EFFECTS OF OIL DROPLETS ON PHYSICAL AND SENSORY PROPERTIES OF O/W EMULSION AGAR GEL

Effects of oil droplets in an agar gel matrix were investigated by mechanical analyses and sensory evaluation. The results for compressive and puncture properties were expressed in terms of relative values. All compressive properties; stress, strain and compressive energy of emulsion gels, as obtained by compression tests, decreased with both increases of oil droplet size and oil volume fraction. The stress, strain and energy of the emulsion gels obtained by puncture tests did not change with an increase in oil droplet size. Results of sensory evaluation showed that the sample containing small oil droplets was harder than that with large oil droplets. On the other hand, the large oil droplet sample was oilier than that with small oil droplets. The sensory evaluations for hardness and oiliness of emulsion gels did not exhibit significant relations to most of the properties of mechanical analyses.     

Deformation and fracture of emulsion-filled gels: Effect of gelling agent concentration and oil droplet size

The effect of the ratio between the modulus of the oil droplets and that of the gel matrix (varied by changing gelling agent concentration and oil droplet size) on the large deformation properties of gelatine, κ-carrageenan and whey protein isolate (WPI) gels was studied at different compression speeds. The effect of gelling agent concentration and oil droplet size on strain-dependency of modulus and viscoelastic properties was also studied. An increase in the concentration of gelling agent resulted in denser gels with more bonds between structural elements. This induced an increase of both Young's modulus and fracture stress for all gels. With increasing gelling agent concentration, polymer gels (gelatine and κ-carrageenan) became less strain-hardening, and the particle gels (WPI) even became strain-softening. The effect of a decrease in the oil droplet size on the Young's modulus was generally according to the Van der Poel theory, unless when the oil droplets were aggregated. Moreover, a decrease in oil droplet size induced a decrease of the fracture strain in gels with non-aggregated bound droplets. The extent of these changes was shown to depend on the gelling agent concentration. The effect of a decrease of the oil droplet size on other fracture parameters and in other gel systems was minor. With decreasing oil droplet size gelatine gels with unbound droplets and WPI gels became more viscous and less elastic.     

EFFECT OF EMULSION DROPLETS ON THE RHEOLOGY OF WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE GELS

The effects of droplet size and emulsifier type on the rheology of whey protein isolate (WPI) gels containing emulsion droplets was studied. Gels were prepared by dispersing droplets of corn oil (20 wt%, d₃₂= 0.7 – 4 μm) in a 10 wt% WPI solution (pH 7.0, 50 mM NaCl), and heating at 90C for 15 min. Gel strength was determined by measuring the stress of gels at 20% compression using an Instron Universal Testing Machine. Droplets stabilized by WPI increased the gel strength, those stabilized by non-ionic surfactants (Tween 20 and Triton X-100) decreased it slightly, and those stabilized by SDS decreased it drastically. Gel strength increased as the droplet size decreased for droplets stabilized by WPI, but was relatively insensitive to the size of droplets stabilized by the small molecule surfactants. These observations may be explained in terms of the interactions between the emulsifiers and the protein network. Droplets coated with emulsifiers which can be incorporated into the protein network reinforce the structure and so increase gel strength, whereas droplets coated with emulsifiers which cannot be incorporated into the protein network disrupt the three dimensional structure of the gel and decrease its strength.     

Combined microscopic and dynamic rheological methods for studying the structural breakdown properties of whey protein gels and emulsion filled gels

The microstructural and large deformation rheological properties of model food gels were studied by performing notch propagation tensile testing on the gels using a tensile stage and observing changes in the microstructure of the gels during tensile testing using confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). Heat-set whey protein (WP) gels containing either added sodium caseinate (NaCN) or sunflower oil droplets emulsified with WP or NaCN as the emulsifier protein were prepared in 0 or 50 mM NaCl. The WP gel structure strengthened in the presence of added NaCl and NaCN. The rheological properties of WP gels containing sunflower oil droplets emulsified with WP or NaCN were influenced by the NaCl concentration, oil concentration and extent of oil droplet aggregation in the gel or by the type of emulsifier protein used. During tensile testing, the notch length in all gels increased above a certain critical stress, leading to fracture of the gels through the notch. Also, the microstructural changes in the oil phase of emulsion filled gels subjected to tensile testing were influenced by the structural properties of the WP gel matrix and the proximity of the oil droplet to the fracture path.     

COLD GELATION OF WHEY PROTEIN EMULSIONS

Stable and homogeneous emulsion‐filled gels were prepared by cold gelation of whey protein isolate (WPI) emulsions. A suspension of heat‐denatured WPI (soluble WPI aggregates) was mixed with a 40% (w/w) oil‐in‐water emulsion to obtain gels with varying concentrations of WPI aggregates and oil. For emulsions stabilized with native WPI, creaming was observed upon mixing of the emulsion with a suspension of WPI aggregates, likely as a result of depletion flocculation induced by the differences in size between the droplets and aggregates. For emulsions stabilized with soluble WPI aggregates, the obtained filled suspension was stable against creaming, and homogeneous emulsion‐filled gels with varying protein and oil concentrations were obtained. Large deformation properties of the emulsion‐filled cold‐set WPI gels were determined by uniaxial compression. With increasing oil concentration, the fracture stress increases slightly, whereas the fracture strain decreases slightly. Small deformation properties were determined by oscillatory rheology. The storage modulus after 16 h of acidification was taken as a measure of the gel stiffness. Experimental results were in good agreement with predictions according to van der Poel's theory for the effect of oil concentration on the stiffness of filled gels. Especially, the influence of the modulus of the matrix on the effect of the oil droplets was in good agreement with van der Poel's theory.     

