Influence of chitosan and NaCl on physicochemical properties of low-acid tuna oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by non-ionic surfactant

An influence of low molecular weight (LMW) chitosan on physicochemical properties and stability of low-acid (pH 6) tuna oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by non-ionic surfactant (Tween 80) was studied. The mean droplet diameter, droplet charge (ζ-potential), creaming stability and microstructure of emulsions (5 wt% oil) were evaluated. The added chitosan was adsorbed on the surface of oil droplets stabilized by Tween 80 through electrostatic interactions. Such addition of chitosan at different concentrations (0–10 wt%) to emulsions showed slight effect on the mean droplet diameter. However, the degree of flocculation was a function of chitosan concentration assessed by emulsions' microstructure and creaming index. The impact of chitosan on the strength of the colloidal interaction between the emulsion droplets increased with increasing chitosan concentration. The mean diameter of droplet in emulsions increased with increasing NaCl because of the electrostatic screening effect. The addition of LMW chitosan could be performed to create tuna oil emulsions with low-acid to neutral character, as well as various physicochemical and stability properties suitable for health food products.     

Beverage emulsions: Comparison among nanoparticle stabilized emulsion with starch and surfactant stabilized emulsions

Emulsions are widely used in beverages to impart desired appearance and flavor to the products. Ring formation in beverages with emulsions during thermal processing and storage is one of the key challenges. This study was aimed at comparing the relative effectiveness of silica nanoparticle based emulsifiers with surfactant and biopolymer based emulsifier (modified starch) in influencing physical stability of emulsions in a model juice. The stability of emulsions was measured by characterizing changes in emulsion droplet size, zeta potential, UV–vis absorbance and visual evaluation of phase separation or ring formation in both primary emulsions and beverage emulsions as a function of storage time. The influence of thermal processing on stability of emulsions both immediately after processing and upon storage was evaluated. The thermal processing conditions simulated both high temperature short time and low temperature long time pasteurization conditions. The results demonstrate that the mean droplet diameter of primary emulsions stabilized by selected emulsifiers was stable during storage for 21 days with and without pasteurization. Based on measurements of mean droplet diameter and visible ring formation, polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate (tween-20) stabilized emulsion was not stable in a model juice and the stability of this emulsion was further reduced with thermal processing. In contrast, starch and silica stabilized emulsions in a model juice did not show significant changes in particle diameter or visible ring formation during storage with and without prior thermal processing, although starch stabilized emulsion did show a decrease in absorbance during storage. Zeta potential measurements in a model juice indicate that the surface properties of emulsions were significantly distinct from those of primary emulsion, indicating interaction of juice components with the emulsion interface influencing the surface charge at the interface. These changes in zeta potential of emulsion droplets did not correlate with reduced stability of the emulsions. Overall, the results demonstrate that nanoparticle stabilized emulsions can improve stability of emulsion in beverages as compared to surfactant and biopolymer stabilized emulsions and provides a comprehensive matrix to evaluate stability of emulsions in beverages.     

Emulsifying Properties of Legume Proteins Compared to β‐Lactoglobulin and Tween 20 and the Volatile Release from Oil‐in‐Water Emulsions

The emulsifying properties of plant legume protein isolates (soy, pea, and lupin) were compared to a milk whey protein, β‐lactoglobulin (β‐lg), and a nonionic surfactant (Tween 20). The protein fractional composition was characterized using sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis. The following emulsion properties were measured: particle diameter, shear surface ζ‐potential, interfacial tension (IT), and creaming velocity. The effect of protein preheat treatment (90 °C for 10 min) on the emulsifying behavior and the release of selected volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from emulsions under oral conditions was also investigated in real time using proton transfer reaction‐mass spectrometry. The legume proteins showed comparable results to β‐lg and Tween 20, forming stable, negatively charged emulsions with particle diameter d_3,2 < 0.4 μm, and maintained stability over 50 d. The relatively lower stability of lupin emulsions was significantly correlated with the low protein surface hydrophobicity and IT of the emulsion. After heating the proteins, the droplet size of pea and lupin emulsions decreased. The VOC release profile was similar between the protein‐stabilized emulsions, and greater retention was observed for Tween 20‐stabilized emulsions. This study demonstrates the potential application of legume proteins as alternative emulsifiers to milk proteins in emulsion products.     

