Composite lemon/ginger essential oil emulsion based on pectin and sodium caseinate: Preparation, properties, and application in fresh-cut carrots preservation

Qin Chen; Bowen Li; Shuixian Huang; Yanbing Zhang; Lin Lu; Yitong Liu; Siyi Pan; Fengxia Liu

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145236

Composite lemon/ginger essential oil emulsion based on pectin and sodium caseinate: Preparation, properties, and application in fresh-cut carrots preservation

Food Chem. 2025 Jun 20:491:145236. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145236. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Qin Chen¹, Bowen Li¹, Shuixian Huang¹, Yanbing Zhang¹, Lin Lu¹, Yitong Liu¹, Siyi Pan¹, Fengxia Liu²

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, Ministry of Education, PR China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Fruit & Vegetable Processing & Quality Control, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China.
² College of Food Science and Technology, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China; Key Laboratory of Environment Correlative Dietology, Ministry of Education, PR China; Hubei Key Laboratory of Fruit & Vegetable Processing & Quality Control, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, PR China. Electronic address: liufxia@mail.hzau.edu.cn.

PMID: 40570524
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.145236

Abstract

This research developed a composite pectin/sodium caseinate (PE/SC) emulsion system loaded with lemon/ginger essential oil (LEO/GEO), and examined its preservation properties in fresh-cut carrots. Results found that EO emulsion with 1:1 of PE/SC ratio, 1:1 of LEO/GEO ratio and 10 % EO phase had high stability. Moreover, the EO emulsion displayed strong antibacterial capacity on Staphylococcus aureus (up to 100 % inhibition tare), and the antioxidant capacity increased with the increase of GEO ratio and EO phase concentration. Finally, stable composite LEO/GEO emulsion coating was prepared, which slowed down the ascorbic acid and carotenoid degradation and increased phenolic content by 65 % and maintained good color and texture of fresh-cut carrots during storage. Meanwhile, the antioxidant capacity was increased, and the microbial growth was inhibited to extend the shelf life of fresh-cut carrots to 10 days. Therefore, composite PE/SC-based LEO/GEO emulsion shows a great potential application in improving fresh-cut vegetables preservation.

Keywords: Antibacterial capacity; Emulsion coating; Fresh-cut carrots; Lemon/ginger essential oil; Preservation.