Essential oil nanoemulsions: Properties, development, and application in meat and meat products

Essential oils have been investigated for their potential application as a natural ingredient in food preservation. However, the low solubility in the aqueous phase, high volatility, and low long-term stability are limiting factors for its use as a natural preservative to replace traditionally used preservatives. With the advancement of nanotechnology, the development of essential oil nanoemulsions has become a promising alternative. Nanoemulsions have unique characteristics due to their nanometric size, which include increased contact surface area and increased physicochemical stability. Meat matrices have a complex chemical composition that can interact with the compounds present in EO and reduce their bioactivity. The essential oil nanoemulsified is a conservation alternative to pure oil, with the ability to improve the interaction with specific targets in meat and exert antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. This paper summarizes the essential characteristics of nanoemulsions and presents the main advances in the application of essential oil nanoemulsified in meat and meat products for preservation. According to what is available so far from studies with essential oil nanoemulsified in meat, the application can extend the shelf life of meat and meat products, with improved bioactivity compared to pure oils. Bioactivity is directly associated with particle size, and both high and low-energy methods can be used to prepare of nanoscale emulsions and achieve droplet sizes ≤100 nm. Therefore, nanoemulsions can be a technological alternative to overcome the limitations of pure oils and be used in meat and meat products as a natural preservative.