Abstract:A Zanthoxylum essential oil/chitosan（ZEO/CS）composite film with excellent preservation effect was prepared with chitosan （CS）as the raw material and Zanthoxylum essential oil （ZEO）as the bacteriostatic agent. The effects of different ZEO content on the physical properties，structure，and pork preservation effect of the composite film were studied.The results showed that with the increase in ZEO content，the thickness and total color difference of the composite film gradually increased，while the light transmittance，water content，swelling property，water solubility，water vapor permeability，tensile strength，and elongation at break decreased（P＜0.05）.The scanning electron microscopy （SEM）showed that the surface of the composite film became uneven and emulsified. The thermogravimetric analysis （TGA）and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC）showed that the thermal stability of the composite film decreased compared with that of the chitosan film. Pork samples were packed with the composite films with different ZEO content and stored in 4 ℃refrigerator for 8 days.The pork samples packed with the composite film had higher sensory score than that packed with the chitosan film.The composite film well maintained the color and smell of pork.During storage，the pork packed with the composite film had smaller increases in pH，thiobarbituric acid （TBA），metmyoglobin （MetMb），and total volatile basic nitrogen （TVB-N）values and longer shelf life.Therefore，ZEO/CS composite film can be used as the effective packaging for the cold storage of meat.