## 4 Conclusions  
This study was designed to obtain emulsions by combining clove essential oil, eugenol, and cinnaldehyde with hydrophobically modified starch and applying these formulations on paper substrates to provide antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. First, it was important to evaluate the main characteristics and stability of the prepared emulsions. The largest droplets were measured in emulsions with clove essential oil (293-348), and the smaller ones were characteristics of emulsions containing eugenol (181-236 nm) and cinnamaldehyde (205-218 nm). The storage conditions of the emulsions had an impact on the changes in the size of the droplets and pH value during the 14 days of storage time. When the emulsions were kept at a temperature of 5 \({}^{\circ}\)C, the emulsions were more stable compared to the samples kept at 20 and 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C. A slight sedimentation of the modified starch particles was observed after 2 days in all samples, while the creaming of the emulsions was detected only after 10 days of storage at 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C. Important changes in pH were observed for CI emulsions when samples were stored at a temperature of 40 \({}^{\circ}\)C. However, additional studies of emulsion such as long-term stability tests and the addition of stabilizers or other essential oils and biopolymers could be suggested for further studies.  
This study of the biological activity of the emulsions confirmed that the formulations with clove essential oil and eugenol represented a high antioxidant action, while the emulsions containing cinnamaldehyde had the highest antimicrobial effect. The emulsions were cast on paper and sheets were characterized by using FT-IR. The results of biological activities testing of the coatings emphasize that emulsions enriched with clove essential oil, eugenol, and cinnamaldehyde could potentially be used as natural antioxidant and antibacterial coatings, respectively, combined with cellulose-based substrates. Also, further studies concerning the different techniques of the coating formation, e.g., spray coating, various printing techniques, etc., could be suggested.  
In terms of the economic feasibility of emulsions and active coating production, the actual costs of production would depend on various factors, including the availability of raw materials, the scale of production, application areas, etc. Emulsions based on starch sodium octenyl succinate and essential oils have become increasingly popular compared to synthetic substances because of their non-toxicity, biocompatibility, natural abundance, and the relatively low cost of raw materials. Furthermore, the application of emulsions in areas such as paper coatings requires low amounts of emulsion formulations to obtain products with high biological activity. However, additional studies that focus on the areas of specific applications of the products should be performed.  
Writing--original draft preparation, V.N.-S.; methodology and formal analysis, K.S., E.B.G. and V.N.-S.; investigation, V.N.-S. and K.S.; supervision, writing--review and editing, R.R. and J.S. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research received no external funding.  
**Institutional Review Board Statement**: Not applicable.  
**Informed Consent Statement**: Not applicable.  
**Data Availability Statement**: The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article, further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.  
**Acknowledgments:** The research was performed in the frame of the COST Action CA19124.  
**Conflicts of Interest**: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.