Complexation of Terpenes for the Production of New Antimicrobial and Antibiofilm Molecules and Their Encapsulation in Order to Improve Their Activities

Microbiological risk associated with abiotic surfaces is one of the most important issues worldwide. Surface contaminations by pathogenic bacterial biofilms or adherent cells affect a number of sectors, including medical services, food industries, human services, and the environment. There is a need to synthesize or to set up novel biosource-based antimicrobials. Terpenes such as limonene carvacrol are usually found in essential oils and have potent antimicrobial activities. However, the direct use of these molecules is often inefficient due to their low water solubility, loss of volatile compounds, thermal degradation, oxidation, and toxicity. The organic synthesis of stable metal complexes based on terpene ligands seems to be a promising issue, since it can allow for and promote the use of terpenes and challenge the drawbacks of these molecules. Spray drying could be the most suitable method for encapsulating metal complexes based on terpene ligands to protect and enhance their activity against bacterial biofilms. The goal of this review is to discuss the microbiological risk associated with pathogenic bacterial biofilm and the organic synthesis of novel antimicrobial complexes based on terpene ligands. In addition, this review explores how to improve their bioactivities and characteristics using a formulation based on encapsulation.