A promising food-grade protector for Retinyl acetate emulsions with fibrillated egg white

This work presents a novel use of fibrous egg white protein (FEWP) in food preservation and nutraceutical applications. In this study, food-grade FEWP was used as an encapsulating material, along with chitosan (CS), to stabilize emulsions. The emulsion system was then used as a delivery system to improve the stability of retinyl acetate (RA). The structural and functional properties, as well as the stability and rheological behavior of the FEWP/CS copolymer, was investigated. The stability of RA-enriched emulsions was also evaluated. FEWP and CS stabilized emulsions exhibited smaller particle sizes and enhanced stability against different ionic strengths and storage periods. Additionally, RA-encapsulated emulsions stabilized by FEWP:CS (25:1 w /w) effectively inhibited apple browning. This study presents a promising strategy for delivering antioxidant components, highlighting its potential in food preservation and nutraceutical applications.