Application of essential oils in food: a review on challenges and perspectives

Abstract

Essential oils are compounds that demonstrate the potential to act as natural additives in food products due to the antimicrobial and antioxidant. They are secondary plant metabolites consisting of terpenes and phenylpropanoids. These oils are insoluble in water, volatile and have a strong and characteristic flavor. However, these characteristics can affect the incorporation of these oils in foods. Currently, essential oils have been studied with several alternatives for use in nanoemulsions, nanocapsules, nano and polymeric microparticles. In this context, the objective of this study was to carry out a literature review on essential oils and their functionalities in the food area. To carry out the research, the following keywords were used: essential oil in food, antimicrobial activity and encapsulation methods available in digital banks. Resulting in the importance of using these oils in the meat, dairy and other industries, considering that it can be used as an alternative to traditional synthetic additives. The use of improved technologies tends to help in the stabilization of oils, thus reducing the impacts, reduces organoleptics in foods, as well as the release of their compounds, favoring their potential and increasing the self-life of food products.