Essential oils are natural antibacterial substances and have potential value for application in fruit and vegetable packaging. In this study, Chinese fir essential oil (CFEO) was microencapsulated to prepare food packaging materials for the first time to overcome its volatilization and oxidation shortcomings and to obtain a sustained-release form of the oil. CFEO was effectively encapsulated in gelatin and chitosan using the complex coacervation method, and the encapsulation efficiency, microstructure, infrared spectrum and thermal stability of the microcapsules were evaluated. Experiments confirmed that the microcapsules had some antibacterial activity. A bioactive paper was developed by combining CFEO microcapsules (CFEO-Ms) with paper-based material using the film-forming property of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The coated paper showed good mechanical, air permeability and moisture permeability properties. Environmental scanning electron microscopy confirmed that CFEO-Ms bonded well with PVA and was successfully introduced into the paper fiber after coating, forming an obvious coating film on the surface to facilitate the continuous release of CFEO. The shelf life of strawberries was significantly prolonged when the PVA-coated paper mixed with 3% CFEO-Ms was used for packaging. The results demonstrated that the CFEO-Ms coated paper has the potential to become an effective packaging material for the preservation of strawberries.

In recent years, textiles with antimicrobial properties have attracted more and more attention. As natural antimicrobial agents, essential oils’ potential application value lies in their ability to provide textiles with antimicrobial functions. In this paper, organic solvent extraction (n-hexane, petroleum ether, ethanol) and steam distillation were used to extract saffron petal essential oil (SPEO). It was found that organic solvent extraction (ethanol) had the highest extraction rate and the most apparent bacteriostatic effect. SPEO-Ms were prepared using the composite condensation method with gelatin and chitosan. The microstructure, encapsulation efficiency, slow-release performance, infrared spectrum, and thermal stability of the SPEO-Ms were evaluated. The results showed that the microencapsulated essential oil had good bacteriostatic properties. Antimicrobial cotton fabric was prepared by impregnating microcapsules onto cotton fibers. The effects of the microcapsules’ concentration on the whiteness, air permeability, moisture permeability, and bacteriological inhibition of the fabric were investigated. The results revealed that SPEO-Ms have the potential to be used as a new antimicrobial agent in textiles.