ABSTRACT Engineering oxidative and structural stability in oil‐enriched food systems remains a primary focus in food process engineering, particularly in polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)‐enriched food systems. The oxygen‐vacancy‐enriched cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO 2 NPs) were synthesized by a controlled synthesis route optimizing the surface defect chemistry and antioxidant capability in the present study. Structural characteristics, including Ce 3+ /Ce 4+ ratio and oxygen vacancy concentration, were established by XRD, XPS, DLS, and UV–Vis methods. Prepared nanoparticles were incorporated into edible oils (rice bran and sunflower), and storage challenges in a high‐oil emulsion‐based mayonnaise were performed in an effort to explore designed nanoparticles' function in stabilizing Pickering‐type food systems. Oxidative stability was ascertained by peroxide and anisidine value, and characterization of emulsion by textural, interfacial, and sensory tests. Addition of the CeO 2 NPs into the edible oils significantly improved oxidative stability, as evidenced by lower peroxide and p‐anisidine values after prolonged storage. The emulsions at final stage also showed improved interfacial stability, greater texture profile, and higher sensory acceptance during storage at low temperature, with retained resistance against oxidative as well as structural deterioration. Most importantly, traditional workflows on production of mayonnaise were perfectly compatible with the designed nano‐process engineering methodology, involving no fundamental changes in formulations. These findings lay the foundation for oxygen‐vacancy‐engineered CeO 2 NPs as multifunctional process additives in the creation of next‐generation emulsions with extended shelf life, improved functional efficacy, and clean label characterization. The research advances progress in the field of nano‐enabled food process engineering and systematic characterization of structure–function–process relationships.
Chakraborty et al. (2026) studied this question.