Improvement of β-carotene stability and bioaccessibility by soybean protein fibrils-high internal phase Pickering emulsions: Trypsin hydrolysis contribution.

Soybean protein fibrils-high internal phase Pickering emulsions (SPFs-HIPPEs) were employed as β-carotene (BC) carriers to evaluate the impact of trypsin hydrolysis time on encapsulation performance. As trypsin hydrolysis time increased (0-120 min), encapsulation efficiency, viscosity, viscoelasticity, and free fatty acid release rates of BC loaded SPFs-HIPPEs (BC-HIPPEs) initially increased and subsequently decreased, reaching a maximum at 30 min of hydrolysis. Meanwhile, SPFs exhibited optimal three-phase contact angle (86.7°), viscosity, and viscoelasticity at 30 min of hydrolysis. BC-HIPPEs demonstrated excellent storage ability (80 days), 3D printing characteristics, bioaccessibility (63.43%), and minimal droplet size during in vitro digestion at 30 min of hydrolysis. Excessive hydrolysis by trypsin (> 30 min) decreased BC retention. Overall, moderate hydrolysis by trypsin (30 min) enhanced the stability of BC-HIPPEs by modulating the conformation of SPFs, thereby further improving the stability and bioaccessibility of BC.