Interaction between Emulsion Droplets and Escherichia coli Cells

ABSTRACT Oil‐in‐water emulsions (20% n‐hexadecane, v/v) were stabilized by dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), Tween 20, or sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). Particle size distribution and creaming stability were measured before and after adding Escherichia coli cells to emulsions. Both E. coli strains promoted droplet flocculation, coalescence, and creaming in DTAB emulsions, although JM109 cells (surface charge = ‐35 mV) caused faster creaming than E21 cells (surface charge = ‐5 mV). Addition of bacterial cells to SDS emulsions promoted some flocculation and coalescence, but creaming stability was unaffected. Droplet aggregation and accelerated creaming were not observed in emulsions prepared with Tween 20. Surface charges of bacterial cells and emulsion droplets played a key role in emulsion stability.     

Effectiveness of encapsulating biopolymers to produce sub-micron emulsions by high energy emulsification techniques

In this study, different emulsifying ingredients were used to produce sub-micron emulsions for encapsulation purposes. Maltodextrin combined with a surface-active biopolymer (modified starch, or whey protein concentrate), or a small molecule surfactant (Tween 20) were used as the continuous phase, while d-limonene was the dispersed phase. Results showed that biopolymers are not efficient ingredients to produce very small emulsion droplets compared with small molecule surfactants because of their slow adsorption kinetics. The main problem with surfactants also is instability of the resulted emulsions due to “depletion and bridging flocculation” caused by free biopolymers and competition between surfactant and surface-active biopolymers. In general, it was not possible to produce a fairly stable microfluidized emulsion with surfactants for encapsulation purposes.     

Characterization of Chemically and Thermally Treated Oil‐in‐Water Heteroaggregates and Comparison to Conventional Emulsions

Heteroaggregated oil‐in‐water (O/W) emulsions formed by targeted combination of oppositely charged emulsion droplets were proposed to be used for the modulation of physical properties of food systems, ideally achieving the formation of a particulate 3‐dimensional network at comparably low‐fat content. In this study, rheological properties of Quillaja saponins (QS), sugar beet pectin (SBP), and whey protein isolate (WPI) stabilized conventional and heteroaggregated O/W emulsions at oil contents of 10% to 60% (w/w) were investigated. Selected systems having an oil content of 30% (w/w) and different particle sizes (d₄₃ ≤ 1.1 or ≥16.7 μm) were additionally subjected to chemical (genipin or glutaraldehyde) and thermal treatments, aiming to increase network stability. Subsequently, their rheological properties and stability were assessed. Yield stresses (τ₀) of both conventional and heteroaggregated O/W emulsions were found to depend on emulsifier type, oil content, and initial droplet size. For conventional emulsions, high yield stresses were only observed for SBP‐based emulsions (τ₀,_SBP approximately 157 Pa). Highest yield stresses of heteroaggregates were observed when using small droplets stabilized by SBP/WPI (approximately 15.4 Pa), being higher than those of QS/WPI (approximately 1.6 Pa). Subsequent treatments led to significant alterations in rheological properties for SBP/WPI systems, with yield stresses increasing 29‐fold (glutaraldehyde) and 2‐fold (thermal treatment) compared to untreated heteroaggregates, thereby surpassing yield stresses of similarly treated conventional SBP emulsions. Genipin‐driven treatments proved to be ineffective. Results should be of interest to food manufacturers wishing to design viscoelastic food emulsion based systems at lower oil droplet contents.     

