Tian Xiaolu, Huo Xinhe, Li Xi, Wang Di, Lu Jun, Ren Xueyan, Kong Qingjun
Xi'an Key Laboratory of Characteristic Fruit Storage and Preservation, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, Shaanxi, China; Shaanxi Engineering Laboratory of Food Green Processing and Safety Control, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, Shaanxi, China.
Xi'an Key Laboratory of Characteristic Fruit Storage and Preservation, College of Food Engineering and Nutritional Science, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710119, Shaanxi, China; Auckland Bioengineering Institute, University of Auckland, Auckland 1010, New Zealand.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2025 Jul;318(Pt 1):144853. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.144853. Epub 2025 May 31.
Plant essential oil exhibits potent antifungal properties, demonstrating particular efficacy in the prevention of postharvest fungal diseases. This investigation focused on formulating a novel edible film composed of sodium alginate (SA) incorporating peppermint essential oil emulsion, systematically examining how varying emulsion concentrations influence the film's structural characteristics and mechanical performance, while also determining its effectiveness in suppressing postharvest fungal infections caused by Penicillium expansum in cherry tomato specimens. The results of rheological and thermal analyses indicated that a high emulsion content disrupted the gel structure and thermal stability of SA, thereby negatively impacting the stability of the gel. Nevertheless, the SA film containing 2.5 % emulsion exhibited both antifungal activity and transparency. When tested on cherry tomatoes, the SA-PE film (with an essential oil concentration of 2.5 μL/mL) demonstrated a significant reduction in Penicillium expansum incidence by 100 % compared to the control. However, it was observed that a high concentration of essential oil increased the respiration rate of tomatoes, which, in turn, accelerated decay and senescence. In contrast to other antioxidant substances, essential oils showed consistent efficacy in both in vivo and in vitro studies. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the promising application prospects of sodium alginate-peppermint essential oil (SA-PE) composite films as active packaging materials for postharvest quality maintenance of fresh produce.
植物精油具有强大的抗真菌特性，在预防采后真菌病害方面表现出特别的功效。本研究着重于制备一种由海藻酸钠（SA）与薄荷精油乳液组成的新型可食用薄膜，系统研究不同乳液浓度如何影响薄膜的结构特性和机械性能，同时确定其对抑制樱桃番茄果实由扩展青霉引起的采后真菌感染的有效性。流变学和热分析结果表明，高乳液含量会破坏SA的凝胶结构和热稳定性，从而对凝胶的稳定性产生负面影响。然而，含有2.5%乳液的SA薄膜兼具抗真菌活性和透明度。在樱桃番茄上进行测试时，SA-PE薄膜（精油浓度为2.5μL/mL）与对照相比，扩展青霉发病率显著降低了100%。然而，观察到高浓度精油会增加番茄的呼吸速率，进而加速腐烂和衰老。与其他抗氧化物质相比，精油在体内和体外研究中均表现出一致的功效。总体而言，这些发现证明了海藻酸钠-薄荷精油（SA-PE）复合薄膜作为用于保持新鲜农产品采后品质的活性包装材料具有广阔的应用前景。
