Defibrillated microcrystalline cellulose as an efficient emulsion stabilizer – Study of food-grade Pickering emulsions resistant to extreme conditions

Whey protein isolate (WPI) can be used effectively to produce food-grade particles for stabilizing Pickering emulsions. In the present study, crosslinking of WPI microgels using organic acids (tannic and citric acids) is proposed to improve their functionality in emulsions containing roasted coffee oil. It was demonstrated that crosslinking of WPI by organic acids reduces the microgels’ size from ≈1850 nm to 185 nm and increases their contact angle compared to conventional WPI microgels, achieving values as high as 60°. This led to the higher physical stability of Pickering emulsions: the higher contact angle and smaller particle size of acid-crosslinked microgels contribute to the formation of a thinner layer of particles on the oil/water (O/W) interface that is located mostly in the water phase, thus forming an effective barrier against droplet coalescence. Particularly, emulsions stabilized by tannic acid-crosslinked WPI microgels presented neither creaming nor sedimentation up to 7 days of storage. The present work demonstrates that the functionality of these crosslinked WPI microgels can be tweaked considerably, which is an asset compared to other food-grade particles that mostly need to be used as such to comply with the clean-label policy. In addition, the applications of these particles for an emulsion are much more diverse as of the starting material.

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Molecularly imprinted polymers fabricated via Pickering emulsions stabilized solely by food-grade casein colloidal nanoparticles for selective protein recognition

Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry ◽

10.1007/s00216-018-1006-x ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 410 (13) ◽

pp. 3133-3143 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Yanhua Sun ◽

Shian Zhong

Keyword(s):

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers ◽

Protein Recognition ◽

Colloidal Nanoparticles ◽

Pickering Emulsions ◽

Molecularly Imprinted ◽

Imprinted Polymers ◽

Food Grade

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Food-Grade Pickering Emulsions: Preparation, Stabilization and Applications

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25143202 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (14) ◽

pp. 3202 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Lijuan Chen ◽

Fen Ao ◽

Xuemei Ge ◽

Wen Shen

Keyword(s):

Solid Particles ◽

Pickering Emulsions ◽

Future Prospects ◽

Stabilization Mechanism ◽

Preparation Methods ◽

Broad Application ◽

Food Grade ◽

Wide Range ◽

Oil Water ◽

Application Prospects

In recent years, Pickering emulsions have emerged as a new method and have attracted much attention in the fields of food sciences. Unlike conventional emulsions, Pickering emulsions are stabilized by solid particles, which can irreversibly adsorb on the oil-water interface to form a dense film to prevent the aggregation of droplets. The research and development of food-grade solid particles are increasingly favored by scientific researchers. Compared with conventional emulsions, Pickering emulsions have many advantages, such as fewer using amounts of emulsifiers, biocompatibility and higher safety, which may offer feasibility to have broad application prospects in a wide range of fields. In this article, we review the preparation methods, stabilization mechanism, degradation of Pickering emulsions. We also summarize its applications in food sciences in recent years and discuss its future prospects and challenges in this work.

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