Development of food-grade Pickering emulsions stabilized by a mixture of cellulose nanofibrils and nanochitin

Abstract

There is increasing interest in the food industry to develop plant-based emulsifiers for sustainability, ethical, and health reasons. In this study, we showed that stable Pickering emulsions could be fabricated using either cellulose or and chitin nanofibrils, as well as their physical mixtures. These emulsions were highly stable to droplet coalescence during storage, which we attributed to the ability of the nanofibers to adsorb to the oil droplet surfaces and form a thick particulate layer that protected them from coalescence. Moreover, the nanofibers formed a 3D-network in the aqueous phase that prevented the oil droplets from moving, thereby improving their creaming stability. We identified the optimum nanoparticle concentration and nanochitin-to-nanocellulose ratio required to formulate these emulsions. These nanofibers may be useful as edible particle-based emulsifiers for forming more sustainable plant-based food emulsions.