Stability Enhanced Pickering Emulsions Based on Gelatin and Dialdehyde Starch Nanoparticles as Simple Strategy for Structuring Liquid Oils

Solid edible fat obtained by hydrogenation of vegetable oils is widely used in food market. However, the produced partially hydrogenated oils usually contain trans-fatty acids, which are harmful to health. It is meaningful to develop effective ways to directly structure edible liquid oil into gel-like state with good stability. Herein, we presented Pickering emulsions cooperatively stabilized by gelatin nanoparticles (GNPs) and dialdehyde starch nanoparticles (DASNPs) to structure liquid vegetable oils into gel state. It is interesting that Schiff’s base reactions happened between GNPs and DASNPs on the surface of Pickering emulsion droplets as well as the interface among droplets, which effectively improved the stability of Pickering emulsions. The enhanced stability of Pickering emulsions contributed to the good solidification capacity to liquid oils. As a result, the emulsions could keep structure well after 6 months of storage. Moreover, the dense interfacial layer of Pickering emulsion droplets could protect β-carotene from being diffused out of the internal phase, indicating the potential of Pickering emulsions as container for encapsulating nutrients. In sum, the developed Pickering emulsion is a good strategy to structure liquid oils.