Characterization of soy lecithin/tween 80 synergistically stabilized cumin essential oil nanoemulsions and their application in air-dried camel meat processing

The objective of this study was to develop a nanoemulsion of cumin essential oil (CEO-NE) stabilized synergistically by soybean lecithin (SL) and Tween 80 (TW 80), and to investigate the effects of different cumin essential oil (CEO) concentrations (1%-5%) on its physicochemical properties, antioxidant, and antibacterial activities, with a view to further evaluating its potential for preserving sun-dried camel meat. The results showed that when the SL to TW 80 ratio was 1:1, the prepared CEO-NE exhibited the smallest particle size (119.33 ± 2.52 nm) and the highest absolute zeta potential (-56.72 ± 1.23 mV). Through hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions, CEO-NE at various concentrations formed stable nanoemulsion systems, with significantly improved thermal stability. Among these, 3% CEO-NE exhibited the best encapsulation efficiency and the most uniform particle distribution. The results of the antioxidant and antibacterial activity assessments showed that all CEO-NE samples (1%-5%) exhibited concentration-dependent antioxidant and antibacterial effects. The DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging rates increased from 60.24% to 97.09% and from 58.99% to 81.52%, respectively, while the total colony counts of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus decreased by 1.1 log CFU/mL and 1.32 log CFU/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the activity of CEO-NE at all concentrations was significantly superior to that of free CEO (P < 0.05). Experiments applying CEO-NE to the preservation of air-dried camel meat indicated that, during the 12-day drying process, the CEO-NE-treated group effectively maintained meat moisture content, significantly reduced thiobarbituric acid reactant values (0.46 ± 0.07 mg/kg) and total microbial counts (4.03 ± 0.14 log CFU/g), and improved sensory quality.