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August 28, 2026Food HydrocolloidsOpen Access

Size-controlled whey protein microgels enable tunable gelation in low-oil Pickering emulsions: Role of particle size and concentration

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Authors

JHJiangnan HuYCYifu ChuWDWenjing Dong

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Overview

Experimental study reveals particle size controls the transition from liquid to gel in low-oil Pickering emulsions, highlighting a route for tuning food texture.

Key Points

  • To determine how the size and concentration of whey protein microgels regulate the structural transition from flowable emulsions to emulsion gels in low-oil Pickering systems.
  • Synthesized spherical whey protein microgels with mean diameters of ~200 nm, ~500 nm, and ~1 μm through low-energy protein–polysaccharide phase separation in water-in-water emulsions.
  • Prepared low-oil Pickering emulsions stabilized with 4.5 wt% microgels and monitored creaming stability over 28 days.
  • Characterized rheological behavior, interfacial film viscoelasticity, and bulk network percolation as a function of microgel size.
  • All low-oil Pickering emulsions stabilized with 4.5 wt% microgels exhibited minimal or no creaming during 28 days of storage regardless of particle size.
  • Microgels of ~1 μm formed highly viscous, gel-like networks via lower electrostatic repulsion and particle bridging in the bulk phase, whereas ~200 nm microgels produced flowable, low-viscosity emulsions.

Cite This Study

Hu et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6aa55a227b142bbe3664b49fhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2026.113291
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