Microencapsulation of Rosemary Essential Oil by Electrospraying: An Evaluation of Characteristics and Antifungal Properties

Abstract

In this study, rosemary essential oil was encapsulated at different concentrations (0, 5, 10, 15 % w/v) by the electrospraying technique in zein microcapsules (ZME) and evaluated for their antifungal properties. The morphology, functional groups, thermal stability, and crystallinity of the ZME were characterized by SEM, FT-IR, TGA, and XRD, respectively. SEM results showed that the ZME diameter increased from 2.6 to 5.2 µm in response to increasing the rosemary essential oil concentration from 0 to 15%. FT-IR revealed hydrogen reactions between the zein and rosemary essential oil. The TGA results indicated that rosemary essential oil decreased the thermal stability of ZME. The XRD patterns indicated that the ZME was in an amorphous state. The agar well diffusion method in studying the antifungal properties of ZME showed that the ZME had significant antifungal activity against Alternaria alternata (P<0.05). According to the results, ZME that carries rosemary essential oil can actively deter Alternaria alternata on tomatoes.