Novel antioxidant ethyl cellulose‐encapsulated particles loaded with L ‐ascorbyl palmitate for inhibiting thermal oxidation in corn oil

BACKGROUND The oxidative stability of edible oils during high‐temperature processing remains a critical challenge in the food industry. l ‐Ascorbyl palmitate ( l ‐AP), a lipid‐soluble antioxidant, is widely used but suffers from thermal degradation. In this study, l ‐AP‐loaded ethyl cellulose (EC) particles were fabricated using an anti‐solvent precipitation method to enhance the thermal oxidative stability of corn oil. Three EC grades with different viscosities (EC8–10, EC40–100, and EC180–220) were evaluated as wall materials to investigate their effects on encapsulation performance and protective efficiency. RESULTS The encapsulation efficiencies increased with EC viscosity, reaching 93.59%, 93.76%, and 97.54% for EC8–10, EC40–100, and EC180–220, respectively. Confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed successful encapsulation and uniform distribution of l ‐AP within the encapsulated particles. Fourier transform infrared analysis revealed hydrogen bond interactions between EC and l ‐AP, indicating good compatibility. X‐ray diffraction showed that the encapsulated systems were amorphous, suggesting the loss of crystallinity of l ‐AP upon encapsulation. Thermogravimetric analysis demonstrated that EC significantly improved the thermal stability of l ‐AP. When incorporated into corn oil at 200 mg kg −1 oil and heated at 180 °C for 30 h, EC180–220 nanoparticles showed the highest protective efficiency among the tested systems. Compared with free l ‐AP, EC180–220 nanoparticles reduced total polar compounds from 26.08% to 15.42%, decreased carbonyl value by 29.7%, and increased the oxidation stability index from 3.05 to 4.23 h. CONCLUSION These findings demonstrate that EC‐based particles, particularly those prepared with higher‐viscosity EC grades, constitute a promising delivery platform for stabilizing lipid‐soluble antioxidants during high‐temperature food processing. The approach effectively enhances the thermal oxidative stability of corn oil and offers potential for broader applications in functional food systems.