Enhancing effect of nanoemulsion on antimicrobial activity of cinnamon essential oil against foodborne pathogens in refrigerated Asian seabass (Lutes calcarifer) fillets

A nanoemulsion approach to enhance antimicrobial performance of cinnamon essential oil as a natural preservative for the real food system was studied. The antimicrobial activity of cinnamon essential oil nanoemulsion (1429 and 11429 mg/L), in comparison to bulk cinnamon oil (488 and 11429 mg/L) and food industrial used sanitizer, sodium hypochlorite (10 mg/L), was investigated against refrigerated Asian seabass fillets artificially contaminated with Escherichia cob, Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The results showed that cinnamon essential oil nanoemulsion (11429 mg/L) decreased approximately 0.5-1.5 log CFU/g of the initial number of bacteria when compared to the untreated samples. It also successfully inhibited the growth of those bacteria, especially V. parahaemolyticus, in fish fillets during storage (4 +/- 2 degrees C), resulting to be the more effective agent when compared to bulk cinnamon oil and sodium hypochlorite. The improved antimicrobial activity of cinnamon essential oil against the pathogenic bacteria in fish fillets can be achieved by using nanoemulsion formulation.