2. Academic Validation
  3. Charge-governed ionic essential oil-loaded liposomes for enhanced penetration and removal of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms

Charge-governed ionic essential oil-loaded liposomes for enhanced penetration and removal of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms

  • Food Res Int. 2026 Apr 1:229:118488. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.118488.
Jinming Dai 1,  Mei Bai 2,  Tariq Aziz 1,  Fatma Alshehri 3,  Nada K Alharbi 3,  Ashwag Shami 3,  Fakhria A Al-Joufi 4,  Haiying Cui 5,  Lin Lin 6
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
  • 2 Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Food Quality and Safety-State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of MOST, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanjing 210014, China.
  • 3 Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia.
  • 4 Department of Pharmacology, College of Pharmacy, Jouf University, 72341 Aljouf, Saudi Arabia.
  • 5 School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
  • 6 School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China. Electronic address: [email protected].
PMID: 41763810 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.118488
Abstract

The high incidence and spread of Listeria monocytogenes biofilms present significant challenges to conventional sterilization means, posing a serious threat to food safety. In the context of food microbial safety, this study employs Litsea cubeba essential oil (LC-EO) as a phytogenic antimicrobial and investigates the penetration and eradication mechanisms of ionic LC-EO-loaded liposomes against L. monocytogenes biofilms. Using rhamnolipids and chitosan for surface modification, two types of ionic essential oil-loaded liposomes with opposite charges yet comparable charge density and particle size were successfully prepared. The resultant surface-modified liposomes exhibited significantly improved stability in various aqueous environments compared to conventional liposomes, along with remarkable efficacy in biofilm removal. Biofilm retention assays revealed that anionic liposomes possess stronger biofilm penetration capacity, while cationic liposomes show enhanced adsorption rates on biofilm surfaces. When applied on different food-contact surfaces, ionic Liposome solution effectively removed L. monocytogenes biofilms, reduced secondary contamination, thus improving food safety.

Keywords

Biofilm penetration; Eradication mechanism; Ionic liposomes; Listeria monocytogenes biofilm; Litsea cubeba essential oil.

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