Aris E. Giannakas, Aris E. Giannakas, Achilleas Kechagias, Margarita Dormousoglou, Georgia Karakasidou, Dimitrios Moschovas, Eleni Triantafyllou, Areti A. Leontiou, Andreas Giannakas, Andreas Giannakas, Panagiota Stathopoulou, Apostolos Avgeropoulos, Constantinos E. Salmas
The growing demand for sustainable food preservation drives interest in edible nanoemulsions encapsulating bioactive compounds. This study developed casein–lecithin-based nanoemulsions combining carvacrol (CV)—a compound with potent antimicrobial and moderate antioxidant activity—with vitamin E (VitE)—a powerful antioxidant—as multifunctional food coatings. Three formulations were prepared via homogenization: NE-CV (2% CV), NE-VitE (2% VitE), and NE-CV/VitE (1% each). Physicochemical characterization revealed monomodal size distributions (22.7–57.7 nm), with successful encapsulation confirmed by FTIR. NE-CV/VitE exhibited intermediate particle size (34.4 nm) and zeta potential (−19.8 mV). Antioxidant activity followed NE-VitE > NE-CV/VitE > NE-CV, with the co-encapsulated system preserving VitE’s radical scavenging (EC50 10.76 µL/mL, DPPH). Remarkably, NE-CV/VitE demonstrated enhanced antibacterial activity against E. coli, requiring half the CV concentration (0.07 mg/mL) versus NE-CV alone (0.15 mg/mL), while maintaining CV dose-dependent activity against S. aureus (0.30 mg/mL). Nanoencapsulation significantly reduced CV cytotoxicity in human lymphocytes at concentrations up to 50 μg/mL (48.8% cytostasis vs. 58.9% for free CV), with no genotoxic effects observed within this range, while preserving full bioactivity. In fresh minced pork over 6-day refrigerated storage, NE-CV/VitE coating maintained pH stability (5.65–5.75), preserved red color (a* values 6.24 vs. 4.99 uncoated), reduced lipid oxidation (TBARS 0.74 vs. 0.82 mg MDA/kg), and achieved a 99% reduction (2-log) in total viable counts versus uncoated controls. The CV/VitE co-encapsulated nanoemulsion represents an integrated, safe, and effective multifunctional preservation technology with synergistic antimicrobial enhancement and uncompromised antioxidant protection, offering a natural alternative for comprehensive food quality preservation.