Preparation, characterization and in vitro digestive behaviors of emulsions synergistically stabilized by γ-cyclodextrin/sodium caseinate/alginate

Developing natural, safe, and biocompatible emulsion stabilizers for highly stable emulsions remains a difficult challenge. In this study, stable nano-scale emulsions were prepared using gamma-cyclodextrin (gamma-CD), sodium caseinate (SC), and alginate (Alg) as emulsifiers. The synergistic stabilization of gamma-CD/SC/Alg enabled the emulsions to remain stable even under high-acidic (pH 3.0), high-alkaline (pH 11.0) and high temperature (90 C) conditions. The improved stability at acidic conditions was attributed to the positive impact of Alg. Additionally, the rheological measurements showed that the emulsions exhibited elastic gel networks and a more stable emulsion structure was formed with the increasing addition of gamma-CD. Finally, the gastrointestinal behavior of the emulsions was studied using a standardized INFOGEST method. Results showed that most of the oil were digested and absorbed in the small intestine, and the bioaccessibility of curcumin was high. This work provided a new solution to prepare stable emulsions which could be used as dairy products or desirable food delivery systems for hy-drophobic bioactive agents.

Automated summary

This study successfully prepared stable nano-scale emulsions using gamma-cyclodextrin, sodium caseinate, and alginate as emulsifiers. The emulsions remained stable under high-acidic, high-alkaline, and high temperature conditions, and exhibited elastic gel networks in rheological measurements.