Developing amino acid-citric acid-based deep eutectic solvent for food applications: Preparation, characterization, antibacterial activity, biosafety, and formation mechanism exploration

The deep eutectic solvent (DES) is a novel environmentally-friendly solvent that shows promising potential for applications in the field of functional food. However, the current development of choline-based DESs faces limitations due to their toxicity levels, which restrict their application in the food industry. Therefore, in this study, amino acid (AA)-citric acid (CA) DESs suitable for functional food applications were developed using natural food additives as raw materials. The purity and thermodynamic properties of the AA-CA DESs were characterized by simultaneous thermogravimetry/differential scanning calorimetry (TG-DSC) and DSC analysis. The molecular interactions within the AA-CA DESs were investigated using FT-IR, NMR, and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The rheometer was used to study the viscosity of AA-CA DESs. The density of the AA-CA DESs was tested using a pycnometer and mutually verified with MD simulations. The antibacterial activity and biological safety of DESs were investigated by bacteriostatic and cell experiments. FT-IR, NMR, and MD simulations studies indicated that AA-CA DESs primarily form through hydrogen bonding interactions. Antibacterial experiments demonstrated that AA-CA DESs exhibited significantly enhanced antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa and E. coli compared to pure substrates Gly, Ala, and Arg, respectively, indicating improved antibacterial properties. The cell experiments showed that AA-CA DESs possess good biological safety. In conclusion, this study successfully developed a class of AA-CA DESs and found that AA-CA DESs have good antibacterial activity and biosafety. This finding provides theoretical guidance for the sustainable development and application of DESs in the field of functional foods.