Lactoferrin particles assembled via transglutaminase-induced crosslinking: Utilization in oleogel-based Pickering emulsions with improved curcumin bioaccessibility

• TG-LF particle was assembled via transglutaminase-induced crosslinking. • TG-LF particle was an efficient Pickering emulsifier. • Stable oleogel-based Pickering emulsions were fabricated with TG-LF particle. • Curcumin bioaccessibility of oleogel-based Pickering emulsion was improved. In this study, the optimal environmental condition for preparation of lactoferrin particles assembled via transglutaminase-induced crosslinking (TG-LF particles) was pH 8, 100 U/g of TG concentration, 50 °C and 2 h of crosslinking time. Contact angle of TG-LF particles was 79°. Then, corn oil-based oleogels were prepared with carnauba wax (CW), behenyl alcohol (BA) and CW-BA mixture at 1:4 ratio (MT). To investigate the effect of oleogels on oleogel-based Pickering emulsions, oleogel-based Pickering emulsions were prepared by a two-step method using different oleogels as the oil phase and the TG-LF particles as the emulsifier. In vitro digestion study revealed that CW oleogel-based Pickering emulsion had the highest lipolysis rate and curcumin bioaccessibility. This study demonstrated that TG-LF particle-stabilized oleogel-based Pickering emulsions had good performance in curcumin delivery, which provided a new idea for the preparation of Pickering emulsifier and enriched the knowledge in the field of oleogel-based Pickering emulsion.