Interfacial design and jammed droplet network construction of glycosylated egg white protein-stabilized HIPEs for enhanced β-carotene delivery

Glycosylation enhanced EWP emulsifying capacity for stable HIPEs. • HIPEs formed jammed droplet networks with viscoelastic behavior. • Interfacial adsorption governed droplet size and microstructure. • Dense interfacial layers improved β-carotene stability (>90%). • Optimal conjugate level (1.5%) maximized bioavailability (+146%). High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) are promising carriers for lipophilic bioactives; however, their structural stability and digestive performance are highly dependent on interfacial design. In this study, egg white protein (EWP)–xylan oligosaccharide (XOS) maillard conjugates were used to fabricate food-grade HIPEs, and their effects on interfacial adsorption, microstructure, rheological behavior, and delivery functionality were systematically investigated. Glycosylation significantly improved the emulsifying performance of EWP, enabling the formation of stable HIPEs with a maximum oil phase fraction ( ϕ ) of 0.87 at 2.0% conjugate concentration, while a minimum concentration of 0.4% was sufficient at ϕ  = 0.80. Increasing conjugate concentration enhanced interfacial adsorption, reduced droplet size, and promoted the formation of a densely packed, jammed droplet network, resulting in concentration-dependent viscoelastic properties. Furthermore, HIPEs effectively improved the thermal and storage stability of β-carotene, with retention exceeding 90% after 30 days, which was attributed to the formation of a dense interfacial barrier that limited mass transfer. In vitro digestion revealed that lipid hydrolysis and β-carotene bioaccessibility were maximized at 1.5% conjugate concentration, reflecting a balance between structural stability and enzymatic accessibility. Overall, this study establishes a structure–function relationship in EWP–XOS-stabilized HIPEs and provides mechanistic insights for designing protein–polysaccharide-based delivery systems for lipophilic bioactive. Download: Download high-res image (339KB) Download: Download full-size image