Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41224970›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2025

Sustainable formulations composed of biosurfactants and phytochemicals with potential application in fresh-cut food industry.

Federica Carraturo, Rodolfo Esposito, Marco Masi, Alessio Cimmino, Antonietta Siciliano, Michela Salamone, Noemi Gallucci, Fulvio De Paola, Gaetano De Tommaso, Mauro Iuliano and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Federica Carraturo *Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Rodolfo Esposito *Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Marco Masi *Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Alessio CimminoDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Antonietta SicilianoDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Michela SalamoneDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Noemi GallucciDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Fulvio De PaolaDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Gaetano De TommasoDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Mauro IulianoDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Marco GuidaDepartment of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Luigi PaduanoDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.
Irene Russo KraussDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy. irene.russokrauss@unina.it.
Gerardino D'ErricoDepartment of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cintia 4, Naples, Italy.

Funding

European Union Agritech National Research Center and received funding from the European Union NextGenerationEU (NRRP) - Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.4 - D.D. 1032 17/06/2022, CN00000022).Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR) PON Ricerca e Innovazione 2014-2020, project title "Prodotti e processi innovativi per la filiera ortofrutticola della IV gamma-ProFood IV"
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The demand for minimally processed fruits and vegetables is increasing every year as consumers become aware of the health benefits associated with the consumption of fresh, unprocessed produce. Washing and disinfection steps are critical for ensuring the safety of these products, which are susceptible to microbial contamination and lack any thermal treatment. The most used sanitizers are chlorine-based, yet concerns have been raised regarding their efficacy and safety, due to the formation of toxic disinfection by-products. Thus, with the aim of proposing innovative green and safe alternatives, we have formulated and thoroughly characterized mixtures composed of two natural phytochemicals, either 1,2-O,O'-diacetyllycorine (DAL) or ungeremine (UN), and the biosurfactant rhamnolipids (Rha). We performed an investigation into the ecotoxicological properties of DAL and UN, the results of which are encouraging with regard to their utilisation in washing formulations. The combination of UN and Rha has been shown to enhance the solubility of UN and the micellization of Rha, due to electrostatic interactions between the positively charged UN molecules and the negatively charged Rha molecules. In contrast, DAL exhibited minimal interaction with Rha. Notably neither DAL nor UN modify the surface properties of the biosurfactant necessary for ensuring optimal wetting of food surfaces. As a proof of concept, the washing process of minimally processed fruits and vegetables was closely mimicked using lettuce leaves: we showed that the UN + Rha formulation is highly effective against several food-related pathogens and is more effective than the control hypochlorite solution against the normal microbial load present on lettuce leave; furthermore it does not affect leaf appearance for up to eight days. Our results highlight the importance of a comprehensive physico-chemical characterisation of both isolated components and complete mixtures to facilitate the rational design of sustainable formulations for use in food processing. Moreover, this study indicates that formulations based on biocompounds have the potential to be proposed as effective green washing formulations for the fresh-cut food industry.

Indexed as

Food IndustryPhytochemicalsSurface-Active AgentsBiosurfactantsGlycolipidsGlycolipidsPhytochemicalsrhamnolipidSurface-Active Agents

Identifiers

PMID41224970
PMCPMC12612212

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.