Mannosylerythritol lipid-A (MEL-A) is a kind of novel biosurfactant and has great potential to apply into food and pharmaceutical field with its outstanding physicochemical and biological property. In this study, Thyme essential oil (TEO) microcapsules based on MEL-A were prepared through ultrasonic emulsification and characterized by size, morphology, structure, antioxidant and antibacterial activity. The results showed the optimal preparation condition was the duration of 15 min and power intensities of 400 W/cm