Free and encapsulated orange essential oil into a β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex and zein to delay fungal spoilage in cakes

摘要

This study investigated the in vitro antifungal activity of orange essential oil(OEO) against Aspergillus spp. and evaluated the activity of free and encapsulatedOEO to delay fungal spoilage in cakes. The OEO was encapsulated into a zein andβ-cyclodextrin inclusion complex at three concentrations (2.5%, 5.0%, and 7.5% w/v)by anti-solvent precipitation method and dried by electrospraying. The OEO inhibitedthe growth of all Aspergillus species tested. The minimal inhibitory concentrationvalues of OEO were between 45.24 and 90.47 mg/ml and the minimal fungicidalconcentration (MFC) values ranged from 45.24 to >180.95 mg/ml. Aspergillus terreus(MV 3529) was the most sensitive to OEO, followed by Aspergillus niger (MV 3531M 1354), and Aspergillus fumigatus was the most resistant to OEO (MFC of≥180.95 mg/ml). The OEO delayed the microbiological spoilage of cakes from 30 to150 days, suggesting its use as a natural antifungal in bakery products.Practical applicationsFungal contamination in bakery products generates economic losses to the bakingindustry and consumers’ dissatisfaction. The addition of chemical preservativesto the process can retard fungal deterioration and prevent this problem. However,consumers have been looking for friendlier and ecologically sustainable preservationtechniques as alternatives to chemical additives. These alternatives include theutilization of essential oils (EOs), such as orange essential oil (OEO). Despite severalstudies stating the antifungal effect of EOs, very few reports the actual applicationin bakery products. These can be added to cake formulations in the free form or encapsulatedinto a zein and β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex. In this study, the OEOdelayed the microbiological spoilage of cakes from 30 to 150 days, showing that theOEO could be used as an alternative to chemical preservatives, aiming to extend theshelf life of bakery products.