Preparation and optimization of Pickering emulsion stabilized by alginate-lysozyme nanoparticles for β-carotene encapsulation

More recently, growing interests have been focusing on developing biocompatible particulate stabilizers, owing to its commercial value in food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. The present research was to study the potential of alginate-lysozyme (Alg-Lyz) complex nanoparticles to be used as a kind of food-grade particulate stabilizer for Pickeirng emulsions. The negatively charged polysaccharide alginate (Alg) and positively charged protein lysozyme (Lyz) were self-assembled into complex nanoparticles through electrostatic interactions. The particle size, turbidity, and ζ-potential of Alg-Lyz solutions were fully studied, and the Alg-Lyz nanoparticle had a minimum size of 98 nm at pH 4. Alg-Lyz particles showed excellent emulsify ability for producing Pickering emulsions. The β-carotene was then successfully encapsulated with a Alg-Lyz particles shell by Pickering emulsion technique, and its stability against of UV light were studied through quantifying the content of β-carotene in emulsion based on spectrophotometric measurements. Graphical abstract