Evaluating the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Citral Nano-Emulsion Against Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Citral is extensively utilized in the realm of food preservation owing to its excellent antibacterial activity. Nevertheless, being a common essential oil, citral's hydrophobic characteristic considerably limits its potential use and marketability. In this study, we prepared hydrophobic citral into an oil-in-water nano-emulsion by high-pressure homogenization to address its solubility issues in water. The optical ratio of the citral nano-emulsion was established using a combination of response surface experiments. Subsequently, the citral nano-emulsion was employed to suppress Vibrio parahaemolyticus RIMD 2210633 (V. parahaemolyticus). The findings indicated that the citral nano-emulsion had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.125 mg/mL and a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 0.25 mg/mL against V. parahaemolyticus, respectively. Furthermore, the nano-emulsion displayed excellent antibacterial properties, mainly by causing cell envelope damage, and also inhibited the production of virulence factors. Finally, citral nano-emulsion was applied to salmon preservation and efficiently controlled the propagation of V. parahaemolyticus in salmon. Our research has addressed the limitations associated with the application of citral and expanded the applications for its use in the food industry.