Construction of butyric acid modified porous starch for stabilizing pickering emulsions: Encapsulation of paclitaxel

In this study, butyric acid (BA) modified porous starch (PS) was fabricated to stabilize Pickering emulsions and probe its application for encapsulating paclitaxel. BA modified PS with different degree of substitution (DS) were synthesized by esterification successfully. The structural properties were determined by N2 adsorption, SEM, 1H NMR, FT-IR and XRD analysis, confirming the porosity and ester linkages. Besides, BA-PS was used as stabilizers to produce Pickering emulsions encapsulating paclitaxel. Properties of emulsions, including emulsification index, particle size and microstructure, were evaluated. Findings indicated that emulsions produced by BA-PS with higher DS had the smaller particle size and better stability. After encapsulating paclitaxel, encapsulation efficiency, retention rate and release performance during digestion were further characterized. The results demonstrated that the emulsifying and sustained release capacity were significantly improved using higher substituted BA-PS as stabilizers. As emulsifiers, BA-PS thus has a potential application in food industry.

Automated summary

In this study, butyric acid modified porous starch was successfully synthesized and used as stabilizers for Pickering emulsions encapsulating paclitaxel. The emulsions produced by higher substituted BA-modified porous starch showed smaller particle size and better stability. Furthermore, using higher substituted BA-modified porous starch significantly improved the encapsulation efficiency, retention rate, and release performance of paclitaxel during digestion. Therefore, BA-modified porous starch has potential application as an emulsifier in the food industry.