Synthetic preservatives can have harmful effects on the body, so plant essential oils appear to be an attractive natural alternative. However, the use of essential oils is limited due to the low stability and possible negative effects on the sensory properties of food. Oil encapsulation was suggested as a way to overcome these drawbacks. The objective of this study was to encapsulate thyme essential oil and to evaluate its antioxidant and antimicrobial potential in vitro and in situ in of hamburger-like meat products. The casein-maltodextrin capsules produced by spray-drying were assessed for encapsulation efficiency, thermal stability, chemical compounds and morphology. Antioxidant activity was evaluated by DPPH, hydroxyl and nitric oxide methods, while antimicrobial activity was evaluated in vitro against four bacteria and in situ in hamburger-like products. The capsule showed high encapsulation efficiency and thermal stability, and spherical and irregular morphology. The casein-maltodextrin encapsulated essential oil showed antioxidant and antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella Typhimurium tested in vitro and against thermotolerants coliforms and Escherichia coli in situ, showing potential for application as a natural preservative in food.

合成防腐剂可能对人体产生有害影响，因此植物精油似乎是有吸引力的天然替代品。但是，由于稳定​​性低以及对食品的感官特性可能产生的负面影响，香精油的使用受到了限制。建议使用油封来克服这些缺点。这项研究的目的是封装百里香精油，并评估其在汉堡类肉制品中的体外和原位抗氧化和抗菌能力。通过喷雾干燥制备的酪蛋白-麦芽糊精胶囊的包封效率，热稳定性，化合物和形态被评估。通过DPPH，羟基和一氧化氮方法评估抗氧化活性，同时在体外评估了对四种细菌的抗微生物活性，并评估了类似汉堡包的产品的抗微生物活性。该胶囊显示出高的包封效率和热稳定性，以及球形和不规则形态。酪蛋白-麦芽糖糊精包封的精油显示出抗氧化和抗菌活性金黄色葡萄球菌，大肠杆菌，单核细胞增生性李斯特菌和鼠伤寒沙门氏菌已在体外进行了测试，并针对耐热大肠菌和原位大肠杆菌进行了现场测试，显示了在食品中用作天然防腐剂的潜力。