Limonene nanoemulsified with soya lecithin reduces the intensity of non-isothermal treatments for inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes

Abstract

Consumers' demands for ready-to-eat, fresh-like products are on the rise during the last years. This type of products have minimal processing conditions that can enable the survival and replication of pathogenic microorganisms. Among them, Listeria monocytogenes is of special concern, due to its relatively high mortality rate and its ability to replicate under refrigeration conditions. Previous research works have shown that nanoemulsified essential oils in combination with thermal treatments are effective for inactivating L. monocytogenes. However, previous research works were limited to isothermal conditions, whereas actual processing conditions in industry are dynamic. Under dynamic conditions, microorganism can respond unexpectedly to the thermal stress (e.g. adaptation, acclimation or increased sensitivity). In this work, we assess the combination of nanoemulsified Dlimonene with thermal treatments under isothermal and dynamic conditions. The nanoemulsion was prepared following an innovative methodology using soya lecithin, a natural compound as well as the essential oil. Under isothermal heating conditions, the addition of the antimicrobial enables a reduction of the treatment time by a factor of 25. For time-varying treatments, dynamic effects were relevant. Treatments with a high heating rate (20 °C/min) are more effective than those with a slow heating rate (1 °C/min). This investigation demonstrates that the addition of nanoemulsified D-limonene can greatly reduce the intensity of the thermal treatments currently applied in the food industry. Hence, it can improve the product quality without impacting its safety.

Anisakicidal Effects of R (+) Limonene: An Alternative to Freezing Treatment in the Industrial Anchovy Marinating Process

“…872/2012 [57], it can be used in food as a flavor additive without any restrictions. Against this background, the bactericidal efficiency of LMN was explored against pathogens and specific spoilage organisms in different foods [58][59][60][61]. With reference to seafood, LMN was used in a mixture with sunflower seed oil to evaluate its effects on the spoilage flora of fresh sea bream (Sparus aurata) fillets stored under vacuum and refrigeration [61].…”

Assessment and Classification of Volatile Profiles in Melon Breeding Lines Using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction Coupled with Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

“…Furthermore, D-limonene is a potent antimicrobial compound that inhibits the growth of foodborne pathogens such as L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. [58][59][60].…”

Training in tools to develop quantitative microbial risk assessment of ready‐to‐eat food with a comparison between the Romanian and Spanish food supply chains

“…However, the direct applications of EOs are limited because: ( 1 4) the antimicrobial efficiency against Gram-negative bacteria is often reduced due to the impermeable outer membrane of these bacteria (He et al, 2021). To resolve these limitations, EOs can be encapsulated in nanoemulsions to exhibit characteristics such as: superior physical stability of active compounds; enhanced antimicrobial activity over equivalent Eos; limiting their oxidation and degradation; and mask the undesirable flavouring properties Garre et al, 2020;He et al, 2021;Huertas et al, 2021).…”

“…However, the direct applications of EOs are limited because: (1) they contain lipophilic compounds with low solubility in water (Dávila‐Rodríguez et al., 2019 ); (2) they possess strong flavour and odour, which can exceed the sensory rejection threshold (de Souza et al., 2021 ); (3) large amounts are needed to induce their antibacterial effects (Dávila‐Rodríguez et al., 2019 ); (4) the antimicrobial efficiency against Gram‐negative bacteria is often reduced due to the impermeable outer membrane of these bacteria (He et al., 2021 ). To resolve these limitations, EOs can be encapsulated in nanoemulsions to exhibit characteristics such as: superior physical stability of active compounds; enhanced antimicrobial activity over equivalent Eos; limiting their oxidation and degradation; and mask the undesirable flavouring properties (Ros‐Chumillas et al., 2017 ; Garre et al., 2020 ; He et al., 2021 ; Huertas et al., 2021 ).…”