Construction of cellulose-based Pickering stabilizer as a novel interfacial antioxidant: A bioinspired oxygen protection strategy

Oxygen protection/isolation is imperative to prevent the lipid oxidation since oxygen molecule is an ultimate quencher in photon conversion process. Inspired by the structural buildup of seeds from oil crops, a sustainable solid particle stabilizer with novel antioxidant activity was prepared by using cellulose and polyphenol. In this work, bacterial cellulose (BC) nanofibrils modified by tea polyphenols (TPs) was prepared and used as Pickering emulsifier for the O/W emulsion. BC nanofibirls exhibited excellent adsorption capacity up to 55 μg/mg, and the adsorption kinetics between BC and TPs were further investigated. After modification, the interfacial diffusion rate constant of BC was significantly increased to from 0.43 to 1.21 mN m⁻¹ s^−0.5. Moreover, the obtained O/W interfacial modulus of the dilatational elasticity was increased from 58 to 130 mN/m. Furthermore, the emulsions exhibited excellent free-radical scavenging activity at oil-water interface, suggesting a potential application in usage to extend the lifespan of the food containing polyunsaturated fats.