Microemulsification of essential oils for the development of antimicrobial and mosquito repellent functional coatings for textiles.

Aims: To develop an essential oil (EO)-loaded textile coating using an environmentally friendly microemulsion technique to achieve both antimicrobial and mosquito repellent functionalities.

Methods And Results: Minimum inhibitory concentrations and fractional inhibitory concentrations of litsea, lemon and rosemary EOs were determined against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Trichophyton rubrum. A 1 : 2 mixture of litsea and lemon EOs inhibited all the microorganisms tested and was incorporated into a chitosan-sodium alginate assembly by a microemulsification process.