Work

Eugenol Sustained Release from a Non-Innocent Zn-MOF for Antimicrobial Fruit Preservation

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: Active packaging is an effective strategy to extend food shelf life and reduce waste. In this work, a Zn-based Metal-Organic Framework (ZnBDP) was loaded with the natural antimicrobial eugenol using a vapour-phase impregnation, achieving complete encapsulation within the MOF pores (21 wt%), enabling sustained release in water over 3.5 months. Considering the bioactivity of Zn2+ and eugenol, the combined bactericidal and fungicidal effect of eugenol@ZnBDP_V was enhanced. Eugenol@ZnBDP_V demonstrated a superior activity against the bacteria Escherichia coli compared to free eugenol or pristine ZnBDP. 3 Further, important antifungal activity was observed against 5 plant pathogenic fungi, matching or exceeding the performance of free eugenol. Its practical potential was confirmed in strawberry preservation tests under extreme storage conditions, where fruit quality was maintained for up to 7.2 days. These findings highlight bioactive Zn-MOFs as promising platforms for the controlled delivery of natural antimicrobial agents in fruit packaging.

Source: ChemRxiv

DOI: 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009476/v1

Authors: Miriam Abán, Inmaculada Larena, Fabrice Salles, Georgiana Amariei, Sara Rojas, Patricia Horcajada