Water-in-water emulsion stabilized by cellulose nanocrystals and their high enrichment effect on probiotic bacteria.

HYPOTHESIS: The effect of the molecular weight and polymer concentration on the partition behavior of aqueous two-phase systems (ATPs) is significant for constructing water-in-water (W/W) emulsions. Hence, a long-term stable W/W emulsion system might be obtained through selecting the appropriate stabilizer and component phases, which could be a possible carrier for probiotics.

EXPERIMENTS: Compared with the reported molecular weight difference between polyethylene oxide (PEO) and dextran (DEX) systems, PEO and dextran with lower molecular weight had been used for constructing the water in water (W/W) emulsion system. The W/W emulsions were stabilized using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs), and the potential application of the W/W emulsion for the encapsulation of Lactobacillus was explored.

FINDINGS: Emulsion stability exhibited a "dose-effect" relationship with the CNCs concentration and was decreased with the increase of the DEX concentration. The emulsion phase separation rate was increased with increasing ionic strength and temperature. Both Lactobacillus Plantarum and Lactobacillus helveticus were highly inclined to the DEX phase, and the emulsion droplets were deformed and aggregated when the encapsulation amount was increased. This long-term stability would provide a promising approach for designing high-density culture and fermentation of probiotics.