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Essential Oil Nanoemulsions—A New Strategy to Extend the Shelf Life of Smoothies

Summary

This review explores how essential oil nanoemulsions could naturally preserve smoothies and extend their freshness. Essential oils have antimicrobial and antioxidant properties but taste and smell too strong at effective doses. Nanoemulsions—tiny oil droplets encapsulated in water—solve this problem by being more effective at lower concentrations while maintaining good taste, making them a promising natural alternative to chemical preservatives.

Background

Smoothies are increasingly popular beverages that provide convenient nutritional supplementation with fruits and vegetables. However, minimally processed smoothies are susceptible to microbial contamination and enzymatic degradation, limiting shelf life. Essential oils possess antimicrobial and antioxidant properties but their strong taste and aroma at effective concentrations limit practical food application.

Objective

This review examines essential oils and their nanoemulsion formulations as natural preservatives for extending smoothie shelf life. The study evaluates their effectiveness against characteristic microflora, enzymatic oxidation, and compares nanoemulsions with bulk essential oils for food preservation applications.

Results

Essential oil nanoemulsions demonstrate superior antimicrobial efficacy compared to bulk oils, requiring lower minimum inhibitory concentrations while maintaining sensory acceptability. Nanoemulsions effectively inhibit bacteria, yeasts, and molds characteristic of smoothies and reduce enzymatic browning while masking the strong flavor and odor of essential oils.

Conclusion

Essential oil nanoemulsions represent a promising natural preservation strategy for extending smoothie shelf life by several days to weeks. Future research should optimize nanoemulsion formulation parameters, including emulsifier selection, oil-to-water ratios, and droplet size, along with scalable production methods for commercial application.
  • Published in:Foods,
  • Study Type:Review,
  • Source: 10.3390/foods13121854, PMID: 38928796
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