Soy lecithin nanoliposomes encapsulating Echinacea purpurea extract: Characterization and application as a natural antimicrobial for chicken meat preservation.

Soy lecithin-based nanoliposomes encapsulating Echinacea purpurea extract (LPEP) were developed as a natural antimicrobial delivery system for food preservation. The formulation exhibited a high encapsulation efficiency (98.71 ± 0.01%) and an initial particle size of 123.4 ± 21.27 nm. In chicken meat, no detectable Staphylococcus aureus was observed in LPEP-treated samples from day 3 onward, while Escherichia coli counts were reduced by 1.33 ± 0.58 log CFU/g after 9 days of refrigerated storage. FT-IR confirmed successful incorporation of phenolic compounds into the phospholipid bilayer, while LC-MS confirmed the retention of major phenolic compounds. LPEP exhibited 18.85 ± 0.54 mg GAE/g DW total phenolics, 42.69 ± 1.38% DPPH scavenging activity, 170.96 ± 38.29 mg BHT/100 g ABTS antioxidant capacity, protection against protein oxidation, and sustained release over 120 h. These findings support the potential of LPEP as a natural preservative for chicken meat.