Investigating the Efficacy of Chitosan-Enriched Cuminum cyminum Essential Oil Against Food-Borne Molds, Aflatoxin B₁, and Post-Harvest Quality of Arachis hypogaea L.

Nanoencapsulation of essential oils exhibited promising applications in food industries, especially in controlling spoilage due to food-borne microbes. In this study, the enhanced antimicrobial efficacy of nanoencapsulated Cuminum cyminum essential oil (Ne-CEO) against food-borne molds, and aflatoxin B₁ contamination was observed in a dose-dependent manner. The GC-MS results represent 14 different volatile organic compounds of (CEO) (94.49%), where cuminaldehyde was found to be the major one. The interaction of the Cuminum cyminum essential oil (CEO) and chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) was confirmed with the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis. The Ne-CEO exhibited superior antimicrobial effects compared to non-encapsulated CEO and inhibited the growth of selected mold species (0.3–0.5 µL/mL) and aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) secretion at 0.4 µL/mL. The probable toxicity mechanism results show membrane impairment and cellular homeostasis linked with decreased ergosterol content, increased cation leakage, impairment in antioxidant defenses, carbon metabolism, and transcriptional genes (Ver-1 and Nor-1) functioning of AFB₁ biosynthesis. Furthermore, during the six months in-situ trial, Ne-CEO (0.4 µL/mL) remarkably protected the biodeterioration of A. hypogaea seed samples against A. flavus growth and AFB₁ contamination, thus enhancing its practical application as a plant-based food preservative to enhance the shelf-life of food commodities.