Effect of ovalbumin-ferulic acid conjugates on the stability and bioaccessibility of vitamin D3 in pickering emulsions.

Vitamin D is essential for human health, but its instability under environmental stressors poses challenges for effective supplementation. In this study, ovalbumin-ferulic acid (OVA-FA) conjugates were evaluated as emulsifiers in Pickering emulsions for the encapsulation of vitamin D₃. Emulsions formulated with 50 %, 60 %, and 70 % oil phase fractions and 4.0 % (w/w) OVA-FA in the aqueous phase exhibited the highest kinetic stability and greatest protein adsorption at the oil-water interface. The emulsions displayed pseudoplastic behavior and showed enhanced antioxidant capacity, with scavenging rates exceeding 80 %. They also demonstrated greater oxidative stability, with peroxide values around 43 mmol/kg oil, compared to 186 mmol/kg in ovalbumin-only emulsions. Encapsulation efficiency exceeded 90 %. The system protected vitamin D3 from photodegradation, significantly reducing degradation to 26 % versus nearly 40 % with ovalbumin alone. Bioaccessibility reached up to 49.86 % after in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. These findings highlight the potential of OVA-FA-stabilized Pickering emulsions as robust delivery systems for bioactive compounds in food fortification, offering improved stability, protection, and functional performance.