Protein networks and starch nanocrystals jointly stabilizing liquid foams via pickering-type coverages and steric hindrance.

Abstract Liquid foams are crucial to many food systems, yet improving their lifetime remains challenging. In this study, stable foams were prepared by protein networks in association with starch nanocrystals (SNCs). The protein networks were structured by simultaneous folding of hydrophobic rice proteins (RPs) and hydrophilic pea proteins (PPs) due to anti-solvent precipitation from an alkaline solution, forming amphiphilic binary nanostructures (RP-PPs) to facilitate foaming. Relying on polar groups of RP-PPs and SNCs, the two biopolymers spontaneously formed flexible but mechanically strong complexes (RP-PP@SNCs) via dipole–dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding. After high-speed frothing, liquid foams that can be stable for up to 4 days were agitated with coherent RP-PP@SNCs docking at the interface in addition to the formation of three-dimensional networks in the continuous phase, contributing to joint stabilization mechanisms of Pickering-type coverages and steric hindrance. This study presents a facile strategy for innovating novel stabilization protocols for liquid foams.