Citral and cinnamaldehyde – Pickering emulsion stabilized by zein coupled with chitosan against Aspergillus. spp and their application in food storage

The essential oil Pickering emulsions stabilized by zein and chitosan nanoparticles (ZCPs) were investigated. ZCP stabilized Pickering emulsions encapsulating citral and/or cinnamaldehyde (ZCP-CT, ZCP-CN, ZCP-CTCN) were constructed as an effective antimicrobial system, and the stability and antifungal properties were evaluated. When the ratio of zein to chitosan was 20:1, the emulsion showed good stability within 15 days and good sustained release ability during 9-day storage experiment. All Pickering emulsions could reduce fungal growth and ochratoxin A production. The ZCP-CN inhibited 62.3 ± 0.5 % Aspergillus westerdijkiae and reduced mycotoxin production by 83.8 ± 1.0 % in corn within 15 days. Meanwhile, the ZCP-CTCN inhibited 58.6 ± 1.0 % Aspergillus carbonarius within 8 days, and the inhibition rate of mycotoxin was up to 99.8 ± 0.3 % in grape. The Pickering emulsions could extend the release time of essential oil and improve the anti-fungal efficiency, which provide new ideas for the development of new food mildew inhibitor.