Single-cell encapsulation in oil-in-water pickering emulsions at high encapsulation yield

This study presents a method for the determination of individual conidia encapsulation in a Pickering emulsion leading to very high yields of up to 70%. Mineral oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by amine-functionalized titania dioxide (TiO₂ or titania) particles were prepared. The structure and the stability of the emulsions as a function of their composition were investigated by confocal microscopy and LUMiSizer®. The most stable emulsions with a droplet size suitable for single-cell encapsulation were further studied for their individual encapsulation capabilities. The yield of individual encapsulation in the emulsions; i.e., the number of conidia that were individually encapsulated out of the total number of cells, was characterized by confocal microscopy. This rapid, easy to use approach to single-cell encapsulation, which generates a significantly high yield with eco-friendly titania-based emulsions, only requires commonly used emulsification and agitation methods.