Biopolymer based nanoemulsion delivery system: An effective approach to boost the antioxidant potential of essential oil in food products

Abstract In recent years, there is an increasing interest of using the essential oils (EOs) based nanoemulsions as natural antioxidants candidates for wide range of food applications. The upsurge in this current trend is a clear indication highlighting the consumer’s demand for healthier food products with improved stability, safety and fresh-like sensory properties. The prominence of biopolymers in the field of nanotechnology cannot be denied. In this perspective, possessing unique properties, biopolymers such as carbohydrates, proteins and lipids have been fetched much attentions as emulsifiers and stabilizers. In this regard, biopolymer based nanoemulsions loaded with EOs offer great avenues to achieve the desired characteristics such as oxidative stability, thermo-stability, shelf-life and biological activity in food products as well as minimize the choice of applications of synthetic preservatives at the same time. This review presents an update of recent literature on major sources of EOs, their chemical compositions, as well as highlights the formulation and fabrication of biopolymer based nanoemulsions entrapped with EOs. Our effort encompasses the discussion on feasibility of loading of EOs into the nanoemulsion delivery systems embedded with diverse kinds of biopolymers, their antioxidant potential as a preservation strategy to delay and/or halt the oxidation process in wide range of food product applications.