Preparation and characterization of tea tree oil solid liposomes to control brown rot and improve quality in peach fruit
Yangyang Xu, Yingying Wei, Shu Jiang, Feng Xu, Hongfei Wang, Xingfeng Shao
Abstract
Tea tree oil liposomes (TTO-LPs) were prepared using thin film dispersion and orthogonal optimization. TTO solid liposomes (TTO-SLPs) were then generated from TTO-LPs by spray drying, using (2-Hydroxypropyl)-β-Cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) as a drying protective agent. The physical and chemical characteristics of TTO-LPs and TTO-SLPs were determined, and their antifungal activities against Monilinia fructicola were measured. Finally, TTO-SLPs were applied to peaches to test their antifungal effects on fruit during storage. The optimal process parameters for the preparation of TTO-LPs were as follows: TTO concentration, 2 mL L−1; phosphate buffered solution (PBS) pH, 7.1; soybean lecithin-cholesterol mass ratio, 4:1; ultrasonic power, 500 W. With these parameters, encapsulation efficiency reached 81.75%. TTO-LPs exhibited stability and high antifungal activity. Encapsulation into solid liposomes improved the thermal stability of TTO and maintained their antifungal properties. TTO-SLPs inhibited postharvest brown rot, preserving fruit quality after harvest. TTO-SLPs therefore offer a potentially efficient biological method for controlling brown rot and quality decline of postharvest peach fruit, without the adverse environmental effects associated with synthetic fungicides.