Sharkawy, AsmaBarreiro, M.F.Rodrigues, Alírio2018-02-192020-01-032018-01-192020-01-032019Sharkawy, Asma; Barreiro, Maria Filomena; Rodrigues, Alírio Egídio (2019). Preparation of chitosan/gum Arabic nanoparticles and their use as novel stabilizers in oil/water Pickering emulsions. Carbohydrate Polymers. ISSN 0144-8617. 224, p. 1-90144-8617http://hdl.handle.net/10198/7572Recently, there has been a renewed interest in Pickering emulsions owing to their surfactant-free nature, and the use of natural-based particles as stabilizers became a priority due to the applications they can enable. In this work, chitosan/gum Arabic (CH/GA) nanoparticles were synthesized and tested as novel stabilizers. Among the tested CH/GA weight ratios, the particles prepared using 1:1 ratio exhibited near-neutral wettability, an average size of 108.6 nm and a zeta potential of 56.3 mv. Pickering emulsions prepared from these particle dispersions (1.5% w/v), and high oil volume fractions (φ=0.6, 0.7), have shown high storage stability. Moreover, confocal laser scanning microscopy confirmed the o/w type and the effective adsorption of the nanoparticles at the oil/ water interface forming a barrier against droplets coalescence. The emulsions have shown shear-thinning and elastic-like behavior. These findings open new avenues for using these emulsions as novel delivery systems, e.g. in cosmetic and food applications.engChitosan/gum Arabic nanoparticlesNanoparticles wettabilityPickering emulsionsRheological propertiesSurfactant-free emulsionsjournal article10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115190