Safflower seed oil high internal phase pickering emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate-gum arabic complexes: Rheological properties and stability.

The stabilization of high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) utilizing biomacromolecules and solid particles as alternatives to surfactants has attracted significant interest from researchers. Therefore, this study investigated the feasibility of whey isolate protein (WPI) and gum arabic (GA) instead of surfactants to stabilize safflower seed oil to prepare O/W HIPPEs. Among the various ratios examined, the WPI:GA ratio of 1:2 demonstrated the smallest particle size of WPI-GA particles, measuring 214.52 ± 7.65 nm. This ratio also exhibited a significant increase in the absolute value of the zeta potential (p < 0.05), a notable alteration in the secondary structure (p < 0.05), and the most superior emulsification performance. The HIPPEs prepared under this condition were more uniformly distributed with a smaller particle size of 5.41 ± 0.69 μm and exhibited good apparent viscosity, energy storage modulus (G'), and loss modulus (G"), as well as salt ion stability. In conclusion, the utilization of WPI and GA-stabilized HIPPEs with environmentally friendly and non-toxic labels expands the potential applications of safflower seed oil.