Enhancement of Pickering effect of ovalbumin with bacterial cellulose nanofibers prepared by electron beam irradiation and encapsulation of curcumin

In this study, the enhancement of Pickering effect of ovalbumin (OVA) with bacterial cellulose nanofibers (BCNFs) prepared by electron beam irradiation was investigated and the environmental stability of oil-in-water Pickering emulsions stabilized by OVA/BCNFs complexes was explored by varying ratios of OVA/BCNFS (1:0.2, 1:0.4, 1:0.6, 1:0.8, 1:1) and oil phase concentrations (10 %, 20 %, 30 %, 40 %, 50 %, 60 %). Droplet sizes of Pickering emulsions were decreased with the increase of the proportion of BCNFs, while the viscosity and storage modulus (G') of Pickering emulsions were increased. The gel strength of Pickering emulsions was positively correlated with the oil phase content. Pickering emulsions stabilized by OVA/BCNFs complexes were endowed excellent environmental stability under varying pH, ionic strength, and thermal conditions. Moreover, after encapsulating curcumin in Pickering emulsions, the retention rates of curcumin were improved significantly during room temperature, UV light, and thermal treatment. The present study would contribute to the advancement of novel protein/polysaccharide stabilizers and offer novel insight for investigating the stability of Pickering emulsions and delivering lipophilic bioactive compounds.