Physicochemical characteristics, applications and research trends of edible Pickering emulsions

In recent years, Pickering emulsions have attracted wide attentions due to their enhanced stability and numerous possible applications compared to conventional emulsions. In the field of food science, the application of food-grade particles endows the Pickering emulsions with a broader prospect. This paper elaborates the factors affecting the stability of Pickering emulsions and summarizes various physicochemical properties of Pickering emulsions. Besides, the available food-grade particles that have been recently developed as Pickering stabilizers are summarized. Furthermore, the applications of edible Pickering emulsions and their future trends are highlighted. The stability of Pickering emulsions is affected by three factors: particle as Pickering stabilizer, water phase and oil phase. Food-grade particles for Pickering emulsion applications are mainly divided into six categories: polysaccharide particles, protein-based particles, complex particles, flavonoid particles, food-grade wax and fat crystals, which can be modified by physical or chemical methods to enhance their Pickering emulsifier performance. Fat substitute, nutraceutical delivery and cleaning agent in replacement of detergents are potential applications of food-grade Pickering emulsions. The research trends of food-grade particle-stabilized Pickering emulsions include Pickering double emulsions, nutraceutical co-delivery, multilayer Pickering emulsions, fixing the Pickering emulsions in the gel, preparation of porous materials and responsive Pickering emulsions. It can be concluded that the food industry will have a great revolution with the development of Pickering emulsions.