Citral essential oil (CEO) was encapsulated by the single coalescence method, and its stability, release properties, and ability to maintain freshness were evaluated for the first time. The microshape characteristics of a CEO-loaded microcapsule (CM) were analyzed by inverted microscopy (OM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The encapsulation efficiency, stability, and release behavior of CEO were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric/differential thermal comprehensive analysis (TG/DSC), and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS). Moreover, peaches were used to evaluate the preservation properties of the CEO-loaded microcapsule. The results showed that the microcapsule produced using simple coacervation had better microstructure and the ability to reduce and control the release of citral essential oil. The qualities of peaches, such as appearance changes, hardness, soluble solid content, total acids, and total bacterial counts, were significantly improved in the CM system during storage, in comparison with the control and cold storage groups. Therefore, the CM has potential applications and development prospects in the food, drug, and other industries.

Two new sesquiterpenes, nicotianasesterpenes A and B (1 and 2), together with five known sesquiterpenes (3–7) were isolated from the leaves of Nicotiana tabacum. Their structures were determined mainly by spectroscopic methods, including extensive 1D- and 2D-NMR techniques. The anti-tobacco mosaic virus (anti-TMV) activities of compounds 1–7 were evaluated. The results revealed that compound 1 exhibited high anti-TMV activities with inhibition rates of 33.6%. This rate is high than that of positive control. The other compounds also showed potential activities with inhibition rates in the range of 18.8–28.4%, respectively. Graphical abstract The structures of compounds 1–2.

Covalent organic frameworks have received interest in many fields due to their fascinating properties. In this work, a flower-like covalent organic framework was prepared by a simple solvothermal method and used as an adsorbent for the removal of bisphenol A and 2,4-dichlorophenol from lake water. Due to the inherent hydrophobicity and large delocalized π-electron system, the proposed flower-like covalent organic framework forms π-π staking interactions with the aromatic ring-related compounds. Furthermore, the advantages of flower-like covalent organic framework, such as the porous structure and large specific surface area, facilitate the adsorption of phenolic compounds. Therefore, the flower-like covalent organic framework exhibited a relatively high affinity for bisphenol A and 2,4-dichlorophenol with adsorption capacity values of 56.8 mg/g and 36.6 mg/g, respectively. Furthermore, this material was successfully applied to remove bisphenol A and 2,4-dichlorophenol from lake water samples.