基于食品级胶体颗粒稳定Pickering乳液的研究进展

Pickering乳液是一种以固体颗粒为乳化剂制成的乳液。与常规乳液相比,Pickering乳液具有潜在的优越性,其良好的物理稳定性可有效防止液滴聚结。本文主要综述了影响Pickering乳液稳定性的各类因素以及稳定Pickering乳液的各类食品级胶体颗粒。Pickering颗粒的高密度可以帮助调整高糖高密度的连续相和低密度芳香油之间的密度差异,保证体系的稳定,Pickering乳液还可以在乳液形成之后发生改性,为乳液带来更多功能。Pickering乳液是食品乳液工程研究中一种有前途的研究物质,对食品乳液的研发和加工将有其独特的推动作用。     

Characterisation of emulsion properties and of interface composition in O/W emulsions prepared with hen egg yolk, plasma and granules

Comprehension of hen egg yolk emulsifying properties remains incomplete because competition between its various emulsifiers (proteins and lipoproteins containing phospholipids) has not been clearly elucidated and colloidal interactions between yolk-stabilised oil droplets have not been documented. Recent studies emphasised the interest of the fractionation of yolk into plasma and granules to improve this comprehension. In the present study, we characterised, concurrently, emulsion properties (oil droplet size and stability against creaming) and interface attributes (interfacial concentrations of proteins and phospholipids, SDS-PAGE profiles of adsorbed proteins and zeta potential) in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions prepared with yolk, plasma and granules. We observed these features at four physicochemical conditions (pH 3.0 or 7.0 and at 0.15 or 0.55 M NaCl). Emulsion properties in emulsions made with yolk or plasma varied similarly as a function of pH and NaCl concentration whereas granules emulsions exhibited distinct properties. Therefore the main contributors to yolk emulsifying properties are to be sought for among plasma constituents (proteinaceous or phospholipids). Since, in plasma emulsions, variations of emulsion stability against creaming correlated exclusively to variations of protein interfacial concentration, a driving contribution of the proteinaceous part of plasma, namely apo-LDL, was hypothesised. In the pH and ionic strength ranges studied, zeta potentials of the interfaces were low, excluding extended electrostatic repulsion between oil droplets. We deduced that steric repulsion is the main interaction opposing to droplet aggregation in food emulsions made with yolk.     

Flocculation of Whey Protein Stabilized Emulsions as Influenced by Dextran Sulfate and Electrolyte

The creaming stability and viscosity of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate were monitored as functions of dextran sulfate (DS) and electrolyte (NaCl) concentration. At a specific DS concentration (the critical flocculation concentration, CFC), the droplets became flocculated, which promoted creaming. Addition of electrolyte caused an increase in CFC. At NaCl concentrations <0.5 wt%, addition of electrolyte decreased emulsion viscosity, but at concentrations >0.5 wt% it caused an increase in viscosity due to increased flocculation. The results were due to the influence of electrostatic screening on the effective volume of DS molecules and colloidal interactions between droplets.     

Influence of the emulsion components and preparation method on the laboratory-scale preparation of o/w emulsions containing different types of dispersed phases and/or emulsifiers

Emulsification is a complex process, strongly influenced by emulsion composition as well as by preparation procedure, and the characterisation of emulsions with regard to their structure and stability can be carried out with many different methods. To evaluate the influences of emulsion composition and preparation procedure on the structure and properties, oil-in-water emulsions were prepared using the model dispersed phase dodecane and the surfactant Tween on the one hand and the real food components sunflower oil (dispersed phase) and casein (emulsifier) on the other hand. The emulsions were prepared in a small laboratory-scale with a turbo-mixer alone and in combination with ultrasonic treatment. The emulsion activity was measured by photometry, the emulsion stability was evaluated visually and the droplet size was determined by laser particle analysis. The results of the investigations made with the model substances agree only partly with those made with the real food substances. For the model emulsions strong correlation were found between the emulsion activity and the particle sizer data because of the high purity and the defined structure of the model substances. On the contrary, for the emulsions made with the real food components sunflower oil and sodium caseinate the correlation were much weaker. Therefore a proper characterisation of the structure and properties of food emulsions requires examinations with several methods which are independent from each other. Furthermore, for laboratory-scale emulsification the combination of turbo-mixer and ultrasonic treatment is suitable to obtain small droplets and a narrow droplet distribution also for very small emulsion volumes.     

