Fabrication of Antioxidant Pickering Emulsion Based on Resveratrol-Grafted Zein Conjugates: Enhancing the Physical and Oxidative Stability

Lipid oxidation is still a major problem complicating the development of food emulsions. In this study, an antioxidant Pickering emulsion stabilized by resveratrol-grafted zein (Z-R) conjugates and pectin (P) complex particles was prepared. The hydrophilic pectin successfully adjusted the wettability of Z-R; when the mass ratio of Z-R to P was 2:1 (Z-R/P(2:1)), the three-phase contact angle was 90.68°, and the wettability of the particles was close to neutral. Rheological analysis showed that the emulsion formed an elastic gel structure. FTIR spectra indicated that there was a hydrogen bond and electrostatic interaction between Z-R and P. The disappearance of characteristic infrared peaks of corn oil was due to a dense protective film formed on the surface of oil drops by Z-R/P(2:1) particles, which was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The emulsion stabilized by Z-R/P(2:1) had excellent physical stability at a wide range of pH values (4–9), salt ion concentrations (0.04–0.15 mol·L(−1)) and storage times (0–30 days). The anti-lipid oxidation ability of the emulsion was outstanding; after storage for 14 days at room temperature, the MDA content in the emulsion was only 123.85 μmol/kg oil. In conclusion, the Z-R/P(2:1) particles prepared in this study can effectively stabilize a Pickering emulsion and expand the usability of the method for constructing antioxidant Pickering emulsions.