Characterization and antimicrobial effect of carvacrol loaded nanoemulsions

Nanoemulsions are one of the effective approaches used for the inclusion of water-insoluble ingredients in the food formulation in functional food production. With the preparation of nanoemulsions, the distribution of active ingredients in the system is ensured and at the same time, its bioavailability is increased. In this study, a 321 nm nanoemulsion loaded with carvacrol, a natural bioactive substance, was produced. The zeta potential and PDI values of the nanoemulsion sample prepared in the study were determined as -54.27 and 0.266, respectively, to reveal the stability and size distribution of the nanostructures. The findings showed that the carvacrol-containing nanoemulsions were stable and durable. In our study, it has been clearly demonstrated that the antibacterial activity of carvacrol-loaded nanoemulsion on Gram-positive Bacillus cereus bacteria, which can cause food-borne diseases, is significantly higher than the standard antibiotic activity. This shows that carvacrol-loaded nanoemulsions can be used as a substitute for standard antibiotics to provide higher antibacterial activity.. In our study, the antimicrobial effect of nanoemulsion containing carvacrol on Gram negative Vibrio parahaemolyticus bacteria was investigated; It has been determined that this bioactive substance has bactericidal properties by destroying the Vibrio parahaemolyticus test microorganism. As a result, it was concluded that by increasing the concentration, nanoemulsions containing carvacrol could be used as a natural preservative instead of the standard antibiotic as an antimicrobial against this bacterium.