Citral-Loaded High-Internal-Phase Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Lignin-Reinforced Yeast Protein Composite Particles: An Antimicrobial Coating for Controlling Pathogenic Spoilage of Chilled Chicken

Natural plant essential oils (EOs) are promising antimicrobials for meat preservation, but their volatility causes rapid loss of activity, especially under temperature-abuse conditions associated with cold-chain failure. Herein, lignin-reinforced yeast protein composite particles (YLCPs) were fabricated as protein–polysaccharide composite particulate stabilizers to construct citral-loaded high-internal-phase Pickering emulsions (HIPPEs) as an edible coating for chilled chicken. Non-covalent interactions, including hydrogen bonding, electrostatic association, and hydrophobic interactions, were involved in the formation of YLCPs and were associated with their modified interfacial properties and the development of a viscoelastic network in HIPPEs. HIPPEs stabilized with 3% (w/v) YLCPs achieved an optimal balance between coating spreadability and structural integrity, with a continuous interfacial layer and a well-developed elastic network. The optimized coating encapsulating 400 μg/mL citral maintained potent bactericidal activity against S. aureus and E. coli for at least 7 days by disrupting bacterial membrane integrity, whereas free citral lost activity within 24 h; this prolonged effect was closely associated with citral retention within the reinforced interfacial network. Under a temperature-abuse (cold-chain-failure) model, the coating suppressed pathogen proliferation, retarded protein degradation, and extended the preservation of pathogen-challenged chilled chicken for at least 7 days, with total viable counts kept below 4.1 lg CFU/g. Collectively, lignin-reinforced yeast protein composite particles are efficient Pickering stabilizers that confer HIPPEs with robust interfacial and rheological properties, providing a sustainable edible coating for long-term preservation of chilled meat under cold-chain temperature abuse.