Ability of whey protein isolate and/or fish gelatin to inhibit physical separation and lipid oxidation in fish oil-in-water beverage emulsion

The effect of pH on the capability of whey protein isolate (WPI) and fish gelatin (FG), alone and in conjugation, to form and stabilize fish oil-in-water emulsions was examined. Using layer-by-layer interfacial deposition technique for WPI–FG conjugate, a total of 1% protein was used to prepare 10% fish oil emulsions. The droplets size distributions and electrical charge, surface protein concentration, flow and dynamic rheological properties and physiochemical stability of emulsions were characterize at two different pH of 3.4 and 6.8 which were selected based on the ranges of citrus and milk beverages pHs, respectively. Emulsions prepared with WPI–FG conjugate had superior physiochemical stability compare to the emulsions prepared with individual proteins. Higher rate of coalescence was associated with reduction in net charge and consequent decrease of the repulsion between coated oil droplets due to the proximity of pH to the isoelectric point of proteins. The noteworthy shear thinning viscosity, as an indication of flocculation onset, was associated with whey protein stabilized fish oil emulsion prepared at pH of 3.4 and gelatin stabilized fish oil emulsion made at pH of 6.8. At pH 3.4, it appeared that lower surface charge and higher surface area of WPI stabilized emulsions promoted lipid oxidation and production of hexanal.     

Mixed biopolymers at interfaces: Competitive adsorption and multilayer structures

Mixed biopolymer layers are commonly involved in the stabilization of food emulsions and foams. The interfacial composition and structure of mixed layers are predominantly determined by two mechanistic phenomena—competitive adsorption from mixed solution and cooperative adsorption into multilayers. The surface-active protein components typically dominate primary layers around droplets and bubbles, and the interacting polysaccharides form outer secondary stabilizing layers. This article reviews progress in understanding the factors controlling the nanoscale structure and physico-chemical properties of adsorbed layers in colloidal systems containing mixtures of biopolymers. Contributions from different experimental techniques are described, with particular attention directed towards the role of surface shear rheology in providing information on competitive adsorption of proteins and macromolecular interactions at fluid interfaces. We also consider here the phenomenon of phase separation in mixed protein monolayers, the balance of thermodynamic and kinetic factors in determining biopolymer layer properties, and the involvement of electrostatic interactions in the stabilization of emulsions by protein–polysaccharide complexes.     

Influence of the emulsion components and preparation method on the laboratory‐scale preparation of o/w emulsions containing different types of dispersed phases and/or emulsifiers

Emulsification is a complex process, strongly influenced by emulsion composition as well as by preparation procedure, and the characterisation of emulsions with regard to their structure and stability can be carried out with many different methods. To evaluate the influences of emulsion composition and preparation procedure on the structure and properties, oil‐in‐water emulsions were prepared using the model dispersed phase dodecane and the surfactant Tween on the one hand and the real food components sunflower oil (dispersed phase) and casein (emulsifier) on the other hand. The emulsions were prepared in a small laboratory‐scale with a turbo‐mixer alone and in combination with ultrasonic treatment. The emulsion activity was measured by photometry, the emulsion stability was evaluated visually and the droplet size was determined by laser particle analysis. The results of the investigations made with the model substances agreed only partly with those made with the real food substances. For the model emulsions strong correlation were found between the emulsion activity and the particle sizer data because of the high purity and the defined structure of the model substances. On the contrary, for the emulsions made with the real food components sunflower oil and sodium caseinate the correlation were much weaker. Therefore, a proper characterisation of the structure and properties of food emulsions requires examinations with several methods which are independent from each other. Furthermore, for laboratory‐scale emulsification the combination of turbo‐mixer and ultrasonic treatment is suitable to obtain small droplets and a narrow droplet distribution also for very small emulsion volumes.     

