Construction of Cellulose Nanocrystals Based Rod-Like Electrostatic Nanocomplexes and the Digestion Characteristics of Its Stable High Internal Phase Emulsions in Vitro

The morphology of nanoparticles significantly impacts their ability to stabilize Pickering emulsions; however, the effect of rod-shaped nanoparticles based on cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) requires further investigation. Aminated sugar beet pectin (SBP-NH2) has unique advantages because of its amino groups, which has positive charge and good emulsifying activity. Herein, SBP-NH2 and CNC were used to fabricate rod-like nanocomplexes (SBP-NH2/CNC NCs), and then conjugated with cinnamaldehyde (CA) to enhance interfacial activity for forming 3D printable high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), and their in vitro digestion properties were evaluated. The electrostatic interaction between SBP-NH2 and CNC formed the rod-like complexes with a mean diameter of 542.9 nm and the favorable surface wettability (88.1 ± 1.4°) under optimal conditions. SBP-NH2/CNC NCs as a stabilizer exhibited superior performance in terms of emulsification and inhibition of droplet coalescence. Additionally, introducing CA into the oil phase further reinforced interfacial layers through interfacial conjugation regulation. This endowed the CA-mediated HIPEs with higher viscoelasticity and improved 3D printing performance. Interestingly, CA-mediation delayed lipid digestion while improved fucoxanthin bioaccessibility in the HIPEs, which have huge prospects for developing functional food formulations. Overall, this work reveals a strategy for fabricating HIPEs based on rod-like electrostatic complex and interfacial conjugation.