Interfacial behavior of quinoa protein-tannic acid particles regulated by high-methoxyl pectin for multi-responsive high internal phase emulsions as hesperetin carriers

HMP significantly reduced the oil-water interfacial tension of QT particles. • QTH particles shows a high viscoelastic interface film on the O/W interface. • Pickering HIPEs prepared from QTH particles exhibit multi-stimuli responsiveness. • Multi-responsive Pickering HIPEs improve the bioavailability of hesperetin. Protein-polyphenol composite particles are ideal carriers for bioactive substances. However, their tendency to aggregate and precipitate under weakly acidic conditions limits their broader application. This study investigated the effect of interfacial behavior of quinoa protein isolate-tannic acid (QPI-TA) particles regulated by high-methoxyl pectin (HMP) via self-assembly on the properties of Pickering high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs). Multispectral analysis demonstrated that HMP changed the hydrophobic microenvironment in QPI-TA (QT) particles, disrupted hydrogen bond structures, and triggered reassembly to form QPI-TA-HMP (QTH) composite particles. Interfacial adsorption kinetics, dilatational rheology, and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) analysis demonstrated that HMP significantly increased the interfacial pressure and adsorption rate of QT particles. The interfacial film formed by QTHs particles showed enhanced compactness, thickness, viscoelasticity, and mechanical strength relative to that of QT particles alone. Moreover, Pickering HIPEs stabilized by QTHs composite particles exhibited excellent stability and intelligent responsive properties under various oil phases, pH, centrifugation, temperature and storage conditions. Simulated in vitro digestion results demonstrated that both the release of free fatty acids and the bioaccessibility of hesperetin in hesperetin-loaded HIPEs were dramatically improved. This study demonstrates that incorporating anionic polysaccharides to optimize interfacial behavior in multi-responsive Pickering HIPEs provides a promising strategy for effective encapsulation and controlled delivery of hesperetin. Download: Download high-res image (407KB) Download: Download full-size image