Stability, microstructural and rheological properties of Pickering emulsion stabilized by xanthan gum/lysozyme nanoparticles coupled with xanthan gum

Effects of xanthan gum (XG) addition and oil contents on the structural and rheological properties of Pickering emulsion stabilized by xanthan gum/Lysozyme nanoparticles (XG/Ly NPs) were analyzed by microstructure, creaming index, and rheological analysis. The results showed that XG addition reduced the droplet size of the emulsion, and a denser three-dimensional network structure was formed between droplets in the continuous phase. Thus, the migration of droplets slowed down, and the stability of Pickering emulsion increased. Rheological studies indicated that the network structure of Pickering emulsion depends on XG addition and oil content. The critical strain (γco) displayed three regimes. For low oil content (20%), γco decreased with the increase of XG concentration. For Pickering emulsion with medium oil content (40%, v/v), γco increased with increasing addition of XG. When high oil content (60–80%) was provided, γco was almost independent of XG addition. The results showed that the microstructure, stability and rheological properties of Pickering emulsion stabilized by XG/Ly NPs could be regulated by XG addition and oil content. This attempt provided theoretical support for regulating Pickering emulsion properties by polysaccharides addition, and established Pickering emulsions with various demands.