Camellia Oleifera shells derived nano cellulose crystals conjugated with gallic acid as a sustainable Pickering emulsion stabilizer

Lately, emulsions with low-fat and natural stabilizers are predominant. This study extracted the nano cellulose crystals (NCs) from Camellia Oleifera shells, and their gallic acid (GA) conjugates were synthesized by free-radical grafting. Pickering emulsions were prepared using NCs 1 %, 1.5 %, 2.5 %, and gallic acid conjugates NC-GA1, NC-GA2, and NC-GA3 as stabilizers. The obtained nano cellulose crystals exhibited 18–25 nm, −40.01 ± 2.45 size, and zeta potential , respectively. The contact angle of 83.4° was exhibited by NC-GA3 conjugates. The rheological, interfacial, and microstructural properties and stability of the Pickering emulsion were explored. NC-GA3 displayed the highest absorption content of 79.12 %. Interfacial tension was drastically reduced with increasing GA concentration in NC-GA conjugates. Rheological properties suggested that the low-fat NC-GA emulsions showed a viscoelastic behavior , increased viscosity, gel-like structure, and increased antioxidant properties. Moreover, NC-GA3 displayed reduced droplet size and improved emulsion temperature and storage stability (28 days) against phase separation. POV and TBARS values were reduced with the NC-GA3 ( P  < 0.05). This work confirmed that grafting phenolic compounds on NCs could enhance bioactive properties, which can be used in developing low-fat functional foods. NC-GA conjugates can potentially fulfill the increasing demand for sustainable, healthy, and low-fat foods.