Fabrication and characterization of resistant starch stabilized Pickering emulsions

This study aims to understand the physicochemical properties of a type of resistant starch prepared through complexing high-amylose maize starch with fatty acid (lauric acid), and evaluate its capacity to form Pickering emulsions. During the preparation process, the mode of adding lauric acid and the moisture content of swelled starch (10%–50%) had a major influence on the physicochemical properties, including crystallinity, amphophilic, thermal and digestion properties, of starch/lauric acid complexes. The resulting resistant starches exhibited large differences regarding their emulsification ability during the formation of Pickering emulsions. The emulsification capacity of the starch/lauric acid complexes was positively related to their lipid contents, which impacted their hydrophobicity. The resulting Pickering emulsions exhibited good stability against different ionic strengths (100–400 mM), pH conditions (3–9) and heat treatments. The starch/lauric acid complexes stabilized Pickering emulsions have a practical potential as a new food formulation for encapsulation of lipophilic ingredients in food and pharmaceutical products.