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Novel antibiotics are needed due to the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Traditional antibiotics are ineffective due to antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, and finding alternative therapies is expensive. Hence, plant-derived caraway (Carum carvi) essential oils and antibacterial compounds have been selected as alternatives. In this, caraway essential oil as an antibacterial treatment was investigated using a nanoemulsion gel. Using the emulsification technique, a nanoemulsion gel was developed and characterized in terms of particle size, polydispersity index, pH, and viscosity. The results showed that the nanoemulsion had a mean particle size of 137 nm and an encapsulation efficiency of 92%. Afterward, the nanoemulsion gel was incorporated into the carbopol gel and was found to be transparent and uniform. The gel had in vitro cell viability and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The gel safely delivered a transdermal drug with a cell survival rate of over 90%. With a minimal inhibitor concentration (MIC) of 0.78 mg/mL and 0.78 mg/mL, respectively, the gel demonstrated substantial inhibition for E. coli and S. aureus. Lastly, the study demonstrated that caraway essential oil nanoemulsion gels can be efficient in treating E. coli and S. aureus, laying the groundwork for the use of caraway essential oil as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel antibiotics are needed due to the rise of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Traditional antibiotics are ineffective due to antibiotic-resistant microorganisms, and finding alternative therapies is expensive. Hence, plant-derived caraway (Carum carvi) essential oils and antibacterial compounds have been selected as alternatives. In this, caraway essential oil as an antibacterial treatment was investigated using a nanoemulsion gel. Using the emulsification technique, a nanoemulsion gel was developed and characterized in terms of particle size, polydispersity index, pH, and viscosity. The results showed that the nanoemulsion had a mean particle size of 137 nm and an encapsulation efficiency of 92%. Afterward, the nanoemulsion gel was incorporated into the carbopol gel and was found to be transparent and uniform. The gel had in vitro cell viability and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The gel safely delivered a transdermal drug with a cell survival rate of over 90%. With a minimal inhibitor concentration (MIC) of 0.78 mg/mL and 0.78 mg/mL, respectively, the gel demonstrated substantial inhibition for E. coli and S. aureus. Lastly, the study demonstrated that caraway essential oil nanoemulsion gels can be efficient in treating E. coli and S. aureus, laying the groundwork for the use of caraway essential oil as an alternative to synthetic antibiotics in the treatment of bacterial infections.

In this paper, the application of a biopolymer coating based on chitosan was tested. The optimized coating was formed as a two-layer coating, wherein the first layer (which is in contact with the product) was formed of chitosan with emulsified caraway essential oil as an active component, whereas the second layer was formed of chitosan with the addition of beeswax to optimize the moisture barrier of the coating. As a substrate, the traditional dry fermented sausage Petrovská klobása was selected. The coating was applied to the sausage after drying. During two months of storage under controlled conditions, the influence of the coating on the loss of moisture, the oxidative stability and the sensory characteristic of aroma of the control sausage (without the coating) and sausage with the coating was monitored. The results obtained indicate a significant contribution of the applied dual layer chitosan-based coating to the preservation of the sausage quality parameters analyzed.

The aim of this study was to evaluate bioactivity of chitosan film with incorporated caraway essential oil by measuring antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. A Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to determine the potential interaction of functional groups of chitosan film and incorporated caraway essential oil. New detected peaks and main shifts in the peaks of chitosan spectra are attributed mainly to presence of s-(+)-carvone and limonene, the main components of caraway essential oil. The antioxidant activity of chitosan film was analyzed by DPPH method. Chitosan film without incorporated caraway essential oil showed the lowest scavenging ability (29.95%, after 24 h). The addition of different concentrations of caraway essential oil into chitosan film significantly enhanced antioxidant activity of pure chitosan film, reaching the maximum of 95%. ASTM E 2149 - 01 method was performed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of chitosan films. The reduction of bacteria cell number in contact with examined films was tested on Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes and Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhimurium. The most sensitive bacteria was Staphylococcus aureus and the most resistant bacteria was Salmonella Typhimurium for all tested films. These results suggested that incorporation of caraway essential oil into chitosan film significantly improved its antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The film showed a great potential to be used as an active packaging material.

