Development of encapsulated peppermint essential oil in chitosan nanoparticles: characterization and biological efficacy against stored-grain pest control

• Published in: Pesticide biochemistry and physiology Vol. 170; p. 104679
• Main Authors: Rajkumar, Vallavan, Gunasekaran, Chinnappan, Paul, Cheruvathur Amita, Dharmaraj, Jayaraman
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc 01.11.2020
• Subjects: Acetylcholinesterase; chitosan; Encapsulation; environmental factors; Essential oil; Fumigant toxicity; gelation; insecticidal properties; Mentha piperita nothosubsp. piperita; nanocapsules; peppermint oil; pest control; pesticides; physicochemical properties; physiology; polymers; Storage pest; storage pests; stored grain; toxicity; X-ray diffraction; zeta potential; Encapsulation; Essential oil; Storage pest; Acetylcholinesterase; Fumigant toxicity
• ISSN: 0048-3575; 1095-9939; 1095-9939
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pestbp.2020.104679

Peppermint oil (PO) has widely been reported for their nutritional and biomedical properties. Essential oil (EO) has several properties, usage restricted due to environmental condition, polymer based nanoencapsulation of EOs is developed as one of the promising technique to address this limitation. In this current study emphasizes on developing Peppermint oil (PO) encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs) by ionic gelation method in order to improving its insecticidal potential effective management of two stored grain pest. The nano-encapsulated PO (CS/PO NPs) was confirmed by UV–Vis spectrophotometry and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The physicochemical characterization of CS/PO NPs revealed <563.3 nm size, Zeta potential of −12.12 mV, encapsulation efficiency >64% and loading capacity >12.31% respectively. Developed CS/PO NPs demonstrated the toxicity studies have significantly efficacy against both stored product pest compared to control. In-vivo percent inhibition of AChE activity ranged between S. oryzae (52.43% and 37.71% and and T. castaneum (37.80% and 31.29). Overall, these results highlighted that polymer chitosan nanoparticle encapsulated with essential oil is a promising novel design that could be promoted in stored food pest management schedule for T. castaneum and S. oryzae. [Display omitted] •Peppermint essential oil (PO) was encapsulated in chitosan nanoparticles (CS NPs).•Encapsulations of Peppermint essential oil improve sustained controlled release.•In-vitro release profile of the Peppermint essential oil at different buffer media over 72 h.•Nanoencapsulation enhances the insecticidal activity of Peppermint essential oil against both storage pests.•Encapsulated Peppermint essential oil has acetylcholinesterase activity higher then pure oil.