Antimicrobial Activity of Cashew Gum-Gelatin Coacervates as a Food Ingredient

Author(s)

Goncalves, Nathalia D. ; Duarte, Marta C. T. ; Prata, Ana S. ; Rodrigues, Rodney A. F.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: ACS AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY; v. 1, n. 6, p. 9-pg., 2021-12-20.

Abstract

Cashew gum is an exudate whose exploitation has social and environmental benefits for Brazil. In addition to presenting a film-forming ability similar to that of gum arabic in microencapsulation applications, cashew gum can provide biological advantages. In this work, cashew gum was employed to form coacervates with gelatin, and their antimicrobial action was assessed. Conditions defined for complexation enabled the encapsulation of thyme essential oil, a natural antimicrobial agent, with an encapsulation efficiency of 70.9 +/- 0.01% and a complexation yield of 35.1%. Particles and complexes without oil showed antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The particles with cashew gum and gelatin protected the volatile compounds in thyme essential oil, making its biological activity more efficient than that of free oil alone. The particles without oil did not have equally high activity against bacteria, but they showed moderate inhibition, which reinforces the suggestion that combining the antimicrobial activity of cashew gum and thyme essential oil promotes improved protection. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/09824-4 - Investigation for production of biodegradable carriers for natural larvicidals against Aedes aegypti
• Grantee: Ana Silvia Prata
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants