Starch nanocrystals as particle stabilisers of oil-in-water emulsions

BACKGROUND: As an environmentally benign particle emulsifier, starch nanocrystal (SNC) has attracted considerable attention. By submitting waxy maize starch to acid below the gelatinisation temperature of starch, nanoscale crystalline residues, which are SNCs, were separated from starch granules by hydrolysing amorphous regions. The SNC could be used as a particle emulsifier to stabilise emulsions. RESULTS: The SNC could adsorb at the oil-water interface to stabilise oil-in-water emulsions with high stability to coalescence. The creaming of emulsions occurred after homogenisation but decreased with increasing SNC content, which was mainly due to the formation of an inter-particle network in the emulsions. Because of the amount of sulfuric groups at the surface, the SNC was negatively charged. Therefore, at low pH values or high salt content the electrostatic repulsion of the SNC was reduced, which further caused droplet aggregation and an increase in size of the particles in the emulsions stabilised by the SNC. CONCLUSION: The SNC was an efficient particle emulsifier for preparing Pickering emulsions. The size of emulsions stabilised by the SNC could be tailored by changing the pH value or salt concentration. (C) 2013 Society of Chemical Industry