Evaluating the Antimicrobial Efficacy of Citral Nano-Emulsion Against Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Citral is extensively utilized in the realm of food preservation owing to its excellent antibacterial activity. Nevertheless, being a common essential oil, citral's hydrophobic characteristic considerably limits its potential use and marketability. In this study, we prepared hydrophobic citral into an oil-in-water nano-emulsion by high-pressure homogenization to address its solubility issues in water. The optical ratio of the citral nano-emulsion was established using a combination of response surface experiments. Subsequently, the citral nano-emulsion was employed to suppress <i>Vibrio parahaemolyticus</i> RIMD 2210633 (<i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>). The findings indicated that the citral nano-emulsion had a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 0.125 mg/mL and a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 0.25 mg/mL against <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i>, respectively. Furthermore, the nano-emulsion displayed excellent antibacterial properties, mainly by causing cell envelope damage, and also inhibited the production of virulence factors. Finally, citral nano-emulsion was applied to salmon preservation and efficiently controlled the propagation of <i>V. parahaemolyticus</i> in salmon. Our research has addressed the limitations associated with the application of citral and expanded the applications for its use in the food industry.