Comparative Study of the Development and Characterization of Ecofriendly Oil and Water Nanoemulsions for Improving Antifungal Activity
Shipra Pandey, Ved Prakash Giri, Madhuree Kumari, Ashutosh Tripathi, Sateesh Chandra Gupta, Aradhana Mishra
Abstract
Present work aimed to synthesize peppermint and eucalyptus oil-based nanoemulsions by a high-energy sonication process having potent antifungal activity. Tween 80 was used as the most suitable emulsifier by increasing interaction and stability of the system. A relative study was done among eucalyptus oil (ENE) and peppermint oil (PNE) nanoemulsions. PNE had a smaller droplet size (20–40 nm) than ENE (60–100 nm). Because of the smaller droplet size, higher surface area, lower surface tension, and presence of antimicrobial metabolites, PNE exhibited a higher antifungal efficacy as compared to ENE. 1% PNE showed complete inhibition of four fungal phytopathogens, while ENE showed partial inhibition. Stability of ENE was also a limiting factor along with increasing droplet size and resulted in decreased antimicrobial activity. Conclusively, peppermint oil-based nanoemulsion (PNE) proved to be a most promising antimicrobial agent against fungal pathogens; it can be used for sustainable disease management in crop plants.