Exploiting the robust network structure of zein/low-acyl gellan gum nanocomplexes to create Pickering emulsion gels with favorable properties

Yang Jiang; Chen Zhang; Jinghe Yuan; Yayun Wu; Feng Li; Geoffrey I N Waterhouse; Dapeng Li; Qingrong Huang

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129112

Exploiting the robust network structure of zein/low-acyl gellan gum nanocomplexes to create Pickering emulsion gels with favorable properties

Food Chem. 2021 Jul 1:349:129112. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129112. Epub 2021 Feb 1.

Authors

Yang Jiang¹, Chen Zhang¹, Jinghe Yuan², Yayun Wu², Feng Li¹, Geoffrey I N Waterhouse³, Dapeng Li⁴, Qingrong Huang⁵

Affiliations

¹ College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Food Processing Technology and Quality Control of Shandong Higher Education Institutes, Taian 271018, PR China.
² Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Key Laboratory of Molecular Nanostructures and Nanotechnology, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2 ZhongGuanCun North First Street, Beijing 100190 PR China.
³ School of Chemical Sciences, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
⁴ College of Food Science and Engineering, Shandong Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Food Processing Technology and Quality Control of Shandong Higher Education Institutes, Taian 271018, PR China. Electronic address: dpli73@sdau.edu.cn.
⁵ Department of Food Science, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 65 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA.

PMID: 33581437
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129112

Abstract

Zein/low-acyl gellan gum (GG) composite particles (ZGPs) were fabricated to stabilize Pickering emulsions (termed "ZGPEs"). The wettability of ZGPs was manipulated simply by adjusting the concentration of GG. The effects of GG concentration, oil fraction and pH on ZGPEs were systematically evaluated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM), dynamic light scattering technique, stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy and rheology. The results showed that ZGPEs exhibited robust colloidal properties and distinct advantage over other previously reported zein-polysaccharide-based Pickering emulsions. CLSM, STED and cryo-SEM analyses revealed that the network structures formed by GG and ZGPs at the continuous phase and oil-water interface were the main contributors to the emulsion's characteristics. This study provides insights into the fabrication of food-grade Pickering emulsions with distinct characteristics that impart favorable properties to various foods and bioactive delivery systems.

Keywords: Composite nanoparticles; Gellan gum; High internal-phase Pickering emulsion.

MeSH terms

Emulsions
Gels
Nanostructures / chemistry*
Particle Size
Polysaccharides, Bacterial / chemistry*
Rheology
Wettability
Zein / chemistry*

Substances

Emulsions
Gels
Polysaccharides, Bacterial
gellan gum
Zein