# Comparison Between Ultrasound and High-Pressure Homogenization for Encapsulation of β-Carotene in CNF-Stabilized Pickering Emulsions

## TL;DR

This study compares ultrasound and high-pressure homogenization methods for encapsulating β-carotene in cellulose nanofibril-stabilized emulsions.

## Contribution

The study reveals how different emulsification techniques affect emulsion stability and β-carotene retention.

## Key findings

- HPH-PE showed better cream stabilization than US-PE due to steric stabilization from CNF networks.
- US-PE had higher β-carotene encapsulation efficiency but lower retention rates compared to HPH-PE.
- HPH-PE's internal structure better protected β-carotene during storage.

## Abstract

This work investigated the stabilization mechanisms and β-carotene encapsulation characteristics of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) stabilized Pickering emulsions (PE) prepared by different emulsification processes. For 48 days of storage, ultrasound-prepared Pickering emulsions (US-PE) stabilized by at least 2.0 wt.% CNFs have obvious cream stabilization, and high-pressure homogenization-prepared Pickering emulsions (HPH-PE) stabilized by over 1.6 wt.% CNFs have excellent cream stabilization. The stabilization of HPH-PE, which was superior to that of US-PE, mainly relied on the steric stabilization of CNFs’ space networks. Although the encapsulation efficiency of β-carotene in US-PE was higher than that in HPH-PE when the CNF concentration was over 1.2 wt.%, the retention rate of β-carotene in US-PE was obviously lower than that in HPH-PE. So, the internal space structure of CNF-stabilized HPH-PE was conducive to stabilizing the emulsion and protecting the bioactive molecule.