Preparation of emulsion for encapsulating compound cinnamon essential oils and their application in plant-based meat analogs preservation.

Abstract

Essential oils show promise as natural food preservatives, but improving cost-effectiveness is key for practical application. This study evaluated a cinnamon essential oil (CEO) emulsion stabilized by a soy protein isolate-tea saponin (SPI-TS) complex for preserving plant-based meat analogs. As CEO concentration increased from 0% to 4%, droplet size decreased from 355.2 nm to 218.3 nm, the polydispersity index dropped from 0.34 to 0.15, and zeta potential rose to 38.7 mV, indicating enhanced stability. Fluorescence spectroscopy suggested that CEO and SPI-TS may interact through hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding, accompanied by changes in protein conformation. Release kinetics demonstrated sustained release over 10 days. In preservation tests, the 4% CEO treatment extended the shelf life of plant-based meat to 63 days, with total viable counts below 4.47 log CFU/g and coliforms below 2.0 log CFU/g. These findings highlight the potential of CEO emulsions for natural food preservation systems.

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