Electrostatic Complexes of Nano-Montmorillonite/Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate Stabilized Sunflower Oil Pickering Emulsions

Abstract

Compared with traditional surfactant-stabilised emulsions, Pickering emulsions, stabilised by clay nanoparticles, have the advantages of strong interface stability, strong versatility, and low toxicity. Moreover, they have excellent application potential in the fields of food and medicine. In this study, a food-grade Pickering emulsion stabiliser was prepared by physically adsorbing the cationic surfactant ethyl lauroyl arginate (LAE) on the surface of nano-montmorillonite (NMMT). Different LAE/NMMT combinations were assessed for their capacity to stabilise an oil-in-water emulsion at a low solid concentration (0.5%, w/v). The controllability of the droplet diameter and stability of the Pickering emulsions can be realised by changing the content of LAE. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and laser confocal microscopy (CLSM) confirmed the successful preparation of sunflower oil Pickering emulsion droplets stabilised by LAE/NMMT (0.0075%/1%). Additionally, the LAE/NMMT studied in this work could be used as a highly effective antibacterial surfactant with inorganic nanoparticles to efficiently stabilise Pickering emulsions, thus expanding the potential of preparing edible Pickering emulsion formulae.