Cold nitrogen plasma modified cuminaldehyde/beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex and its application in vegetable juices preservation

E. coli O157:H7 is one of the most common food-borne pathogens and usually related to contaminated vegetables. This study was to prepare an effective antibacterial agent and applied in vegetable juices. In this study, beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complexof CUM (CUM/beta CD-IC) was prepared using ultrasonication technique and then treated with cold nitrogen plasma (CNP) to observe its effect in the physicochemical and antibacterial properties of CUM/beta CD-IC. Various characterization techniques such as fluorescence, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed the formation of IC between CUM and beta CD. Phase solubility and double reciprocal profiles studies proved the enhanced solubility of CUM with increasing amount of beta CD and the guest/host stoichiometry of 1:1. Computational modeling and FT-IR indicated that the phenyl ring with isopropyl chain of CUM is inserted in the hydrophobic beta CD. Investigations of thermal properties proved that the beta CD-IC formation improved the stability of CUM. Antibacterial test results indicated that CNP-CUM/beta CD-IC exhibited better antibacterial activity than CUM/beta CD-IC. After CNP-CUM/beta CD-IC treatment, it was observed by TEM that the cell membrane of E. coli O157:H7 was broken. In addition, the antibacterial activity of CNP-CUM/beta CD-IC in vegetable juices was carried out and the findings revealed that CNP-CUM/beta CD-IC has an excellent antibacterial effect on vegetable juices.

Automated summary

The study developed an effective antibacterial agent, beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex of CUM, which exhibited improved antibacterial properties after treatment with cold nitrogen plasma and was able to disrupt the cell membrane of E. coli O157:H7. The antibacterial activity of CNP-CUM/beta CD-IC was found to be superior to CUM/beta CD-IC, showing excellent antibacterial effect in vegetable juices.