An “intelligent-sensing and targeted release” antimicrobial pickering emulsion for banana preservation

Conventional Pickering emulsions can kill microorganisms by slow release of active substances to prevent foodborne contamination; however, their low bactericidal efficiency due to the absence of bacterial inducibility is a problem that needs to be addressed. Inspired by the fact that the growth of bacteria depends on the consumption of proteins and polysaccharides by microbial enzymes, the present study prepared a novel Pickering emulsion capable of intelligent sensing and targeted release using chitosan (CS)-soy protein isolate (SPI) colloidal particles as stabilizers and plant essential oils as active substances. The Pickering emulsion demonstrated optimal performance in achieving these goals when prepared with a CS:SPI ratio of 1:4, an oil fraction of 40%, at a homogeneous speed of 25 000 rpm, and utilizing cinnamon oil as the plant essential oil. This was evidenced by the emulsion having the smallest droplet size and the greatest stability, which can increase the chances of coming into contact with microorganisms and avoid premature demulsification. Antibacterial experiments demonstrated that the emulsion could control the bacteria-mediated release of essential oils, realizing intelligent sterilization. Experiments on banana preservation showed that the released essential oils effectively delayed banana spoilage. These findings contribute to the development of intelligent food preservation systems.