Interfacial properties of deamidated wheat protein in relation to its ability to stabilise oil-in-water emulsions

Isolated wheat protein (IWP) is an acidic deamidated wheat protein. The deamidation process enhances the protein solubility at pHs greater than 6, and therefore its potential ability to act as a food emulsifier. The interfacial properties and the mechanism by which this protein stabilises oil-in-water emulsions were investigated by measuring the protein's absorbed layer thickness on latex particles, its interfacial rheology, and the colloidal and thermal stability of IWP stabilised emulsions. IWP forms a relatively thick interfacial layer of 18 nm upon adsorption onto latex beads, suggesting that the protein adsorbed with the long axis perpendicular to the surface, i.e. end-on, at a full protein coverage. The interfacial rheology measurement showed that IWP formed a relatively weak fluid-like interface. Similar to other protein emulsifiers, the colloidal stability of IWP emulsions is provided largely through electrostatic repulsion. Although IWP emulsions were sensitive to salt induced flocculation, the presence of excess protein in the aqueous phase (e.g. 4 wt%) was able to reduce the effect of salt screening (50 mM CaCl₂) on a 25 wt% oil-in-water emulsion completely. The emulsions underwent minimal coalescence when droplets were in close contact, e.g. flocculated, because the interfacial layer of IWP provides a barrier to droplet coalescence, even in high salt environments. IWP emulsions were resistant to thermal treatment with no changes in particle size observed when the emulsions were heated (up to 90 °C for 20 min) in the absence or the presence of 150 mM NaCl. The heat stability of IWP emulsions is thought to arise from the structure of IWP at the interface. A lack of free cysteines combined with few hydrophobic regions meant that there were minimal interactions between protein molecules adsorbed onto the same droplet or on neighbouring droplets. The unique interfacial properties of IWP, e.g. its physical layer thickness and the structure provide enhanced stability for emulsions against coalescence and heating.     

Influence of Droplet Charge on the Chemical Stability of Citral in Oil-in-Water Emulsions

Abstract: The chemical stability of citral, a flavor component widely used in beverage, food, and fragrance products, in oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by surfactants with different charge characteristics was investigated. Emulsions were prepared using cationic (lauryl alginate, LAE), non-ionic (polyoxyethylene (23) lauryl ether, Brij 35), and anionic (sodium dodecyl sulfate, SDS) surfactants at pH 3.5. The citral concentration decreased over time in all the emulsions, but the rate of decrease depended on surfactant type. After 7 d storage, the citral concentrations remaining in the emulsions were around 60% for LAE- or Brij 35-stabilized emulsions and 10% for SDS-stabilized emulsions. An increase in the local proton (H⁺) concentration around negatively charged droplet surfaces may account for the more rapid citral degradation observed in SDS-stabilized emulsions. A strong metal ion chelator (EDTA), which has previously been shown to be effective at increasing the oxidative stability of labile components, had no effect on citral stability in LAE- or Brij 35-stabilized emulsions, but it slightly decreased the initial rate of citral degradation in SDS-stabilized emulsions. These results suggest the surfactant type used to prepare emulsions should be controlled to improve the chemical stability of citral in emulsion systems.     

Effects of water-soluble soybean polysaccharide on rheological properties,stability and lipid digestibility of oil-in-water emulsion during in vitro gastrointestinal digestion

Water-soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) is a naturally occurring emulsifier. SSPS was used as the sole emulsifier to stabilize an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion. The effects were investigated of different SSPS concentrations (3–20% (w/w)) on the lipid digestibility, rheological properties and stability of O/W emulsions during in vitro digestion model. The droplet size of the emulsions tended to increase during the oral phase because the emulsions were unstable and droplets coalesced, except with a SSPS concentration of 20% (w/w). The presence of SSPS markedly reduced the free fatty acid (FFA) content after its stabilized O/W emulsion passed through in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. The amount of FFA significantly decreased as the concentration of SSPS increased due to SSPS stabilization film on oil droplet surface and high viscous system. SSPS may be an attractive alternative ingredient to control the lipid digestibility of emulsions for various food products.     

