ABSTRACT
Nowadays demand of food quality, safety and its preservation are the prime concerns ofthe food industry-based R&D. The growing health concerns in consumers are ultimately resulting in a demand for minimally processed foods and ready-to-eat products. It is the utmost requirement to have an extended shelf-life compared to fresh product because of the requirements of supply chain as the minimally processed or fresh foods are more prone to microbial contamination and enzymatic degradation. To address the challenges of microbial and enzymatic degradation, the food industries have been using chemical preservatives. But now it has been reported that these preservatives may have long term toxicological implications. In new discoveries, scientists are interested in search of new ways of food preservation particularly exploring natural origin substances with minimal side-effects. The essential oils are natural compounds having strong anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant properties and suitable candidates utilized for the purpose of food preservation. But the low water solubility, high volatility and strong aroma of essential oils limit its use in food preservation. The encapsulation and/or nanoemulsification of essential oils in a nanoemulsion vehicle provides the advantages of better miscibility and stability. Being liquid in nature, nanoemulsions can be efficiently used in the coating of the food products and contribute to increase their dispersibility at the site of proliferation of the microorganisms. Indeed, rationale selection of the surfactants in the formulation process of nanoemulsions further enhances the antimicrobial activities of essential oils. This chapter presents a brief introduction of food preservation, essential oils used in preservation of different food ingredients and strategy to increase the efficiency of these essential oils by encapsulation in nanoemulsions with their futuristic aspects in food preservation.
