Nanotechnology and essential oils

The overuse of synthetic fungicides leads to the development of resistant fungi, causes environmental damage, toxicity to non-target organisms, and impacts health. Essential oils are promising natural products, possessing a diversity and complexity of chemical compounds that act on various cellular targets through different mechanisms. These characteristics, combined with their diverse biological activities, have increased interest in the search for bioactive compounds that can be used to control fungi affecting agricultural crops.

Approximately 70 to 80% of plant diseases are caused by pathogenic fungi, which cause significant losses in crop productivity and quality. Several synthetic fungicides are used to combat these microorganisms, but these products have toxic residues that impact the environment in various ways, favoring increased pathogen resistance and toxicity (SARMA et al., 2025; KONG et al., 2020).

Given this scenario, the discovery of new antifungal agents from natural sources is urgent for safe and sustainable agriculture. Several studies have highlighted essential oils, extracted mainly from plant raw materials, as promising alternatives to conventional fungicides, as they are rich in terpenes, aromatic compounds and terpenoids, possessing various biological properties widely used in food, cosmetics, medicine and agriculture (DE CAMARGO et al., 2026; WEI et al., 2026).

Despite advancements, the application of essential oils faces practical challenges due to their low solubility, high volatility, and instability. In response to these limitations, researchers have employed various encapsulation techniques to improve the utilization and stability of essential oils. Among these approaches, nanoencapsulation technology significantly increases solubility and stability with controlled release (DE SOUZA et al., 2025).

Nanotechnology is one of the most recent and important technologies. Nanoparticles with sizes between 10 and 100 nm are promising tools for the treatment of various diseases, particularly microbial ones, due to their unique properties. Nanoparticles are prepared from physiological, biocompatible, or biodegradable polymers. Biopolymers based on starch, proteins, or cellulose offer several advantages (BATTISTI et al., 2021; RAI et al., 2017).

Among the techniques employed, the following stand out: (1) nanoemulsions, creation of essential oil emulsions on a nanometric scale, which increases bioavailability and controlled release of active compounds, (2) nanoliposomes, spherical lipid structures that encapsulate essential oils and provide a means for gradual release and additional protection against degradation, (3) nanomaterials such as nanofibers and nanocapsules facilitate sustained release and precise control (DE SOUZA et al., 2025).

Therefore, the combination of nanotechnology and essential oils represents a sustainable and promising strategy for controlling fungi in plants.

* By Alline Laiane Borges Dias, Cassia Cristina Fernandes Alves e Marco Antônio Pereira da SilvaFederal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of Goiás - Rio Verde Campus