Abstract
Rana chensinensis ovum (RCO) is the major waste/by-product of Oviductus Ranae. This study investigated physicochemical characteristics and stability of emulsified Rana chensinensis ovum oil (RCOO) with Rana chensinensis ovum protein isolates (RCOPI) by particle size, zeta potential, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), visual appearance, confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), rheology and antioxidant capacity. The emulsified RCOO demonstrated great stability, antioxidant capacity and rheological properties. The potential application of the emulsified RCOO as a delivery system was studied using quercetin as an example. The stability of encapsulated quercetin was investigated through storage stability, thermal stability and photostability. The bioaccessibility of encapsulated quercetin was explored by in vitro digestion simulation experiments. The results showed the stability and bioaccessibility of quercetin encapsulated in emulsified RCOO was greatly improved. This study showed that the emulsified RCOO is a promising edible delivery system for hydrophobic bio-actives.