Essential oils, consisting of volatile compounds, are derived from various plant parts and possess antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Certain essential oils are utilized for medicinal purposes and can serve as natural preservatives in food products, replacing synthetic ones. This review describes how essential oils can promote the performance of bioactive films and preserve food through their antioxidant and antibacterial properties. Further, this article emphasizes the antibacterial efficacy of essential oil composite films for food preservation and analyzes their manufacturing processes. These films could be an attractive delivery strategy for improving phenolic stability in foods and the shelf-life of consumable food items. Moreover, this article presents an overview of current knowledge of the extraction of essential oils, their effects on bioactive films and food preservation, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of using them to preserve food products.

Food Science of Animal Resources (Food Sci. Anim. Resour.) is an international, peer-reviewed bimonthly journal publishing original research and reviews on basic and applied aspects of the use of animal resources including the meat, egg, dairy, and edible insect/worm products. Food Sci. Anim. Resour. is published and distributed by the Korean Society for Food Science of Animal Resources.

Recently, lipid metabolism disorder (LMD) has been regarded as a risk factor leading to multiple diseases and affecting human health. Procyanidins have been reported to be a potential therapy for LMD. This study explored the effect and possible mechanism of procyanidins from hawthorn (HPC) in LMD rats fed a high-fat diet. HPC supplementation for 8 weeks significantly relieved lipid accumulation in the serum and liver, and protected the structure of liver in LMD rats. The amelioration of insulin resistance, lipid metabolism related hormones and oxidative stress was also found. Moreover, HPC also regulated the structure of gut microbiota, especially increased the abundances of Akkermansia, Bacteroides and Adlercreutzia, and decreased Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Blautia, Lachnospiraceae and Subdoligranulum. Additionally, HPC enriched genes were involved in the fatty acid biosynthesis, MAPK, and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis pathways. We found a high LPS level due to the microbiome disorder induced by the high-fat diet, and then western blot results showed that HPC maintained the intestinal barrier and mitigated inflammation and lipid accumulation in the liver via regulating the NF-κB and AMPK pathways, which were related to LMD. This study provided new insights into dietary intervention based on HPC to alleviate LMD via stabilizing the gut–liver axis.