Cross-Linked Bovine Serum Albumin-Crocin I Nanoparticle-Based Gel Network for Stabilizing High Internal Phase Pickering Emulsion

This work presented a novel strategy to integrate colorant and stabilizing effects of BSA-crocin I (BC) nanoparticles with gel-like structure of high internal phase Pickering emulsion (HIPPE, phi = 0.75). The BSA was cross-lined with crocin I to obtain BC nanoparticles for stabilizing HIPPE. When pH = 7.4, the particle size of BC nanoparticles was 326.65-366.40 nm with low polydispersity index (PDI) around 0.5 and zeta potential around -8 mV. The three-phase contact angle of BC nanoparticles was approaching 90 degrees, indicating the strong absorptive capacity at the O/W interface. CLSM images showed the BC nanoparticles surrounded the oil droplets in the emulsions. Specifically, BC-1.5 (7.5% BSA and 0.1125% crocin I)-stabilized HIPPE exhibited the highest stability, with a Turbiscan stability index (TSI) value of 1.3. The thixotropic recovery degree of BC-1.5-stabilized HIPPE was the highest, while the G(0)'and G(0)'' were the lowest, which confirmed that BC-1.5 constructed the most compact gel-network structure around emulsion droplets. The color difference of BC-1.5-stabilized HIPPE was much lower than 1 throughout the UV treatment with the lowest oxidation rate of gardenia oil. The colorimetric and oxidative results verified the color-protective and anti-oxidative abilities of BC nanoparticle-stabilized HIPPE, which might be used for the improvement of the meat product.

Automated summary

This work presents a novel strategy to integrate colorant and stabilizing effects using BSA-crocin I (BC) nanoparticles in a gel-like structure emulsion. BC nanoparticles showed good stability and strong absorptive capacity at the oil/water interface. The BC-1.5 stabilized emulsion exhibited the highest stability and the most compact gel network structure, with excellent anti-oxidative and color-protective abilities, which could be used for improving meat products.