Overexploitation has led to a rise in pathogenic bacteria within aquaculture, increasing reliance on antibiotics, and developing microorganism resistance. This situation underscores the need to explore alternatives with a reduced ecological impact. Metabolites derived from essential oils have demonstrated antimicrobial properties that can inhibit or diminish the activity of various microorganisms. In this study, the antimicrobial efficacy of cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), and thyme (Thymus vulgaris) essential oils against pathogenic bacteria (Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Shewanella, Comamonas, Vibrio, Acinetobacter, and Empedobacter) isolated from tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) brooded in Hidalgo State, Mexico, were investigated. Diffusion tests were conducted using discs infused with 12 different antibiotics and discs infused with essential oils at concentrations of 15, 10, and 5 μL each. Minimal inhibitory concentration tests were performed using a 96-well microplate format. All bacterial strains exhibited multi-resistance to various antibiotics; however, thyme and cinnamon effectively inhibited the tested bacteria at the lowest concentrations, while tea tree oil was the least effective. The findings suggest the potential incorporation of thyme and cinnamon as an alternative prevention to decrease the use of antibiotic treatment.

The homogenization methods and selection of biomaterials of the continuous phase are critical in the formulation of food emulsions. This study evaluated the stability of emulsions containing an oily extract using soy protein isolate (SPI), pea protein isolate (PPI), and two homogenization techniques: microfluidization (MF) and rotor–stator (RS). Emulsions formulated with SPI and processed by MF exhibited the highest stability, with a Turbiscan Stability Index (TSI) of 0.85, a mean droplet size of 160.1 nm, a polydispersity index of 0.152, a ζ-potential of −29.3 mV, and an apparent viscosity of 8.1 mPa·s. The PPI emulsions processed by MF showed slightly higher TSI (1.6) and droplet size (188.1 nm). All MF emulsions achieved desirability >0.8. The RS systems showed lower stability, with a TSI of 5.7 (SPI) and 7.9 (PPI), and droplet sizes >1700 nm, despite more negative ζ-potentials (−40.2 mV for SPI, −36.7 mV for PPI). All optimized emulsions showed pseudoplastic flow behavior, with a transition to Newtonian flow at higher shear rates. Overall, microfluidization significantly improved emulsion stability and rheological properties.