Highland barley starch (HBS), as a carbohydrate shell material with excellent performance in microcapsule applications, has rarely been reported. In the present study, three different microcapsules (CEO-SWSM, CEO-PM, and CEO-UM) were synthesized successfully via saturated aqueous solution method, molecular inclusion method and ultrasonic method, respectively, using HBS as shell material coupled with cinnamon essential oil (CEO) as the core material. The potential of HBS as a new shell material and the influence of synthetic methods on the performance of microcapsules, encapsulation efficiency (EE), yield, and release rate of CEO-SWSM, CEO-PM, and CEO-UM were determined, respectively. The results confirmed that CEO-PM had the most excellent EE (88.2%), yield (79.1%), as well as lowest release rate (11.5%, after 25 days of storage). Moreover, different kinetic models were applied to fit the release process of these three kinds of microcapsules: CEO-SWSM, CEO-PM, and CEO-UM had the uppermost R-squared value in the Higuchi model, the zero-order model, and the first-level model, respectively. Over all, this work put forward a novel perspective for the improved encapsulation effect of perishable core materials (e.g., essential oil) for the food industry.

Potentilla anserina L. (PA) belongs to the Rosaceae family, is a common edible plant in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau areas of China. This study elucidates the mechanism upon which crude polysaccharide of PA (PAP) on fat accumulation in HepG2 cells stimulated by oleic acid (OA) and high fat high sugar induced mice. The result revealed that PAP inhibited lipid accumulation in obese mice and ameliorated the degree of damage in OA-induced HepG2 cells. Specifically, compared to the control group, the TG and TC levels were decreased in cells and mice serum, the AST and ALT contents were declined in liver of obese mice by PAP treatment. The expressions of adipogenic genes of SREBP-1c, C/EBPα, PPARγ, and FAS were inhibited after PAP treatment. Moreover, PAP increased the mRNA levels of CPT-1 and PPARα, which were involved in fatty acid oxidation. The present results indicated the PAPcould alleviate the damage of liver associated with obesity and PAP treatment might provide a dietary therapeutic option for the treatment of hyperlipidemia.