β-Cyclodextrin synergistically enhanced solid encapsulation of p-anisaldehyde into V-type starch for sweet cherry preservation.

Despite the good biological and antibacterial activities, the p-anisaldehyde is easy to evaporate or degrade during processing and storage. Herein, a new V-type starch-cyclodextrin composite carrier was constructed to efficiently encapsulate p-anisaldehyde in addressing the inherent disadvantages. The introduction of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) enhanced the short- and long-range ordered structures of the composite carrier. The V-type starch-cyclodextrin composite (VC30) exhibited the highest loading capacity of 142.01 mg/g for p-anisaldehyde, which was significantly higher than that of V-type starch (VS, 97.83 mg/g) and commercial β-CD (128.48 mg/g). The loading capacity of the V-type starch-cyclodextrin composite was positively correlated with its crystallinity and short-range order. The release rate of p-anisaldehyde was in the order of VC30 < β-CD < VS. Under non-cold chain daily storage (25 °C and 57 % relative humidity) for 2 weeks, the p-anisaldehyde of thymol released from complexes was 36 % (VC30), 49 % (β-CD), and 65 % (VS), respectively. Due to the high loading capacity and good sustained release properties, the noncontact preservation of high-value fruit by VC30 controlling p-anisaldehyde release successfully extended the shelf life of cherries from six to twelve days.