Sodium alginate （SA） was used to prepare 2-phenethyl alcohol （PEA） loaded microcapsules with the extrusion-dripping method and the structure of the microcapsules was characterized to develop the application of PEA in the storage and preservation of fruits and vegetables. The key factors in the preparation of the microcapsules were optimized with orthogonal experiment design. The effects of PEA loaded microcapsules on the preservation of prunes were further studied. The results showed that the microcapsules loaded with PEA had a more regular shape， better dispersion， and a larger particle size （volume-weighted average diameter of 978.61 μm）， and good long-term release capacity compared with the SA microcapsules. The results of antibacterial experiment showed that 0.5 g of PEA/SA microcapsules had an inhibition rate of over 98% against common pathogenic fungi of prunes. The incidence rate of fruit in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group from the 4th day， and the incidence rate was 66.67% on the 7th day. PEA microcapsules effectively maintained the firmness of fruit and significantly slowed down the decrease in the content of soluble solids and ascorbic acid. The antibacterial effect of PEA mainly enhanced the stress resistance of fruit by acting on the pathogen itself， rather than upregulating the metabolic pathway of phenylpropanoid. It is indicated that microencapsulation of PEA can achieve long-term and effective release， improve the antibacterial and preservative effect on prunes， and effectively maintain the post-harvest quality of prunes.