Egg white grafts weak‐gels efficiently stabilize high internal phase emulsions and interfere with lipid hydrolysis: As delivery vehicles for hydrophobic actives

This study investigated the performance of egg white grafts (EWG) weak‐gel to stabilize high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) loaded with curcumin and analyzed the lipids hydrolysis after digestion via proton nuclear magnetic resonance 1H NMR. The results showed that the EWG weak‐gel formed after heating stabilized HIPEs exhibited small particle sizes, high values of storage and loss modulus, and a compact microstructure as well as better environmental stability. The stability of curcumin encapsulated in HIPEs stabilized by EWG weak‐gel was increased by 1.80‐fold. In in vitro simulation of digestion, the release of free fatty acids by HIPEs decreased from 89.59% to 31.85% with the increasing EWG weak‐gel proportion. Based on the results of 1H NMR analysis, unsaturated lipids are less susceptible to hydrolysis and oxidation as they are protected by a thicker interfacial layer formed by the EWG weak‐gel formed after heating. Hence, the EWG weak‐gel can stabilize HIPEs and deliver hydrophobic bioactive compounds efficiently and interfere with lipids hydrolysis.