Nanoemulsion-based approach to preserve muscle food: A review with current knowledge

Muscle foods are regarded as nutritionally dense foods while they are prone to spoilage by action of microorganism and oxidation. Recently, the consumer's preference is mostly toward minimally processed foods as well as preserved with natural preservatives. However, natural extract directly to the food matrix has several drawbacks. Hence development and applications of nanoemulsion has gained importance for the preservation of muscle foods to meet consumer requirements with enhanced food safety. Nanoemulsion utilizes natural extracts at much lower concentration with higher preservative abilities over original components. Nanoemulsions offer protection to the active component from degradation and ensure longer bioavailability. Novel techniques used for formulation of nanoemulsion provide stability to the emulsion with desirable qualities to improve their impacts. The application of nanoemulsion is known to enhance the preservative action of nanoemulsions by improving the microbial safety and oxidative stability in nanoform. This review provides recent updates on different methods used for formulation of nanoemulsions from different sources. Besides, successful application of nanoemulsion derived using natural agents for muscle food preservation and shelf life extension are reviewed. Thus, the application of nanoemulsion to extend shelf life and maintain quality is suggested for muscle foods.

Automated summary

Muscle foods are prone to spoilage, but the consumer trend is towards minimally processed foods preserved with natural preservatives. Nanoemulsion has gained importance for the preservation of muscle foods, as it utilizes natural extracts at lower concentration but higher preservative abilities. Nanoemulsion offers protection and longer bioavailability for active components. Novel techniques provide stability and desirable qualities to improve their impacts. Application of nanoemulsion enhances microbial safety and oxidative stability. This review provides updates on different methods for nanoemulsion formulation and successful application in muscle food preservation and shelf life extension.