Effect of high-pressure homogenization treatment and Persian gum on rheological, functional properties and release kinetic of crocin from double emulsions

In the present study, the effect of water-soluble fraction of Persian gum (PG) and high-pressure homogenization (HPH) on some characteristics of double emulsions of (W/O/W) containing crocin was investigated. The results show the addition of PG increases the zeta potential and alters the charge on the droplet surface, thus reducing coalescence and improving emulsion stability. Also, the PG-coated emulsions have larger droplet sizes, but improved physical stability due to electrostatic and steric repulsions as well as high viscosity. HPH treatment leads to a decrease in droplet size and an increase in zeta potential, further improving emulsion stability. The findings suggest that the combination of PG and HPH treatment could be implemented to produce stable double emulsions for various applications like emulsions beverages containing crocin. Moreover, double emulsions stabilized with PG can positively affect the protection of crocin under gastrointestinal conditions, and more crocin can be absorbed by the body in the intestine. The dynamic behavior exhibited that the treated DEs using HPH behaved more like viscous fluids (G'< G") when the frequency increased.