Effects of residual phospholipids on surface properties of a soft-refined sunflower oil: Application to stabilization of sauce-types’ emulsions

Vinegar sauces’ type emulsions were prepared from water–alcohol mixture (90:10) and three different sunflower oil samples (Reference oil, SUN1 and SUN3) at 20 wt% with sunflower lecithin as O/W emulsifier. Besides the addition of lecithins at 0–2 wt%, the oil composition varied based on the minor components present in each oil due to the different crushing and refining process. Reference oil sample was nutrient-free while SUN oil contained nutrient component sterols, tocopherols, phosphorus and phenols. Interfacial tension of the different systems was monitored using an automated tensiometer. The vinegar sauces’ type oil-in-water emulsions were prepared by a two-step homogenization procedure (10,000 rpm for 10 min, followed by a passage through an homogenizer at 400 bar pressure), the lipid droplets’ stability against aggregation/coalescence was monitored using integrated light scattering (particle size distribution) and multiple light scattering (creaming) measurements for two-month storage at 4 °C. In the absence of added lecithins, SUN oil sample containing phospholipids presented lower interfacial tension values than the Reference oil. Equilibrium values obtained are ∼4.4 mN m⁻¹ for SUN3, ∼10.5 mN m⁻¹ for SUN1, instead of 13.7 mN m⁻¹ for Reference sample. Addition of phospholipids (lecithin) to the Reference sample led to a similar trend of adsorption kinetics observed in the SUN sample (nutrient rich oil). SUN3 showed the best ability to form elastic film and Reference oil showed lowest ability, which could be attributed to concentration and the composition of phospholipids.