Pickering emulsions stabilized by ovalbumin-sodium alginate coacervates

[Display omitted] Particles self-assembled by the coacervation between proteins and polysaccharides are promising Pickering stabilizers in the food industry. In this work, the ability of the ovalbumin (OVA)-sodium alginate (SAL) coacervates to fabricate Pickering emulsions and the stability of resultant emulsions were evaluated. The coacervates could stabilize O/W emulsions and the maximum oil fraction of 78.57 % was conferred by the particles separated at pH 4.5 instead of the acidity that contributed the greatest coacervation. The emulsification ability of the OVA-SAL coacervates was not affected by the presence of up to 300 mmol/L NaCl or temperatures ranging from 20 °C to 70 °C, but depended closely on their concentrations, in which, high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPEs) could be formed only in 1.25 % (w/v) and higher stabilizer concentrations. The HIPEs exhibited excellent stability against environmental pH variation from 2.0–10.0, heating at up to 100 °C, centrifugation, and repeated freezing-thawing and a higher OVA-SAL coacervate concentration favored the stabilities. Hence, the OVA-SAL coacervates could be used as a novel Pickering stabilizer in the food industry.