Pickering emulsions stabilized by sugargane straw nanocellulose: Effect of the remaining lignin content

• Grant number: 23/17111-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2024
• End date: September 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Technology
• Agreement: CONFAP - National Council of State Research Support Foundations
• Principal Investigator: Henriette Monteiro Cordeiro de Azeredo
• Grantee: Henriette Monteiro Cordeiro de Azeredo
• Host Institution: Embrapa Instrumentação Agropecuária. Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EMBRAPA). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: São Carlos
• Associated researchers: Caio Gomide Otoni ; Guilherme Augusto Ferreira ; Luiz Henrique Capparelli Mattoso ; Renato Souza Cruz
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/17617-5 - Production of nanocellulose from sugarcane straw with different residual lignin contents, BP.TT

Abstract

Brazil is known for its sugarcane production, which results in the generation of by-products in the sugar-alcohol industry, such as straw. Given the high cellulose content of this biomass, it is possible to use it to obtain nanocellulose, a renewable, biodegradable, biocompatible, rigid structure that has a specific surface area and possibilities for physical and chemical functionalization, properties that are compatible with the kinetic stabilization of food Pickering emulsions. Although it has been shown that emulsions can acquire metastability through the action of cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibrils, the interrelationship between residual lignin content and the kinetic and oxidative stabilization of oil-in-water emulsions remains unexplored. Residual lignin can reduce the hydrophilicity of cellulose and adding antioxidant and UV light absorption capabilities. Taking advantage of these characteristics and considering the environmental impact caused by agro-industrial waste, this project aims to study the potential of nanocellulose isolated from sugar cane straw and containing different levels of residual lignin in the kinetic stabilization of Pickering emulsion and in controlling the oxidative rancidity of the dispersed phase. Before the actual formulations, the systems will be characterized in terms of the properties relevant to this application, such as chemical structure, morphology, surface chemistry and degree of hydrophilicity, as well as antioxidant activity and thermal stability. The emulsions will be holistically characterized in terms of dispersed phase morphology, interfacial activity, rheological behavior, and colloidal and oxidative stabilities. At the end of the project, we hope to have developed a product with potential industrial application, as well as producing fundamental knowledge at the interface between the fields of food, chemistry, and materials. (AU)