Impact of fabricated clove and ginger oil nano-emulsions on the survival of <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> and <i>Aspergillus flavus</i> in labneh: A fermented model

This research paper investigated the potential application of essential oils nano-emulsion after characterization as natural preservatives in the dairy sector, by measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration of ginger and clove oil nano-emulsion along with their impact on the sensory properties, starter culture activity and survivability of some foodborne pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in fortified laboratory-manufactured labneh. The characterized EOs nano-emulsions exhibited significant antimicrobial effect against the tested microorganisms (<i>Escherichia coli, Salmonella Typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, and <i>Aspergillus flavus</i>). <i>S. aureus</i> was completely inhibited in labneh fortified with 0.1 µg/mL clove and ginger nano-emulsion in the first and second weeks of the storage period, respectively. While <i>A. flavus</i> count was reduced by 100 and 35% in labneh fortified with 1 µg/mL clove and ginger nano-emulsion, respectively. Nonetheless, the overall acceptability and flavour of the fortified samples revealed scores that were not significantly different from the control samples (<i>P</i> > 0.05). These results were obtained without interfering with the starter culture activity during processing and storage period. In conclusion, the obtained results open a promising avenue for the EOs nano-emulsions application as safe and natural alternative in the dairy industry.