Most liquid food flavours such as essential oils are volatile and prone to degradation in the presence of oxygen, light, moisture and high temperatures. Microencapsulation of volatile ingredients prior to use in food or beverages is a commonly used process to limit loss and degradation of flavours and aromas during processing and storage. Here, peppermint essential oil was microencapsulated via complex coacervation using a combination of bovine serum albumin and gum Acacia as wall materials. The resulting core-shell microcapsules were chemically crosslinked with a modified food-grade starch, and subsequently spray dried, resulting in dry microcapsules which could be easily redispersed in aqueous solutions. Microcapsule formation and stability, as well as microencapsulation yield of peppermint oil, were investigated as a function of polymer concentration, core material load/wall thickness and crosslinker concentration. The crosslinked peppermint oil microcapsules were spherical and mononuclear both before and after spray drying and redispersion, whereas control coacervate samples without crosslinker did not withstand the spray drying process. Microencapsulation yield as analysed by GC-MS showed no loss of peppermint oil during or after complex coacervation, and 54% loss after spray drying for the best combination of Polymer:Oil ratio and crosslinker concentration used here, indicating good overall protection of the core material.

Encapsulation of fish oil within oleogels can potentially prevent oxidation and enable its use in food with programmable release within the gastrointestinal tract. Here, we report on the formation of oleogels from two different fish oils—salmon oil (SO) and cod liver oil (CLO)—using different concentrations of either rice bran wax (RBW) or myristic acid (MA) as gelators. The gels were assessed with respect to their structural, thermal, viscosity, digestive, and oxidative properties. Polarized light microscopy (POM) revealed that RBW consistently produced dense, interconnected crystalline networks across both oils, while MA formed larger, spherulitic crystals that were more sensitive to the oil type. This was further supported by time-lapse imaging, showing faster crystal growth of MA in cod liver oil. Viscosity studies indicate that the molecular weight and concentration of gelator, as well as the type of fish oil (SO vs. CLO), significantly impact the shear stability of the oleogels. Thermal and viscosity analyses confirmed that RBW-based oleogels exhibited higher crystallization temperatures and stronger viscoelastic behaviour. Based on oxidative stability measurements—as measured by peroxide value (PV) analysis—encapsulation within oleogels does not lead to significant oxidation of the fish oils and also attenuates further oxidation upon storage. The fish oil oleogels were stable when exposed to either simulated gastric or intestinal fluids (SGF and SIF, respectively), but decomposed after sequential exposure first to SGF and then to SIF. These findings could broaden the range of food products which can be fortified with fish oils.

Nanocomposite hydrogels, consisting of a polymer network containing dispersed nanoparticles, are attracting increasing interest as platforms for controlling nanoparticle transport and release. However, experimental studies examining the release of nanoparticles from hydrogel reservoirs remain limited. Here, fluorescent polystyrene nanoparticles were incorporated into borax-crosslinked poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels, and the influence of crosslinker concentration and nanoparticle loading on release behavior was investigated. Time-dependent release studies demonstrated cumulative nanoparticle release of 60-80% depending on hydrogel composition. Increasing borax concentration reduced both the rate and extent of nanoparticle release, whereas the effect of nanoparticle loading was less pronounced and depended on the crosslinking level. The release profiles were analyzed using the zero-order, Hixson-Crowell, Peppas-Sahlin, Korsmeyer-Peppas and Weibull models, in addition to a modified first-order kinetic model. Among the models evaluated, the Weibull and modified first-order models provided the best overall descriptions of the experimental data. Analysis of the fitted parameters suggests a transition from burst-dominated release at low crosslink densities toward increasingly relaxation-controlled release at higher borax concentrations and nanoparticle loadings. Multiple linear regression further revealed borax concentration to be a more influential factor than nanoparticle loading in determining release behavior. These findings provide insight into the physicochemical factors governing nanoparticle transport in hydrogel networks and demonstrate how release characteristics may be tuned through control of hydrogel composition.

Binder selection strongly influences silicon–graphite (Si–Gr) anode performance, yet the relationship between slurry processing, electrode structure, and electrochemical behaviour remains unclear. Here, we systematically investigate the influence of binder chemistry and binder pH on Si–Gr composite anodes using unmodified poly(acrylic acid) (PAA), lithiated PAA (LiPAA) at pH 5–7, and a conventional carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) binder. Rheological, adhesion, zeta potential and microscopy analysis reveal that binder pH strongly governs slurry processability, binder–component interactions, and the resulting electrode structure. These differences were found to directly influence electrochemical performance in full cells versus NMC532. Among the binders studied, partially neutralised LiPAA at pH5 exhibited the most stable cycling performance, combining the favourable binder interactions associated with free acid PAA with the improved slurry processability required for practical electrode manufacturing. In contrast, unmodified PAA showed favourable electrochemical behaviour but poor rheological stability, while increasing binder pH resulted in progressively poorer electrode integrity, increased polarisation, and accelerated capacity fade. Differential capacity and electrochemical impedance analyses further revealed substantial differences in the electrochemical response and interfacial stability of the electrodes, while post‐mortem cross‐sectional scanning electron microscopy showed preservation of the electrode structure at pH 5 and severe structural degradation at pH 7 after 50 cycles. Overall, these results highlight the critical role of binder‐controlled processing in determining the stability of Si–Gr composite anodes by demonstrating how binder pH influences slurry interactions, electrode structure, and the subsequent electrochemical behaviour during cycling.