This study is aimed to determine the effect of spring soil application of caraway (Carum carvi L.) essential oil (EO) with silicon dioxide (SD) carrier on weed infestation, yield of maize (Zea mays L.), and microbiological soil activity. A two-year field experiment was set up in southern Poland on brown soil. The results showed that SD-EO microencapsulates were effective against dicotyledon weed species. Additionally, during the dry growth season, SD-EO microencapsulates affected the yield of maize (mass of cobs). Soil-applied microencapsulates caused an increase in soil microbiota, especially fungi and actinomycetes, by the end of a dryer season (September 2015). In conclusion, soil application of microencapsulated caraway EO with SD has potential as a natural weed control agent and should be studied further to optimize its dose and term for weed control in maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research evaluated the antimicrobial efficacy of pullulan films containing caraway essential oil (CEO). The films were prepared from a 10% of pullulan, containing from 0.12% to 10.0% of CEO. The composition of the CEO was analyzed with the use of gas chromatography. The antimicrobial activity of the CEO was evaluated with the method of serial microdilutions, and the films containing CEO-with the agar diffusion method against selected Gram-negative, Gram-positive bacteria, and fungi. The structure of the film surface and its cross-section were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Analyses were also carried out to determine the efficacy of a pullulan coating with 10% CEO on baby carrots experimentally inoculated with Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or Aspergillus niger and stored at a room temperature for 7 d. At a concentration of 0.12%, CEO inhibited the growth of all the tested microorganisms. Pullulan films containing 8% to 10% of CEO were active against all tested microorganisms. Populations of S. aureus on carrot samples were reduced by approximately 3 log CFU/g, while those of A. niger and S. cerevisiae by, respectively, 5 and 4 log CFU/g, after 7 d of storage. S. enteritidis was the most resistant among the tested species, since it was not significantly reduced after 7 d of storage. At the end of storage, samples treated with pullulan-caraway oil coating maintained better visual acceptability than control samples. Results of this study suggest the feasibility of applying a pullulan film with incorporated CEO to extend the microbiological stability of minimally processed foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Laboratory trials were carried out to evaluate the toxicity and the influence of a commercial mixture of vegetal, essential oils, and potassium salts of fatty acids (Acaridoil 13SL®) on the population growth rate (r i—instantaneous rate of increase) of two mite species, the phytophagous Tetranychus urticae Koch and the predator Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot. A residue of 1.3mg/cm2 of pesticide solution was harmless for Ph. persimilis eggs, while a moderate mortality of eggs and of larvae from treated eggs of T. urticae, was observed (53.8%). The pesticide also caused a delay in the postembryonic development of the tetranychid. Moreover, 83.4% mortality was reported for treated females tetranychids and only 24.0% for Ph. persimilis females. The pesticide influenced negatively the population growth of T. urticae which showed a very low rate of increase (r i=0.07), compared to that obtained in the control (r i=0.68). The pesticide did not affect negatively the reproductive potential of Ph. persimilis (r i=0.54 and r i=0.57 for test and control, respectively). These results suggest a considerable acaricidal activity of potassium salts of fatty acids and caraway oil on T. urticae and a good selectivity on Ph. persimilis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present study was conducted to evaluate the in vitro antibacterial activity and wound healing effects of caraway essential oil (CEO) loaded into nanostructured lipid carriers (CEO-NLCs). Zeta size (ZS), zeta potential (ZP) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques were employed in order to investigate the size and morphology of CEO-NLCs. According to the obtained results, the particle size was 40 nm-250 nm with narrow PDI∼0.23. The ZP value of all the CEO-NLCs was -11.7. The findings of SEM analysis showed a smooth-surfaced, spherical and uniform distribution of the particles. The results of In vitro studies indicated the antibacterial activity of the CEO-NLCs groups against Escherichia coli , Staphylococcus aureus , Staphylococcus epidermidis and Pseudomonas aeruginosa compared to blank and DMSO. Topical administration of the CEO-NLCs decreased the inflammatory phase whereas it increased granulation tissue formation. Seemingly, the CEO-NLCs can be used for the treatment of the infected excision wounds in the clinical condition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]