antioxidants (TBHQ, BHA, BHT) and improves oxidative stability in edible oils [58]. Wang et al [58] have mentioned that monoterpenoids can be used as a reference for the food manufacturing, lifestyle, and nutrition in the future.…”