Development and Stability Evaluation of Oleogel-in-Water Emulsions Using Whey Protein Isolate–Ferulic Acid Nanoparticles for Ganoderma Lucidum Spore Oil Encapsulation

Kinetic and Oxidative Stability of Oil-in-Water Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Lysozyme-Ferulic Acid Conjugates

The demand for ingredients with natural appeal has driven the development of multifunctional natural emulsifiers. This study aimed to synthesize covalent conjugates of lysozyme (LYS) and ferulic acid (FA) via a free radical reaction and investigate their application in stabilizing soybean oil Pickering emulsions. Conjugate formation was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and FTIR and UV-Vis spectroscopy, indicating alterations in the protein’s tertiary structure. The LYS-FA conjugate exhibited techno-functional properties superior to native lysozyme, including higher emulsifying capacity and antioxidant activity, with inhibition values above 74% for both DPPH and ABTS. Furthermore, in vitro digestion studies demonstrated that conjugation protected FA from degradation in the gastric phase. Oil-in-water Pickering emulsions were prepared with different conjugate concentrations from 2 to 4% w/w in the aqueous phase. The formulation with 4% LYS-FA resulted in an excellent kinetic stability, showing no creaming for 8 days. Rheology revealed pseudoplastic behavior with a predominantly elastic character, where G’ was higher than G’’, suggesting the formation of a robust network at the interface. In addition to physical stability, the Pickering emulsions significantly retarded the primary and secondary lipid oxidation of the encapsulated soybean oil compared to the control, attributed to the interfacial barrier and antioxidant action formed by the conjugate. These results suggest that LYS-FA conjugates are promising candidates as emulsifiers with good techno-functional properties and antioxidant capacity for applications in the food industry.

Interfacial engineering of quinoa protein-guar gum complexes for 3D printable Pickering emulsions: Rheological modulation, structural fidelity, and lipophilic bioactive delivery.

The development of food-grade bio-inks combining 3D printability with bioactive protection is important for personalized nutrition applications. This work presents a quinoa protein isolate-guar gum (QPI-GG) Pickering emulsion system for encapsulating lipophilic bioactives and enabling 3D printing. Particle size, ζ-potential and wettability analyses showed the formation of stable complexes with a unimodal distribution near 200 μm, a ζ-potential of -37.9 mV and intermediate wettability. FTIR, XRD, SEM and CD analyses, together with dynamic interfacial tension, AFM, molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations, showed that GG associated with surface-accessible regions of 11S globulin through persistent hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions and van der Waals forces. This association altered QPI secondary structure, redirected heat-induced aggregation toward interconnected and conformationally adaptable assemblies, and enhanced interfacial adsorption and steric stabilization. The resulting emulsions formed elastic, shear-thinning networks with enhanced deformation recovery, enabling support-free printing with a collapse rate of 1.11% and water-holding capacity of 99.78%. The optimized formulation encapsulated CoQ10 with 96.81% efficiency, restricted gastric release to 20.9%, and achieved 51.7% cumulative release after intestinal digestion. This study demonstrates QPI-GG Pickering emulsions as a clean-label bioink platform integrating interfacial engineering and additive manufacturing for nutraceutical delivery.

Emulsion-loaded konjac glucomannan/oat β-glucan/alginate hydrogel beads enhance the gastrointestinal and thermal tolerance of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BL99.

In this study, emulsion-loaded hydrogel beads were developed using konjac glucomannan (KGM), oat β-glucan (Glu), and sodium alginate (SA) as composite wall materials, with a shortening-based water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion incorporated for the protective delivery of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis BL99. Rheological analysis showed that the KGM/Glu system at a ratio of 6:4 exhibited enhanced viscoelasticity. FTIR analysis indicated changes in the hydrogen-bonding environment and polysaccharide fingerprint region, while dual-channel CLSM observation of separately labeled KGM and Glu revealed partial spatial overlap and interpenetrating distribution, supporting favorable compatibility and chain association between the two polysaccharides. Contact angle and ζ-potential analyses were used as auxiliary indicators of apparent surface wettability and charge characteristics. DSC results showed that shortening exhibited a broad melting range of 12-52 °C, suggesting its potential as a thermally responsive phase. CLSM and SEM showed that oil droplets were embedded within the KGM/Glu/SA gel network, forming a multiphase structure with dispersed oil domains and probiotic-entrapping regions. Compared with KGM/Glu/SA hydrogel beads without emulsion (KSG), emulsion-loaded KGM/Glu/SA hydrogel beads (E-KSG) showed improved morphology, denser cross-sectional structure, and better stability in simulated intestinal fluid. After 360 min of simulated gastrointestinal digestion, BL99 counts in KSG and E-KSG were 4.81 and 5.05 log CFU/g, respectively. E-KSG maintained 8.35 and 4.98 log CFU/g after treatment at 63 °C for 30 min and 95 °C for 120 s, respectively, and improved BL99 viability during storage in peach juice, milk, and yogurt. These results demonstrate that the KGM/Glu/SA network combined with shortening-based W/O emulsion enhanced gastrointestinal protection, thermal tolerance, and storage stability of BL99.

Chitosan–cinnamaldehyde–whey protein concentrate stabilized W1/O/W2 double emulsion for co-encapsulation of tea polyphenols and β-carotene

Enzymatic Construction of Whey Protein-Arabinoxylan Conjugate Particles and Their Regulation on the Stability and Curcumin Delivery Property of High Internal Phase Pickering Emulsions

Response surface methodology-guided design of oil-in-water emulsions coated with complex coacervates for precision intestinal delivery of sulforaphane.

Sulforaphane (SFN) is structurally unstable and sensitive to pH variations. This study developed O/W emulsions coated with complex coacervate (ECC) composed of mung bean protein isolate (MPI) and ι-carrageenan. The SFN-loaded ECC (SFN-ECC) was fabricated to enhance stability and targeted delivery. A two-stage response surface methodology was applied to sequentially optimize the formulation, targeting emulsion stability and size first, then coacervate coating yield and encapsulation efficiency. The optimal parameters were identified as 8793 rpm, 54% oil, 0.6% ι-carrageenan, 1.17% MPI, and pH 3.71. The resulting SFN-ECC exhibited a compact core-shell morphology and improved thermal stability due to strong protein-polysaccharide interactions. In vitro digestion models demonstrated that SFN-ECC minimized gastric release to 6.9% while enhancing controlled intestinal delivery to 45.1%. This dual-layer encapsulation suppresses premature release under gastric conditions and enables controlled release at the intestinal stage, offering a strategy to improve the bioavailability of unstable lipophilic bioactives in functional foods.