Stability of emulsions for parenteral feeding: Preparation and characterization of o/w nanoemulsions with natural oils and Pluronic f68 as surfactant

For hydrophobic bioactive compounds, poor water solubility is a major limiting factor for their use in different applications in the field of food industry or pharmacy. For this reason they are administrated as emulsions, in which the substance is dissolved in an organic compound, which is dispersed in an aqueous phase as droplets stabilized by a surfactant. It has been demonstrated that the colloidal stability of the nanoemulsion formulations can be precisely controlled by the chemical structure of the interface. In this paper, a promising delivery system has been studied. As surfactant, we have used the amphiphilic uncharged tri-block copolymer Pluronic F68, and natural oils from soybean, sesame and olive as the organic phase. The nanoemulsions were prepared by ultrasonication, and their stability at different synthesis conditions such as ultrasound power and surfactant concentration has been studied by monitoring backscattering using a Turbiscan. The more stable emulsions have been characterized by DLS, and their droplet size was below 500 nm, which has resulted very appropriate for parenteral administration. A destabilization of the system always takes place above certain surfactant concentration. This phenomenon was described as a depletion–flocculation effect caused by non-adsorbed micelles. This destabilization was modelled by adding to the DLVO interaction energy a contribution addressing the force between two spherical particles in the presence of non-adsorbing spherical macromolecules.     

Oil-soluble Surfactants Have Little Effect on Competitive Adsorption of α-Lactalbumin and β-Lactoglobulin in Emulsions

Protein surface concentrations in emulsions stabilized by α-lactalbu-min (α-la), β-lactoglobulin (β-lg) and their mixture were studied with various amounts of oil-soluble surfactant present during homogenization. Three different surfactants were considered: diethyl glycol n-dodecyl ether (C₁₂E₂), sorbitan monooleate (Span 80), and glycerol monostearate (GMS). In n-tetradecane-in-water emulsions, low con-centrations of C₁₂ E₂or Span 80 resulted in a smaller average droplet size and a greater total protein surface coverage; we found the opposite effect at high surfactant concentrations. The effect of GMS in soybean oil-in-water emulsions was slight. In emulsions containing α-la+β-Ig, separate surface coverages of the whey proteins did not differ significantly. The competitive adsorption of milk proteins in food emulsions is unlikely to be affected by surface-active impurities present in typical food oils.     

Stabilization of soybean oil body emulsions using κ, ι, λ-carrageenan at different pH values

Oil bodies, with their unique structural proteins, oleosins, are known to be useful in foods and other emulsion systems. The influence of ??, ??, and ??-carrageenans on the stability of soybean oil body emulsions at different pH values (pH 3, 4, 5 and 7) was investigated by particle electrical charge, particle size distribution, creaming stability and confocal laser scanning microscopy measurements. In acidic environment (pH 3, 4 and 5), the droplet charge of soybean oil body emulsions stabilized with carrageenan decreased with increasing carrageenan concentration for all types of carrageenan investigated, suggesting their adsorption to the oil body droplet surfaces. Extensive droplet aggregation and creaming were observed in the emulsions stabilized with ??-carrageenan at pH 3 and 5, indicating that soybean oil body droplets were bridged by carrageenan. At pH 7, there was no significant change in the droplet charge of soybean oil body emulsions stabilized with three types of carrageenan, but the emulsions stabilized with ??-carrageenan were more stable to creaming due to depletion flocculation than the emulsions stabilized with ?? or ??-carrageenan after seven days storage. The probable reason was that ??-carrageenan, which had the most densely charged helical structure, was most effective at creating highly charged interfacial membranes, thus reducing the depletion flocculation to occur.