China's native Sichuan pepper is primarily formed from at least four species of Rutaceae plants, commonly known as Zanthoxylum bungeanum Maxim (Z. bungeanum, red Huajiao) and Zanthoxylum schinifolium Sieb. et Zucc (Z. schinifolium, green Huajiao), which are mostly distributed in the country's southwest provinces (Deng et al., 2019). Also known as one of the eight main seasonings, Sichuan pepper has been used for over 2000 years as a traditional flavoring spice in Sichuan cuisine. Consumers enjoy it for the unique taste and numbing sensation (Zhang et al., 2021). Meanwhile, studies have shown that Sichuan pepper contains volatile oils, flavonoids, alkaloids, lignans, amides, coumarins, fatty acids, phenylpropanoids, and other chemical constituents (Chen et al., 2021). Modern pharmacological studies revealed that Sichuan Pepper has pain-relieving, gastrointestinal protective, anti-tumour, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, other components including alkaloids, coumarins, and polyphenols are good for the circulatory and digestive systems (Ivane et al., 2022). However, in the storage process, the flavor compounds of Sichuan Pepper is susceptible to oxidation which causes loss of flavor compounds. Furthermore, some activity compounds (e.g. polyphenols) and numbing compounds (e.g. OH-α-sanshool) are gradually decomposed with storage time, which reduces the nutritional value of Sichuan pepper. Therefore, it is necessary to explore effective storage techniques as much as possible to reduce the quality degradation of Sichuan pepper during storage. Currently, in the enterprise, low temperature and aluminium packaging are used to store Sichuan pepper in order to reduce the loss of flavor compounds in the storage process. It is worth noting that low temperatures are very destructive to the pigmentation of Sichuan pepper, leading to a decrease in the organoleptic quality of Sichuan pepper, and that sustained low temperatures consume a lot of energy.

In recent years, physical fields (ultrasound, microwave, electric fields, etc.) have been widely used in food processing (Wang, Zhang, & Mujumdar, 2010; Wang, Zhang, Mujumdar, Mothibe, & Azam, 2013; Wu, Zhang, Adhikari, & Sun, 2017). HVEF, as a non-thermal food technology, are considered to be complementary to thermal processing and preservation methods. It reduces the quality and nutritional variability of food and preserves the original nutritional and organoleptic qualities of the food as much as possible (Dalvi-Isfahan, Hamdami, Le-Bail, & Xanthakis, 2017). In food processing, HVEF can be used for sterilisation of food, extension of shelf life of fruits and vegetables, reduction of frost damage to food and extraction of activity compounds: the cell membrane of microorganisms in the HVEF under the action of the membrane structure into a disordered state, the formation of fine pores, permeability enhancement to achieve the role of sterilisation and extraction of activity compounds; HVEF works to preserve fruit and vegetable quality throughout the complete storage process by reducing fruit and vegetable respiration, controlling water loss, and maintaining fruit and vegetable hardness; HVEF makes the water molecules to redirect the formation of the more orderly cluster structure of the formation of ice crystals to reduce the formation of frozen food to reduce the damage caused by the freezing (Mohsen, Michel, Nasser, & Alain, 2023). For example, Zhang, Chen, Dai, Cui, and Lin (2023) investigated the impact of HVEF treatment of pakchoi on its shelf life. The findings demonstrated that by controlling enzyme activity and preserving the integrity of the membrane system, the composite technology prevented pakchoi from browning. It also successfully prevented water migration, prevented excessive water loss and deterioration, and increased the shelf life of pakchoi to 50 days. Therefore, HVEF can be used as a safe, low-energy and efficient method for extending the shelf life of food.

In recent years, a number of edible packaging and coating technologies have gained traction with consumers due to the growing demand for healthy food (Prafull et al., 2023). The food coating technology refers to the use of polysaccharides, esters, proteins and even some active substances, either alone or in combination, to prepare a complex solution and directly coat the foodstuffs by dipping and spraying. The coating technology insulates the food from O2 and avoids degradation and browning of some active compounds. In the meanwhile, coating technology can shield food from UV rays, control moisture, and preserve the food's internal gas balance, which lowers respiration and extends food shelf life. Furthermore, antioxidants and bacteriostatic agents can be added during the preparation of edible film to improve the effectiveness of food storage and limit the microbial infestation of food (Yaashikaa et al., 2023). Against in this context, Smita, Shefali, Neelam, and Swati (2023) investigation into the impact of chitosan coating on tomato chitosan coating on the microflora of tomato during storage. The findings demonstrated that while the coated samples' microbiota was successfully reduced and the tomatoes' shelf life was increased, the untreated samples' bacteria remained rich during storage. Meanwhile, Zhang, Zheng, and Li (2022) investigated the effect of coating pork cubes with ascorbic acid in chitosan solution on the storage period. The coating treatment inhibited bacterial growth, reduced colour change and extended the shelf life of pork cubes for 6 days during cold storage. To sum up, coating technology is a versatile, low-cost, and highly efficient food preservation method with a broad range of applications.

In summary, it is essential to explore a storage method for Sichuan pepper, as an important flavoring ingredient, that has no effect on its flavor. HVEF and CF technologies are green, cost-effective and efficient methods of food preservation and have no impact on the flavor of the material. In this paper, the effect of HVEF, CF and HVEFCF treatments on the quality of Sichuan pepper during the storage period was investigated. The film solution was prepared using pectin (P), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (SCC) and ascorbic acid (AA) and characterised using Fourier infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Then, the effects of different treatments on the colour and antioxidant activity of Sichuan pepper during storage were investigated. Additionally, headspace-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and electronic nose were used to assess the variations in flavor components of Sichuan pepper under various storage conditions (HS-GC-MS). Finally, the influence of the different treatments of Sichuan pepper on the numbing compound (OH-α-sanshool) during storage was evaluated using HPLC. The synergistic effect of HVEF combined CF technology on quality loss during Sichuan pepper storage was investigated.