Chitin nanofiber-stabilized pickering emulsions loaded with citrus essential oil: Characterization and application for pork preservation.

Pork is highly susceptible to oxidative degradation and microbial contamination during storage. We developed an active packaging film incorporating a clove essential oil Pickering emulsion (CEO-PE) to extend the shelf life of chilled pork. CEO-PE exhibited strong physical stability with uniform droplet distribution and a ζ-potential of -41.5 mV. FTIR and CLSM analyses confirmed robust interfacial assembly of chitin nanofibers around oil droplets. The CEO-PE system significantly enhanced antioxidant activity, as evidenced by ABTS and DPPH radical scavenging assays and effectively inhibited Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. In pork preservation, CEO-PE reduced lipid oxidation and microbial growth, leading to a 48.3 % decrease in TBARS and a 2.1 log CFU/g reduction in viable counts by day 12. The shelf life of treated pork was extended to 12 days, compared to 6 days for the control. These results demonstrate the potential of chitin nanofiber-stabilized Pickering emulsions as an effective strategy for incorporating essential oils in food preservation.