Topical advances of edible coating based on the nanoemulsions encapsulated with plant essential oils for foodborne pathogen control

Nowadays, the increasingly grim situation caused by foodborne pathogen infection has undoubtedly become the urgent issue in the area of food safety. Recently, more attention has been given to plant essential oils (EOs) due to its excellent antibacterial and antifungal activity with nature origin and eco-friendly. However, EOs meet the strict challenge of limited applications in food industry for its poor solubility and stability. Nanoemulsions (NEs) as an effective nanocarrier and its application in food edible coatings have been utilized to overcome the shortcomings of EOs to maximize lethality against microorganisms and minimize deterioration of the quality of foods. This review gives readers an overview of the physicochemical properties of EOs-loaded NEs. Then, the factors influencing the antibacterial and antifungal ability caused by EOs-loaded NEs and its potential application in edible coatings for food preservation with previous works and recent progress are emphatically discussed. Finally, limitations and future directions are considered and presented to enable EOs-loaded NEs and its edible coatings can be applied as novel and efficient strategies for food safety.