Preparation of Tea Tree Oil Microcapsules and Their Effects on Strawberry Preservation During Storage

This study used an embedding technique to prepare microcapsules with tea tree oil as the core material and a composite of β-cyclodextrin and nano-montmorillonite as the wall material. The prepared microcapsules were analyzed for their morphological characteristics, thermal stability, and major compo...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yan-Li Han, Cen Chen, Yuan-Yue Wu, Yu-Meng Yan, Meng-Ying Wang, Yang Xiang, Dao-Yu Wei, Zhi-Hang Hu, Jing Zhuang, Ai-Sheng Xiong, Yuan-Hua Wang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Horticulturae
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/4/389
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850144903916421120
author Yan-Li Han
Cen Chen
Yuan-Yue Wu
Yu-Meng Yan
Meng-Ying Wang
Yang Xiang
Dao-Yu Wei
Zhi-Hang Hu
Jing Zhuang
Ai-Sheng Xiong
Yuan-Hua Wang
author_facet Yan-Li Han
Cen Chen
Yuan-Yue Wu
Yu-Meng Yan
Meng-Ying Wang
Yang Xiang
Dao-Yu Wei
Zhi-Hang Hu
Jing Zhuang
Ai-Sheng Xiong
Yuan-Hua Wang
author_sort Yan-Li Han
collection DOAJ
description This study used an embedding technique to prepare microcapsules with tea tree oil as the core material and a composite of β-cyclodextrin and nano-montmorillonite as the wall material. The prepared microcapsules were analyzed for their morphological characteristics, thermal stability, and major components. Additionally, the microcapsules’ effect on the quality of and active substances contained in refrigerated strawberries was investigated. The results revealed that the optimal preparation conditions for the microcapsules were a montmorillonite addition of 2% (<i>m</i>/<i>v</i>), a core-to-wall ratio of 1:12 (<i>m</i>/<i>m</i>), an encapsulation temperature of 70 °C, and an encapsulation time of 90 min. Under these conditions, the microcapsules achieved an encapsulation efficiency of 77.67%. The capsules emitted a noticeable aroma of tea tree oil, and their primary components, specifically terpinen-4-ol, 1,8-cineole, p-cymene, and terpinolene, were consistent with those of tea tree oil. The release rate of the microcapsules at 60 °C and 90 °C was significantly lower than that of liquid tea tree oil (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A suitable treatment with tea tree oil microcapsules preserved the appearance and quality of the strawberries, inhibited spoilage during refrigeration, reduced weight loss, maintained firmness, delayed declines in soluble solid contents and acidity in later storage stages, and enhanced the activity of the superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase. The prepared microcapsules also suppressed increases in anthocyanins and inhibited the further maturation of the stored strawberries. The optimal preservative effect was achieved with the placement of 5.0 g of tea tree oil microcapsules per 1.2 L of storage space.
format Article
id doaj-art-bb22d6cc7f6b4cbba32ada808772fc9d
institution OA Journals
issn 2311-7524
language English
publishDate 2025-04-01
publisher MDPI AG
record_format Article
series Horticulturae
spelling doaj-art-bb22d6cc7f6b4cbba32ada808772fc9d2025-08-20T02:28:14ZengMDPI AGHorticulturae2311-75242025-04-0111438910.3390/horticulturae11040389Preparation of Tea Tree Oil Microcapsules and Their Effects on Strawberry Preservation During StorageYan-Li Han0Cen Chen1Yuan-Yue Wu2Yu-Meng Yan3Meng-Ying Wang4Yang Xiang5Dao-Yu Wei6Zhi-Hang Hu7Jing Zhuang8Ai-Sheng Xiong9Yuan-Hua Wang10College of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaCollege of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaCollege of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaCollege of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaCollege of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaCollege of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaCollege of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaTea Research Institution, College of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Biology and Germplasm Enhancement of Horticultural Crops in East China, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaTea Research Institution, College of Horticulture, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Key Laboratory of Biology and Germplasm Enhancement of Horticultural Crops in East China, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Crop Genetics & Germplasm Enhancement and Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, ChinaCollege of Tea and Food Science and Technology, Jiangsu Vocational College of Agriculture and Forestry, Zhenjiang 212400, ChinaThis study used an embedding technique to prepare microcapsules with tea tree oil as the core material and a composite of β-cyclodextrin and nano-montmorillonite as the wall material. The prepared microcapsules were analyzed for their morphological characteristics, thermal stability, and major components. Additionally, the microcapsules’ effect on the quality of and active substances contained in refrigerated strawberries was investigated. The results revealed that the optimal preparation conditions for the microcapsules were a montmorillonite addition of 2% (<i>m</i>/<i>v</i>), a core-to-wall ratio of 1:12 (<i>m</i>/<i>m</i>), an encapsulation temperature of 70 °C, and an encapsulation time of 90 min. Under these conditions, the microcapsules achieved an encapsulation efficiency of 77.67%. The capsules emitted a noticeable aroma of tea tree oil, and their primary components, specifically terpinen-4-ol, 1,8-cineole, p-cymene, and terpinolene, were consistent with those of tea tree oil. The release rate of the microcapsules at 60 °C and 90 °C was significantly lower than that of liquid tea tree oil (<i>p</i> < 0.05). A suitable treatment with tea tree oil microcapsules preserved the appearance and quality of the strawberries, inhibited spoilage during refrigeration, reduced weight loss, maintained firmness, delayed declines in soluble solid contents and acidity in later storage stages, and enhanced the activity of the superoxide dismutase, catalase, and ascorbate peroxidase. The prepared microcapsules also suppressed increases in anthocyanins and inhibited the further maturation of the stored strawberries. The optimal preservative effect was achieved with the placement of 5.0 g of tea tree oil microcapsules per 1.2 L of storage space.https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/4/389tea tree oilmicrocapsule preparationstrawberriespreservation
spellingShingle Yan-Li Han
Cen Chen
Yuan-Yue Wu
Yu-Meng Yan
Meng-Ying Wang
Yang Xiang
Dao-Yu Wei
Zhi-Hang Hu
Jing Zhuang
Ai-Sheng Xiong
Yuan-Hua Wang
Preparation of Tea Tree Oil Microcapsules and Their Effects on Strawberry Preservation During Storage
Horticulturae
tea tree oil
microcapsule preparation
strawberries
preservation
title Preparation of Tea Tree Oil Microcapsules and Their Effects on Strawberry Preservation During Storage
title_full Preparation of Tea Tree Oil Microcapsules and Their Effects on Strawberry Preservation During Storage
title_fullStr Preparation of Tea Tree Oil Microcapsules and Their Effects on Strawberry Preservation During Storage
title_full_unstemmed Preparation of Tea Tree Oil Microcapsules and Their Effects on Strawberry Preservation During Storage
title_short Preparation of Tea Tree Oil Microcapsules and Their Effects on Strawberry Preservation During Storage
title_sort preparation of tea tree oil microcapsules and their effects on strawberry preservation during storage
topic tea tree oil
microcapsule preparation
strawberries
preservation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2311-7524/11/4/389
work_keys_str_mv AT yanlihan preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT cenchen preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT yuanyuewu preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT yumengyan preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT mengyingwang preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT yangxiang preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT daoyuwei preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT zhihanghu preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT jingzhuang preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT aishengxiong preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage
AT yuanhuawang preparationofteatreeoilmicrocapsulesandtheireffectsonstrawberrypreservationduringstorage