Encapsulation of Cymbopogon khasiana × Cymbopogon pendulus Essential Oil (CKP-25) in Chitosan Nanoemulsion as a Green and Novel Strategy for Mitigation of Fungal Association and Aflatoxin B1 Contamination in Food System

Jitendra Prasad; Somenath Das; Akash Maurya; Monisha Soni; Arati Yadav; Bikarma Singh; Abhishek Kumar Dwivedy

doi:10.3390/foods12040722

Encapsulation of Cymbopogon khasiana × Cymbopogon pendulus Essential Oil (CKP-25) in Chitosan Nanoemulsion as a Green and Novel Strategy for Mitigation of Fungal Association and Aflatoxin B₁ Contamination in Food System

Foods. 2023 Feb 7;12(4):722. doi: 10.3390/foods12040722.

Authors

Jitendra Prasad¹, Somenath Das², Akash Maurya¹, Monisha Soni¹, Arati Yadav¹, Bikarma Singh³, Abhishek Kumar Dwivedy¹

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory of Herbal Pesticides, Centre of Advanced Study (CAS) in Botany, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi 221005, Uttar Pradesh, India.
² Department of Botany, Burdwan Raj College, Purba Bardhaman 713104, West Bengal, India.
³ Botanic Garden Division, CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute, Rana Pratap Marg, Lucknow 226001, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Abstract

The present study deals with the encapsulation of Cymbopogon khasiana × Cymbopogon pendulus essential oil (CKP-25-EO) into a chitosan nanoemulsion and efficacy assessment for inhibition of fungal inhabitation and aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) contamination in Syzygium cumini seeds with emphasis on cellular and molecular mechanism of action. DLS, AFM, SEM, FTIR, and XRD analyses revealed the encapsulation of CKP-25-EO in chitosan with controlled delivery. The CKP-25-Ne displayed enhanced antifungal (0.08 µL/mL), antiaflatoxigenic (0.07 µL/mL), and antioxidant activities (IC_{50 DPPH} = 6.94 µL/mL, IC_{50 ABTS} = 5.40 µL/mL) in comparison to the free EO. Impediment in cellular ergosterol, methylglyoxal biosynthesis, and in silico molecular modeling of CKP-25-Ne validated the cellular and molecular mechanism of antifungal and antiaflatoxigenic activity. The CKP-25-Ne showed in situ efficacy for inhibition of lipid peroxidation and AFB₁ secretion in stored S. cumini seeds without altering the sensory profile. Moreover, the higher mammalian safety profile strengthens the application of CKP-25-Ne as a safe green nano-preservative against fungal association, and hazardous AFB₁ contamination in food, agriculture, and pharmaceutical industries.

Keywords: CKP-25-essential oil; aflatoxin B1; methylglyoxal; mitigation; molecular docking; preservative.

Grants and funding

The research is funded by Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) [File No. 09/013(0866)/2019-EMR-I] New Delhi, India, and University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi and Institute of Eminence (IoE), B.H.U.