ABSTRACT Porous materials are of great interest for enhancing the stability and delivery of bioactive compounds. The present study explored a porous starch‐based Pickering emulsion (PSPE) designed for colon‐targeted delivery of curcumin, leveraging the mesoporous architecture and interfacial properties of porous starch (PS). The emulsion was formulated as a stable oil‐in‐water (O/W) system using PS (6% w/v ) and guar gum (1% w/v ) as the wall matrix, with flaxseed oil (2% v/v ) containing curcumin (80 ppm) as the dispersed phase. Compared to a native starch‐based emulsion (NSPE), PSPE exhibited significantly higher encapsulation efficiency (83.07% ± 2.03%) and superior interfacial stabilization, as confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis indicated no chemical interactions among components, supporting physical encapsulation. Shelf stability tests (4 ± 2°C, for 15 days) revealed that PSPE maintained lower particle size, higher zeta potential, and reduced creaming index, contributing to enhanced emulsion stability. Furthermore, PSPE demonstrated slower curcumin release kinetics and improved resistance under simulated gastrointestinal conditions, underscoring its potential as a starch‐based carrier for site‐specific delivery. These findings highlight the functional advantages of porous starch in emulsion‐based delivery systems and offer a novel approach for improving bioactive retention and colon‐targeted release.
Sathyan et al. (Mon,) studied this question.