Protein nanocage-stabilized Pickering emulsions

Abstract The utilization of surface-active engineered protein nanocages as stabilizers for emulsions provides avenues for the design of new tailor-made functional materials in various fields including food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology. They can be used to codeliver bioactive molecules of different polarities in a tailored manner to the body, act as a platform for screening cells or enzymes, or function as targeted drug delivery systems. Knowledge on the mechanisms that underlie the protein nanocage-driven stabilization of emulsions and their colloidal structure can have direct implications for the rational design of the new advanced functional colloids. This contribution summarizes the recent progress in protein nanocage-stabilized emulsions. It discusses the advances in the precision bioengineering of protein nanocages for emulsion design, highlights challenges in the characterization of structure and dynamics in these materials, and demonstrates selected applications in the field of functional food materials.