Beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complexes of citral and linalool inhibit Escherichia coli on cooked chicken: Focus on their synergistic antibacterial effects

Citral and linalool are two well-studied antibacterial essential oil compounds. However, their synergistic antibacterial effects have not been fully elucidated. This study explored their synergistic mechanism against <i>Escherichia coli</i> and the potential of their β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) inclusion complexes in food preservation. The combination of citral and linalool demonstrated enhanced efficiency in damaging bacterial cell membranes, inducing protein leakage, causing structural collapse, and inhibiting biofilm formation, reducing extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), and impairing bacterial motility compared to the individual use of either compound. Furthermore, the β-CD inclusion complexes of these two compounds exhibited synergistic effects in cooked chicken by inhibiting total viable counts (TVC) to 3.31 Log CFU/g after 3 days of storage, which is lower than the single-use groups (4.07 and 3.78 Log CFU/g for citral and linalool, respectively). These complexes also decreased total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) accumulation and prevented pH increase, thereby enhancing food safety and quality.