Abstract: Citral is used in the food field because of its lemon-like aroma and antibacterial biological activity. However, due to its sensitivity to acid, oxygen and light, citral is prone to acid-catalyzed cyclization, oxidation and photochemical degradation, reducing its biological activity and consequently limiting its application. Polysaccharide encapsulation is an effective way to improve the physical and chemical stability of citral and delay its degradation. This article reviews the structural properties of citral and its application in food and beverage as a food preservative, summarizes the methods used for encapsulating and stabilizing citral with polysaccharides including emulsion systems, self-assembly, hydrogels and spray drying as well as the current status of the application of these methods to stabilize citral, and finally points out the problems existing in this field and future research directions. This review hopes to provide a theoretical reference for improving the biological activity of citral and expanding its application in the food field.

Key words: citral; polysaccharide; stability; method; application