Characterization of beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes containing an essential oil component

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Antimicrobial compounds are crucial for active packaging but often volatile and unstable.
• Protecting these compounds is essential for effective food preservation applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare and characterize inclusion complexes of 2-nonanone (2-NN) with beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD).
• To evaluate the stability and antifungal properties of the developed β-CD:2-NN inclusion complexes for potential use in active packaging.

Main Methods:

• Co-precipitation method was used to synthesize β-CD:2-NN inclusion complexes.
• Characterization involved entrapment efficiency (EE), DSC, TGA, XRD, FT-IR, and sorption isotherms.
• Antifungal activity was assessed against Botrytis cinerea mycelial growth.

Main Results:

• The β-CD:2-NN inclusion complex achieved a high entrapment efficiency of 34.8% at a 1:0.5 molar ratio.
• Thermal analysis (DSC, TGA) confirmed complexation via endothermic peaks.
• Inclusion complexes demonstrated fungistatic behavior against Botrytis cinerea.

Conclusions:

• The co-precipitation method successfully produced stable β-CD:2-NN inclusion complexes.
• These complexes show potential as effective antimicrobial agents in active food packaging materials.
• The study highlights a viable strategy for stabilizing volatile antimicrobial compounds for food technology applications.