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BR-102024017736-A2 - COMPOSITION AND USE OF NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION

BR102024017736A2BR 102024017736 A2BR102024017736 A2BR 102024017736A2BR-102024017736-A2

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of Biotechnology, directed towards the food industry, and concerns the composition and use of a nanoemulsion for cheese preservation, characterized by comprising: essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus (Lemongrass) solubilized in nanostructured fixed oil of Caryocar coryaceum (Pequi), a block copolymer of poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide), and water. The proposed system, the subject of the present invention, exhibits potential antimicrobial preservative action for cheeses. The antimicrobial action against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis, and Listeria monocytogenes of the object of the present invention has been proven, showing superior activity when compared to the activity of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil in its free form. Therefore, the object of the present invention has as its distinguishing feature the strategic association, in nanostructured form, of Pequi pulp oil with Cymbopogon citratus essential oil in order to promote action as an antimicrobial preservative in cheese, with superior efficacy, representing a natural and safe alternative as a substitute for preservative products currently on the market.

Inventors

  • NÁGILA MARIA PONTES SILVA RICARDO
  • FERNANDO EUGÊNIO TEIXEIRA CUNHA
  • LOUHANA MOREIRA REBOUÇAS
  • DEYSE DE SOUSA MAIA
  • LARISSA MORAIS RIBEIRO DA SILVA

Assignees

  • UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO CEARÁ

Dates

Publication Date
20260310
Application Date
20240828

Claims (13)

  1. 1. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION characterized by comprising: essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus solubilized in nanostructured fixed oil of Caryocar coryaceum, block copolymer of poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide) and water.
  2. 2. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to claim 1, characterized by the water having a maximum electrical conductivity at 25°C of 1 microsiemens per centimeter.
  3. 3. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to claim 1, characterized by the poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide) block copolymer comprising two blocks with one hundred ethylene oxide units and a central block of sixty-five propylene oxide units.
  4. 4. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to claim 1, characterized by the poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide) block copolymer having a molar mass of 12500 grams per mole.
  5. 5. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to claim 1, characterized in that the Caryocar coriaceum oil is from the pulp.
  6. 6. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to claim 1, characterized by the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus having a minimum content of 44% (w/w) of cis-neral.
  7. 7. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to claim 1, characterized by the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus having a minimum content of 54% (w/w) of trans-geranial.
  8. 8. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to claim 1, characterized by the Caryocar coriaceum oil having in its composition a minimum content of 49% (w/w) of oleic acid esters.
  9. 9. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to claim 1, characterized by the Caryocar coriaceum oil having in its composition a minimum content of 29% w/w of palmitic acid esters.
  10. 10. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by comprising: 5.00-10.00% (w/w) Caryocar coriaceum oil; 1.00-5.00% (w/w) Cymbopogon citratus essential oil; 1.00%-3.00% (w/w) poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide) block copolymer and 82.00%-93.00% (w/w) water.
  11. 11. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR PRESERVATION OF CHEESES according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by having an average diameter ranging from 190 nm to 250 nm.
  12. 12. NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION according to any of the preceding claims, characterized by having antimicrobial action against species belonging to the group: Salmonella Enteritidis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes.
  13. 13. USE OF NANOEMULSION BASED ON CYMBOPOGON CITRATUS (LEMONGRASS) AND CARYOCAR CORYACEUM (PEQUI) OIL FOR CHEESE PRESERVATION as defined in the preceding claims, characterized by being for preserving cheese.

Description

[001] The present invention relates to the field of Biotechnology, directed to the food industry, and concerns the composition and use of a nanoemulsion for cheese preservation characterized by comprising: essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus (Lemongrass) solubilized in nanostructured fixed oil of Caryocar coryaceum (Pequi), poly(ethylene oxide) poly(propylene oxide) block copolymer and water. [002] The proposed system, object of the present invention, presents potential antimicrobial preservative action for cheeses. The antimicrobial action against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella enteritidis and Listeria monocytogenes, of the object of the present invention, has been proven to show superior activity when compared to the activity of Cymbopogon citratus essential oil in free form. [003] Therefore, the object of the present invention has as its differential the strategic association in nanostructured form of Pequi pulp oil with Cymbopogon citratus essential oil in order to promote action as an antimicrobial preservative in ricotta cheese with superior efficacy, representing a natural and safe alternative as a substitute for preservative products currently on the market. [004] The rapid growth of urban centers and the exacerbated increase in their populations has brought to industries in general, and specifically to the food industry, a sudden technological development in order to supply and provide society with increasingly high-quality, safer, and more aggregated products (Akparibo et al., 2021). [005] However, in the food sector, there are incidents involving the consumption of contaminated food that impact the health of the end consumer, and their clinical picture may be mild or severe, depending on the etiological agent involved. Such contamination can come from diverse and adverse sources, whether of physical, chemical and/or microbiological origin (Talley et al., 2021). [006] Foodborne illnesses (FBIs), which are present in today's society, originate from microbiological contamination of food or water that is handled and consumed (Amaral et al., 2021) and can come from any stage of the production chain, as well as from the handling of food after its acquisition by the consumer (Talley et al., 2021). [007] According to data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN, 2022), cases of foodborne disease outbreaks nationwide in 2019 showed a considerable increase of approximately 30% compared to the previous year, with the Southeast region leading in reported cases, followed by the South and Northeast regions. [008] The main etiological agents involved in the cases are the bacteria Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, representing approximately 81.4% of the cases. [009] The food industry uses preservation techniques and additives, usually of synthetic origin, which have antimicrobial activity and enable the fight against such pathogenic microorganisms. In contrast, the application of traditional synthetic compounds, in inadequate amounts or their recurrent consumption, is linked to cytotoxic and antinutritional factors in the human body (Rodriguez-Garcia et al., 2016). The object of the present invention is proposed to solve this problem. [010] Consequently, in this way, studies of emerging treatments with antimicrobial potential arise, whether their focus is complementary or alternative (Freire et al., 2022). [011] Techniques for applying compounds of natural origin to products are already being developed, and may have equal or greater bioactive value when compared to traditionally used compounds, but these also require studies before and during their application, due to possible undesirable effects when intended for human consumption. [012] Terpenes (monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes) are derived from the secondary metabolism of plants and are produced naturally by their biosynthetic pathways (Upadhyay; Bano, 2023). [013] They are considered signaling molecules due to their aromatic characteristics, acting as repellents or attractants to predators, in addition to eliciting volatile organic compounds in their synthesis and being characterized by their antimicrobial bioactive activities (Tetali, 2019). They are part of the biological matrices of essential oils, constituting them mostly in their pure or derived form (Plata-Rueda et al., 2020). [014] Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) essential oil is used in herbal medicine (Rahaman et al., 2022). Among its properties, antibacterial effects have been reported, but due to its hydrophobicity, its application in food is still restricted (Naik et al., 2010; Juergens; Worth; Juergens, 2020; Ali et al., 2023). [015] One way to solve this difficulty is the use of nanoemulsions (NEs), which emerges as a promising alternative for the adequate dispersion of the non-polar active ingredient in the food medium used. This occurs due to the interaction between the liquids and the emulsifier present in the NEs, in order to