Structured silica materials as innovative delivery systems for the bacteriocin nisin

• Published in: Food chemistry Vol. 366; p. 130599
• Main Authors: Brum, Luis Fernando Wentz, dos Santos, Cristiane, Zimnoch Santos, João Henrique, Brandelli, Adriano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2022
• Subjects: Antimicrobial peptide; Nanostructure; Natural antimicrobials; Silica nanocapsules; Natural antimicrobials; Nanostructure; Silica nanocapsules; Antimicrobial peptide
• ISSN: 0308-8146; 1873-7072
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.130599

•Nisin was encapsulated in mesoporous silica xerogels.•Silica nanostructures were characterized by FTIR, SAXS, SEM and XRD.•Antimicrobial activity was confirmed against several bacterial species.•Silica nanostructures showed no hemolytic activity.•Silica xerogels are suitable carriers for nisin. Nisin was encapsulated in silica through sol–gel process by acid-catalyzed routes. The silica xerogels were characterized through nitrogen adsorption isotherms, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), zeta potential, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). SAXS results showed that the particle diameters in a second level of aggregation varied from 4.78 to 5.86 nm. Zeta potential of silica particles were from −9.6 to −25.3 mV, while the surface area and pore diameters ranged from 216 to 598 m2 g−1 and 2.53 to 2.90 nm, respectively, indicating the formation of mesoporous nanostructures. Nisin retained the antimicrobial activity against all microorganisms tested after encapsulation in silica materials. These novel silica-based structures can be valuable carriers for nisin delivery in food systems.