Effect of interfacial synergism between gliadin particles and soybean lecithin on W1/O/W2 emulsions: Encapsulation stability, interfacial rheology, nutrition delivery and in vitro digestion

As a natural oil-soluble emulsifier to replace Polyglycerol Polyricinoleate (PGPR), lecithin's application in double emulsions (DEs) remains constrained due to low encapsulation efficiency and stability, while incorporating Pickering particles within the inner aqueous phase (W 1 ) has emerged as an effective approach to enhance DEs stability. However, the interfacial interactions between Pickering particles in W 1 and lecithin in oil phase and their effects on the physical, delivery and digestion properties of DEs remain to be explored. In this study, a natural Pickering DEs encapsulating blueberry anthocyanins (ANCs) was developed using lecithin and gliadin-based particles, with gliadin colloid particles (GCPs) introduced into W 1 . The effects of GCP concentration in W 1 on emulsion droplet size, microstructure, W 1 /O interfacial rheology, in vitro digestion, and ANCs delivery performance were systematically investigated. Results showed that GCPs in W 1 accelerated the decreasing of W 1 /O interfacial tension, indicating that, beyond competitive adsorption, combination between the two might also occur at the interface, which could accelerate the interfacial adsorption of lecithin. GCPs significantly improved the strength of the W 1 /O interface, thus improving ANCs encapsulation efficiency from 49.66 % to 70.60 %. Moreover, the droplet size of DEs decreased from 38.94 μm to 24.09 μm as GCPs concentration increased, indicating that some GCPs might transfer to the outer aqueous phase through phase exchange, acting as hydrophilic emulsifiers. GCPs in W 1 can modulate ANCs in vitro release, enhancing ANCs' bioaccessibility (31.10 %) and antioxidant capacity. • Inner (W 1 ) and external (W 2 ) aqueous phase reduced oil droplet size. • Interfacial synergism accelerated the reduction in W 1 /O interfacial tension. • GCPs in W 1 strengthened the W 1 /O interface, improving encapsulation efficiency from 49.66 % to 70.60 %. • GCPs in W 1 can modulate ANCs release during in vitro digestion. • GCPs in W 1 improved ANCs' bioaccessibility (31.10 %) and antioxidant capacity.