Abstract:Microencapsulating can effectively overcome the shortcomings of strong smell，easy volatilization and oxidation of plant essential oils，improving the stability and controlling the release rate，make it better play the biological activity of antibacterial and antioxidant，which is conducive to the application of plant essential oil in food preservation.Four methods of preparing plant essential oil microcapsules：ionic gelation，coacervation，spray drying and Pickering emulsion template were introduced，and the applications in the preservation of fruits and vegetables，meat products and so on were reviewed.