Recent Development in Essential Oil-Based Nanocarriers for Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Agri-Food Applications: A Review

Abstract

The demand for greener agrochemicals and food preservatives has risen significantly during the last few decades to combat the harmful effects of conventional agrochemicals on the environment and human health. Essential oils (EOs) with their natural origin and potent antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, and insect-repellant activities have appeared as a greener and biocompatible alternatives for sustainable agri-food applications. Their use in free form is limited, due to high volatile nature, poor aqueous solubility and therefore, various nanocarriers have been successfully employed for the encapsulation of EOs. These nanocarriers not only prevent the EOs from harsh external environmental conditions but also enhance their efficacy in agri-food applications. Here, we review the different nanocarriers such as emulsions, lipid nanoparticles, biopolymeric nanoparticles, clay-based nanoparticles, and inclusion complexes, which are being extensively used to encapsulate EOs with their respective applications in the food and agriculture sector. Some major recent research attempts being made by researchers to formulate different essential oilloaded nanocarriers and their potential activity in agri-food-based applications have been discussed.

Aromatic Plant-Based Functional Foods: A Natural Approach to Manage Cardiovascular Diseases

“…To reduce these negative impacts, different nanoencapsulation strategies including emulsions, lipid nanoparticles, biopolymeric nanoparticles, clay-based nanoparticles, and inclusion complexes, have been applied to prevent unwanted degradation and enhance the efficacy of essential oils with several applications, particularly in the food sector [ 63 ]. Nanoencapsulation is generally referred to the use of a carrier with less than 1-micron, but since the size of the delivery system influences the surface area and dispersion of the essential oil into the food matrices, a size less of than 100 nm is recommended [ 64 ].…”

Vegetable Oil–Based Pickering Nanoemulsions As Carriers for Cytosolic Drug Delivery

“…Pickering emulsions are solid nanoparticle-stabilized liquid droplets dispersed in another liquid. − The role of nanoparticles is to reduce the interfacial energy between two immiscible liquids and drives the stability of micron-sized droplets. They can be oil droplets dispersed in water or water droplets dispersed in the oil phase.…”

“…They can be oil droplets dispersed in water or water droplets dispersed in the oil phase. As Pickering emulsions can encapsulate a wide variety of cargo materials, they are attractive carriers in the cosmetic and food industries, ,, dispersing media for enzyme catalysis and platforms for pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. − In particular, their biomedical and clinical applications have recently increased. − …”

“…First, they have a high cargo loading capacity as compared to polymer micelle or nanoparticle carriers . Second, the preparation of cargo-loaded emulsion is easy that involves a simple mixing of components without any chemical processing/purification. , Third, stable Pickering microemulsions can be prepared using larger-sized (>100 nm) nanoparticles, although the colloidal properties of such larger nanoparticles are highly sensitive to environment, and they often precipitate in the prescence of salt/ions. − Fourth, their soft and deformable nature facilitate their enhanced interaction and entry into biological targets, despite their larger size as compared to the 10–100 nm size requirement for cell uptake or the 50–200 nm size requirement for in vivo targeting . However, two most common limitations of Pickering emulsions are their micrometer size and the premature release of cargo materials.…”

Organic and Biogenic Nanocarriers as Bio-Friendly Systems for Bioactive Compounds’ Delivery: State-of-the Art and Challenges

“…Essential oils derived from plants contain bioactive compounds with antimicrobial properties. They can be incorporated into nanocarriers for applications in antimicrobial drug delivery [56].…”