@article{Zhang2026, 
author = {Nan Zhang and Chao Zhang and Yu Zhang and Xia Liu and Xueyan Gao and Yonghao Li and Xuan Hu and Wei Liu and Lingfei Li},
title = {Design of Maize Starch-Based Pickering Emulsions: Effects on Lipid Digestion, Absorption, and Duodenal Transcriptomics},
year = {2026},
journal = {Food Science and Human Wellness},
keywords = {Maize Starch, Pickering emulsion, Lipid Digestion, Duodenum transcriptome, Energy metabolism, Immune function},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.26599/FSHW.2026.9251132},
doi = {10.26599/FSHW.2026.9251132},
abstract = {Designing food microstructures to elicit specific physiological responses is crucial for advancing functional food innovation. Pickering emulsions were fabricated using starch nanoparticles with tailored amylose/amylopectin ratios, prepared by blending modified high-amylose (HAMG) and waxy maize (WMG) starch granules. Increasing amylopectin content progressively reduced droplet size, shifting from a unimodal distribution centered at 13.76 μm in pure HAMG systems to predominantly smaller droplets (~1.72 μm) in pure WMG emulsions. In vitro digestion demonstrated that amylose-rich emulsions preserved higher structural integrity and suppressed lipid hydrolysis via a more rigid interfacial barrier, whereas amylopectin-rich emulsions enhanced enzyme accessibility and free fatty acid release. In vivo murine studies further demonstrated that high-amylose Pickering emulsions delayed gastric emptying and reduced postprandial plasma triglyceride levels. Duodenal transcriptomic analysis revealed that rapid lipid flux in WMG-treated mice induced pronounced metabolic reprogramming, including upregulation of genes involved in fatty acid transport (fabp1/2), chylomicron assembly (apoa4), peroxisomal β-oxidation (acox2), mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, and immune-related pathways. Overall, these results demonstrate that interfacial engineering using starch particles enables precise regulation of lipid digestion and intestinal metabolic responses, providing a rational strategy for targeted functional and medical food design.}
}