Flammulina velutipes protein-stabilized Pickering high internal phase emulsions for bioactive substance co-delivery

From the paper

Abstract

This study pioneered the utilization of Flammulina velutipes protein (FVP) as a sole natural stabilizer for oil-in-water high internal phase Pickering emulsions (O/W HIPPEs), addressing a significant knowledge gap in its interfacial behavior. Through systematic optimization, we identified the optimal formulation as 76 % oil phase and 4.5 % FVP concentration, which produced emulsions with a uniform microstructure, minimal droplet size (2610 nm), high negative zeta potential, and solid-like viscoelastic properties. The FVP-stabilized HIPPEs exhibited exceptional environmental stability, maintaining structural integrity under thermal stress (≤60 °C) and centrifugal conditions (2500–4500 rpm), attributed to the dense interfacial layer and three-dimensional network formed by FVP particles. When employed as a delivery system for tea polyphenols (TP) and lutein (Lut), the HIPPEs significantly enhanced bioactive retention under thermal stress (78.94 % for TP, 72.61 % for Lut at 90 °C) and UV stress (81.65 % for TP, 74.63 % for Lut), while improving bioaccessibility during in vitro digestion (35.99 % for TP, 41.37 % for Lut). Notably, co-encapsulation of TP and Lut demonstrated synergistic antioxidant effects in both DPPH and ABTS⁺ assays. This work establishes FVP as an effective HIPPE stabilizer and provides a novel strategy for delivering sensitive bioactives in functional foods, the application potential of edible fungal proteins in food colloids.