Preparation Of Lemongrass/beeswax Microspheres By Electrospraying And Their Applications In Mango Preservation

Mango is delicate and nutritious,which has a wide planting area in China.Mango is a tropical fruit.This kind of fruit is highly susceptible to yellowing and softening during storage and is easy to be affected by cold damage and pathogenic microorganisms,which leads to the deterioration of mango.The lack of research on post-harvest preservation of mango greatly limits the development of the mango industry.In this paper,the lemongrass/beeswax composite microspheres were sprayed on the surface of MG tissue paper by electrostatic spray technique.The "Small Taiwanese" mango was used as the experimental object to investigate the fresh-keeping effect of lemongrass/beeswax composite microspheres on mangoes.The influences of lemongrass/beeswax composite microspheres on the nutrient composition of mango fruit and the antioxidant properties of fruit peel were studied in detail.The research results are as follows:Three different lemongrass/beeswax composite rmicrospheres were prepared by electrostatic spray technique,with essential oil content of 1/12,1/6,and 1/3,respectively.The morphology of composite microspheres were observed by scanning electron microscopy(SEM).The average diameter of the composite microspheres was 82.79 ?m,49.05 ?m,and 18.29 ?m,respectively.The wettability of the composite microspheres hasn't obvious change during the 28 days of storage period and the water contacts always remained above 140 °,showing good hydrophobicity.FTIR-ATR analysis showed that lemongrass oil and beeswax successfully combined in the composite microsphere.Electronic nose and GC-MS research showed lemongrass/beeswax composite microsphere material has a good sustained release effect.The electrospraying microspheres of lemongrass/beeswax were applied for mango preservation.With lemongrass/beeswax microspheres in the carton,it was found that during the storage period,the mango spoilage rate and the total numbers of bacterial were greatly reduced during the storage period,which slowed the softening and the yellowing of the mangoes.At the same time,ascorbic acid,flavonoids and total phenol in mango were maintained at a high level.The titratable acid and soluble solids in mango pulp did not rise sharply during the storage period.The free proline in the pulp was higher than the blank group,where the soluble protein content was much lower than that of the blank control group.On the other hand,the effects of lemongrass/beeswax microspheres on the antioxidant properties of mango peels were also studied.The results showed that the content of flavonoids,anthocyanins and total phenols in the peels of mangoes treated with composite microspheres was higher than that of the blank group,and the activities of SOD(superoxide dismutase),POD(peroxidase),CAT(catalase),and APX(ascorbate peroxidase)were stronger than those of the blank control group.Based on the results of the nutrient composition and the antioxidant activity of the mango fruit,the lemongrass/beeswax composite microspheres material shows their effectiveness in mango preservation,which has a good prosspcet of application for mango storage and preservation.