Aesculus hippocastanum L. extract as a potential emulsion stabilizer

This study presents the investigations on Aesculus hippocastanum L. (AHL) bark extract as a potential antibacterial emulsion stabilizer. The tested crude extract of AHL contained 4.7% saponins, which are considered as the main group of extract components responsible for its surface-active properties. Two series of plant extracts were prepared: the first one (crude) was obtained immediately after the extraction procedure, and the second one was obtained by filtration of crude extract through a syringe filter (200 nm). The emulsifying properties of crude and filtered extracts were compared according to their surface-active properties and emulsification index (EI24). Moreover, fluorescence behavior and antimicrobial activity of the extracts were studied. Microviscosity tests were performed by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The obtained results confirmed the toxic effect of the tested plant extract on environmental bacterial strains. At the highest used concentration of AHL extract (the tripled critical micelle concentration value), the metabolic activity was lowered to 3% (for Pseudomonas sp. MChB) and 73% (for Raoultella planticola). The presented results are the first step to evaluate the plant extracts according to their basic properties in the context of the particle size. Furthermore, the basic toxicity test showed that AHL extracts might be considered as a potential preservation agent in food industry or packaging systems.Graphical abstract
Source: Food Hydrocolloids - Category: Food Science Source Type: research