Improved antimicrobial activity of immobilised essential oil components against representative spoilage wine microorganisms

Wine, as a fermented drink, is considered a microbiologically safe beverage, but the growth of spoilage microorganisms can cause economic damage. As a new preservative process, the application of immobilised essential oil components (EOCs) is proposed in this study. EOCs were attached to the surface of three different commercial supports (silica particles, cellulose particles and cellulosic membrane) to avoid the disadvantages of using these compounds in their free form, such as volatility, low water solubility and intense aroma. The results showed that the treatment of spoilage microorganisms with antimicrobial particles (silica and cellulose) significantly reduced the viability and growth capacity of the target microorganisms. The covalent attachment of EOCs to particles led to a significant reduction in both the MIC values and viability compared with most free compounds. The enhanced antimicrobial activity of EOCs after their anchorage to a support was confirmed, resulting in MIC values of 10-90 fold lower than those of the free bioactive compounds. In addition, the filtration of microorganism suspensions through EOC-functionalised membranes showed remarkably antimicrobial activity.