Citral essential oil (CEO) was encapsulated by the single
coalescence
method, and its stability, release properties, and ability to maintain
freshness were evaluated for the first time. The microshape characteristics
of a CEO-loaded microcapsule (CM) were analyzed by inverted microscopy
(OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The encapsulation efficiency,
stability, and release behavior of CEO were evaluated using Fourier
transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric/differential
thermal comprehensive analysis (TG/DSC), and gas chromatography mass
spectrometry (GC/MS). Moreover, peaches were used to evaluate the
preservation properties of the CEO-loaded microcapsule. The results
showed that the microcapsule produced using simple coacervation had
better microstructure and the ability to reduce and control the release
of citral essential oil. The qualities of peaches, such as appearance
changes, hardness, soluble solid content, total acids, and total bacterial
counts, were significantly improved in the CM system during storage,
in comparison with the control and cold storage groups. Therefore,
the CM has potential applications and development prospects in the
food, drug, and other industries.