An pH-responsive, antibacterial and controlled-release microcapsule constructed with gelatin, peach gum and hyaluronic acid for chicken breast preservation.

The preservation of meat is a challenging topic in the food industry. This study developed an alkali-responsive microcapsule (HCM) based on peach gum (PG), gelatin (GE), and hyaluronic acid (HA), aiming to extend the shelf life of chicken breast. A maximum encapsulation efficiency (EE) of 85.62% was achieved for the microcapsules when the HA concentration was increased to 0.5%. Molecular docking revealed a stable hydrogen bond array between HA and the GE-PG matrix. In a pH 7.0-9.0 buffer solution, the release amount of CEO in HCM0.5 increased with the rise of pH, indicating excellent pH-responsive release properties. The Kopcha model was the best-fitting model to describe the release behavior of HCM0.5 in ammonia solutions of different concentrations. HCM0.5 demonstrated significant pH-responsive antibacterial and antioxidant activities. This was particularly evident at pH 9, where it achieved marked inhibition rates of 98.6 ± 0.3% against E. coli and 99.2 ± 0.4% against S. aureus. The ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging activities of HCM0.5 were 24.6 ± 0.00% and 79.6 ± 0.01%, respectively. In the chicken breast preservation experiment, after 8 d of storage, the pH of the chicken breast in the HCM0.5 group was 6.18 ± 0.01, the TVC was 6.61 ± 0.50 log CFU/g, the TVB-N was 11.86 ± 0.47 mg/100 g, and the TBARS was 0.85 ± 0.01 mg MDA/kg. The results indicated that HCM0.5 significantly suppressed bacterial growth, inhibited lipid oxidation, and effectively delayed the spoilage of chicken breast during storage. Microbial community analysis revealed that the growth of Bacteroidota and Bacillota in chicken breast was effectively suppressed by HCM0.5, which also led to a marked reduction in microbial diversity. These findings demonstrated that HCM0.5 effectively extended the shelf life of chicken breast by 4 days compared with the control group, thereby providing a new strategy for meat preservation.