Abstract

A novel stable piperine pickering emulsions (PPE) was prepared in this study. Zein and partridge tea polyphenol were utilized as raw materials to synthesize zein-partridge tea polyphenol (ZP) nanoparticles through an alkali treatment method. PPE were then constructed using ZP as an emulsifier to encapsulate piperine, and evaluated based on their visual appearance, microstructure, and droplet size. The emulsion chromatography index and droplet size were used to assess the centrifugal and ionic stability of PPE. The ZP particles size exhibited a lamellar structure, with a particle size of measured 124.47 ± 13.76 nm and the three-phase contact angle was adjusted to 85.1°, indicating close proximity to neutral wettability. The analysis shows that the optimum preparation for a ZP-stabilized piperine PPE were as follows: ZP mass concentration of 2.0%, ZP dispersion pH of 12, piperine content of 5 mg/30 mL, oil fraction of 0.75, shear rate of 22000 r/min, and emulsification time of 5 min. Under these specified parameters, the PPE demonstrated favorable centrifugal stability and exhibited a notable level of ionic stability. This study provides a potential way of producing Pickering emulsion gels, and could become novel and effective delivery systems of piperine.