Glycosylation of a ferritin nanocage with dextran as a novel emulsifier for the construction of dual-compartmental pickering emulsions to co-encapsulate hydrophobic bioactive compounds

Abstract

Ferritin-stabilized Pickering emulsions exhibit a great potential in co-delivering multiple food-related bioactive compounds. However, delivering compounds with natural ferritin alone, particularly in an extreme environment, is challenging. Surface modification via glycosylation is an alternative approach to improve the physicochemical and functional properties of ferritin. Therefore, in this study, we developed a double-chamber O/W Pickering emulsion system using recombinant human H-chain ferritin (rHuHF) glycosylated with dextran (Dex–rHuHF) as Pickering emulsifiers for the co-encapsulation of resveratrol (Res) and astaxanthin (ASTA). Our results showed that the emulsion manifested better properties when prepared with the oil phase fraction at 60%. Dex–rHuHF, as a novel emulsifier, performed better than rHuHF in stabilizing the O/W emulsion by decreasing the particle size (104 nm), promoting the surface coverage of oil droplets, enhancing apparent viscosity, viscoelasticity, and the creaming index (32.50%) of the emulsion. Moreover, the stability of Res and ASTA was enhanced under adverse conditions. At pH 1.2, 90 °C, and UV-C, the retention rates of Res and ASTA in an emulsion stabilized with Dex–rHuHF–Res was 80.69%, 77.87%, 80.63%, and 53.33%, 85.96%, 87.08%, respectively. The bioaccessibility of Res and ASTA (27.23% and 37.92%), and the DPPH scavenging rate (88.15%) and the hydroxyl radical clearance rate (77.44%) of the emulsion were also improved significantly. The findings of this study highlight the potential application of glycosylated ferritin-stabilized Pickering emulsion in co-delivering various bioactive compounds, enabling synergistic interactions between them.