Enhanced Activity of Eugenol Pickering Emulsion Using Lactoferrin-Chlorogenic Acid Complex as a Green Stabilizer

Exploiting natural and bioactive stabilizers to fabricate green emulsions has attracted increasing attention. In this work, lactoferrin (LF) was combined with chlorogenic acid (CGA) to construct the LF-CGA complex to prepare a eugenol (EG) Pickering emulsion (ELC/PE). The surface activity and binding mechanism of LF-CGA were explored. Additionally, the antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory capacities of ELC/PE were compared. The contact angle of LF-CGA approached 90° (81.9°), indicating enhanced stability at the oil-water interface. The interaction between LF and CGA was primarily driven by static quenching and hydrogen bonding. The ELC/PE consisted of 1.5 wt% LF-CGA, with distilled water and EG as the aqueous and oil phases (15:1 v/v, aqueous/oil). The DPPH^-, O₂ ^-, and ABTS⁺ scavenging rates of ELC/PE were 86.3%, 75.3%, and 83.4%, respectively. The ELC/PE displayed superior antibacterial ability, along with inhibition rates of 99.0% and 99.5% against Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Additionally, the ELC/PE exhibited the most significant suppression of ear swelling (81.8%), confirming its anti-inflammatory ability. These values were the highest among all experimental groups. The LF-CGA complex acts as an emulsifier to enhance EG bioactivities. This novel complex holds great potential for expanding the practical applications of poorly soluble bioactive compounds.