The invention provides a long-acting slow-release microcapsule food antistaling agent and a preparation method thereof. The antistaling agent comprises natural antiseptic patchouli oil as the core material and natural polymer chitosan and gelatin as the wall materials. The antistaling agent is prepared by complex coacervation, comprising the following steps: preparing a chitosan-acetic acid solution and a gelatin solution, uniformly mixing 0.5-3.0wt% of the chitosan-acetic acid solution and 1.0-3.0wt% of the gelatin solution, then adding a certain amount of patchouli oil and emulsifier, emulsifying for a certain time under stirring, and then regulating the pH value of the system to a proper value, after completing the complex coacervation reaction, adding 10wt% of vanillin-alcohol solution to conduct curing crosslinking reaction for a certain time, and finally conducting pumping filtration, washing and freeze drying to obtain the powdery microcapsule food antistaling agent. The antistaling agent has the particle size of 1-10 mum, good sphericity and dispersibility, the embedding rate of 85-92%, the drug-loading rate of 30-40%, and significant slow release effect, and has no toxicity, safety, and long acting and lasting fresh-keeping and anticorrosion effects. The preparation method has the advantages of simple and easiness in operation, good repeatability, low requirement for devices, no toxicity and nature of raw materials, wide obtainment of sources, and low production cost, and is suitable for industrial production.