Preparation and characterization of novel rice bran cellulose nanocrystals‐triphosphate composite for the stabilization of pickering emulsion

Abstract The high hydrophilicity of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) plays a significant role in stabilizing Pickering emulsions. This study reports, for the first time, a method to improve the hydrophobicity of rice bran cellulose nanocrystals using sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP), which contributes to better stabilization of Pickering emulsions. The results show that combining CNC with TPP significantly enhances the emulsifying ability of CNC. When the TPP addition is 0.02%, the composite solution exhibits the smallest particle size (172.2 nm), the lowest zeta potential (−56.8 mV), and a lower PDI value (0.46). The CNC–TPP composite particles also demonstrate better thermal stability. Moreover, emulsions stabilized by modified CNC display a well‐formed three‐dimensional network gel structure. The effects of various factors, including stability, oxidative stability, storage time, pH, ionic strength, and temperature on the stability of Pickering emulsions, were also investigated. The results indicate that Pickering emulsions stabilized by the CNC–TPP combination possess good oxidative stability, with TBARS values approximately 10 times lower than those of CNC‐stabilized emulsions. This finding is of significant importance for the application of CNC in food and cosmetics.