Clove Essential Oil-Loaded Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Rosin-Based Carbon Dots: Integrated Antibacterial, Antioxidant, and Stability Performance

Pickering emulsions stabilized by bio-based solid particles offer a promising approach for the sustained release and targeted delivery of bioactive substances. In this work, rosin-based carbon dots (RCDs) were synthesized through a simple one-step hydrothermal method and applied to stabilize oil-in-water (O/W) Pickering emulsions encapsulating volatile clove essential oil (CEO). The microstructure, surface charge, encapsulation efficiency, antioxidant activity, antibacterial efficacy, and stability of the emulsions were investigated. The optimized Pickering emulsion demonstrated outstanding functional properties, including an average droplet size of 42.6 nm, a high CEO encapsulation efficiency (72.34%), and potent DPPH radical scavenging activity (88.4%). Antibacterial efficacy significantly surpassed free CEO, showing expanded inhibition zones against both S. aureus and E. coli. Importantly, the emulsion exhibited excellent storage stability, anti-flocculation properties, and thermal tolerance, indicating its suitability for practical applications. This work provides a novel and environmentally friendly strategy for preparing Pickering emulsions using RCDs and expands the potential applications of rosin in the development of encapsulation and sustained-release systems for bioactive compounds.