Single-Conidium Encapsulation in Oil-in-Water Pickering Emulsions at High Encapsulation Yield

The application of encapsulation technology in the food Industry: Classifications, recent Advances, and perspectives

Encapsulation technology has been extensively used to enhance the stability, specificity, and bioavailability of essential food ingredients. Additionally, it plays a vital role in improving product quality and reducing production costs. This study presents a comprehensive classification of encapsulation techniques based on the state of different cores (solid, liquid, and gaseous) and offers a detailed description and analysis of these encapsulation methods. Specifically, it introduces the diverse applications of encapsulation technology in food, encompassing areas such as antioxidant, protein activity, physical stability, controlled release, delivery, antibacterial, and probiotics. The potential impact of encapsulation technology is expected to make encapsulation technology a major process and research hotspot in the food industry. Future research directions include applications of encapsulation for enzymes, microencapsulation of biosensors, and novel technologies such as self-assembly. This study provides a valuable theoretical reference for the in-depth research and wide application of encapsulation technology in the food industry.

Tolerance of Steinernema carpocapsae infective juveniles in novel nanoparticle formulations to ultraviolet radiation

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) are susceptible to abiotic environmental factors including ultraviolet (UV) radiation, which affects the survival and efficacy. This study evaluated nanoparticle (NP) formulations for protecting Steinernema carpocapsae infective juveniles (IJs) from UV radiation. First, silica-NH₂ NPs at oil-to-water ratios of 2:8, 3:7 and 4:6 were compared with Barricade Fire Gel (1 % and 2 %) and a water control (aqueous IJs) by exposing IJs to UV light (254 nm) for 0, 10 and 20 min. Barricade gel (especially 2 % Barricade) significantly improved IJs viability after UV treatment, while all three NPs had adverse effects on IJ viability after UV radiation. Subsequently, two silica (SiO₂ basic and advanced) and one titania (TiO₂) based formulations were tested with Barricade (1 % and 2 %) and a water control. The titania-NH₂ NPs provided the highest UV protection, and IJ viability and virulence were not reduced even after 20-min UV. Except TiO₂, only 2 % Barricade at 10-min UV and SiO₂ basic at 20-min UV had lower IJ mortality than the water control. Only TiO₂ formulated IJs caused higher insect mortality and infection levels than aqueous IJs after UV treatment. The UV tolerance of TiO₂ was further examined by assessing the number of nematodes invading the hosts. Consistent with virulence tests, the number of invading nematodes in titania-NH₂ NPs did not decrease after UV radiation for 10 or 20 min compared with the no-UV control. The anti-UV capability of titania-NH₂ NPs has promise as a tool to enhance biocontrol efficacy of EPNs under field conditions.

Individual Coating of Entomopathogenic Nematodes with Titania (TiO2) Nanoparticles Based on Oil-in-Water Pickering Emulsion: A New Formulation for Biopesticides

This study presents a new eco-friendly formulation of entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) based on individual coating of EPNs with titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) and mineral oil via oil-in-water Pickering emulsions. Mineral oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by amine-functionalized titanium dioxide (TiO₂-NH₂) particles were prepared. 40:60 and 50:50 oil-water volume ratios using 2 wt % TiO₂-NH₂ particles were found to be the most stable emulsions with a droplet size suitable for the formulation and were further studied for their toxicity against the incorporated EPNs. Carboxyfluorescein was covalently bonded to TiO₂-NH₂ NPs, and the resulting composite was observed via fluorescence confocal microscopy. The dry coating was evaluated using SEM and confocal microscopy, which showed significant nematode coverage by the particles and oil. The final formulation was biocompatible with the studied EPNs, where the viability of the EPNs in the formulation was equivalent to control aqueous suspension after 120 days. Finally, yields of nematodes from infected Galleria mellonella cadavers collected for 150 days showed no significant differences (P > 0.05) using the tested emulsions compared to the control containing nematodes in water.