乳滴粒径和皂皮皂苷浓度对高内相乳液凝胶及其模板油凝胶构建的影响

以天然皂皮皂苷为乳化剂,采用激光散射技术、动态流变学以及激光共聚焦显微技术探究了乳滴粒径皂皮皂苷质量分数对高内相乳液凝胶（HIPE-gels）及其模板制备的油凝胶流变特性和微结构的影响。结果表明： HIPE-gels和油凝胶均表现出剪切稀化特性,油滴间形成非共价物理交联的弹性凝胶结构;随粒径减小,乳滴堆积紧密,赋予HIPE-gels和油凝胶更强的凝胶网络结构和黏弹性;皂皮皂苷质量分数较低（≤1.5%）时,乳滴间的静电排斥作用对HIPE-gels的黏弹性和强度起主导作用,当皂皮皂苷质量分数较高（>1.5%）时,游离皂皮皂苷分子提高了HIPE-gels的凝胶强度,而油凝胶强度随乳滴粒径减小和皂皮皂苷质量分数的增加得到强化。     

Oil droplet release from emulsion-filled gels in relation to sensory perception

Oil droplet release upon shearing was studied in emulsion-filled gels containing oil droplets either bound or unbound to the gel matrix. At 20 °C no release was observed for gels containing droplets bound to the matrix, whereas the release measured for gels with unbound droplets related to the fat content and the size of the gel particles obtained after shearing. For gels with bound droplets and melting at the oral processing temperature, increasing the temperature of the determination to 37 °C resulted in an almost complete release of the oil droplets.An increase of the oil content induced an increase of the creaminess scores for all gels. These scores were somewhat higher for gels containing unbound droplets and gels melting at oral processing temperature. For these gels, the oil droplet release appears to correlate with creaminess. However, because a similar increase in creaminess at increasing oil concentration was also found for gels with oil droplets bound to the matrix, it is concluded that the release of oil droplets during oral processing is not the main mechanism causing creaminess perception in emulsion-filled gels.     

AGAR AND GELATIN GEL FLAVOR RELEASE

The taste suppression and rupture properties of 0.8-2.0% w/w agar gel and 3.0-6.5% w/w gelatin gel were studied by sensory evaluation and objective measurement. Flavor compound concentrations were determined to equalize the intensity of aspartame sweetness (0.02% w/w for both agar and gelatin gels), sodium chloride saltiness (0.9% w/w for agar gel and 0.2% w/w for gelatin gel), and caffeine bitterness (0.08% w/w for agar gel and 0.07% w/w for gelatin gel) in 1% w/w agar gel and 4.5% w/w gelatin gel. The coefficient of taste intensity = (concentration of flavor compound in the aqueous solution of equiintense taste in gel)/(concentration of flavor compound in gel) was used to compare the difference in gel taste suppression. The coefficient of saltiness intensity of 3.0% w/w gelatin gel exceeded 1.0, and those of other gels were below 1.0. The suppressed variation of the coefficient of saltiness intensity in agar gel was significantly (P<0.01) smaller than that of bitterness depending on agar concentration. No significant differences (P>0.05) in taste suppression between gelatin gels containing the 3 flavor compounds due to changes in gelatin concentration were observed. Rupture energy, which is related to mastication and is a common scale for agar and gelatin gels, was used to evaluate changes in suppression of the coefficient of taste intensities of the 2 gels. The coefficient of bitterness intensity of agar gels was more significantly (P<0.01) suppressed than sweetness and saltiness intensities of gelatin gels. The coefficient of sweetness intensity of gelatin gels was suppressed significantly less than bitterness (P < 0.05) of gelatin gels and sweetness (P < 0.05) and bitterness (P < 0.01) of agar gels.     

甘草酸纤维茶树精油乳液凝胶的制备及其结构表征

选取茶树精油为风味油相,利用甘草酸自组装纳米纤维作为结构单元构建风味精油乳液凝胶体系,研究甘草酸纤维质量分数、茶树精油质量分数、油相组成对精油乳液凝胶外观、微观结构、流变学特性的影响.结果表明:利用甘草酸的两亲性和纤维化自组装,能成功制备出乳滴粒度小(2.5μm)且具有蜂窝状网络微结构的茶树精油乳液凝胶;流变学测试显示...     

Rheology and microstructure of myofibrillar protein-plant lipid composite gels: Effect of emulsion droplet size and membrane type

Composite gels were prepared from 2% myofibrillar protein (MP) with 10% imbedded pre-emulsified plant oils (olive and peanut) of various particle sizes at 0.6 M NaCl, pH 6.2. Dynamic rheological testing upon temperature sweeping (20-70 °C at 2 °C/min) showed substantial increases in G′ (elastic modulus) of MP sols/gels with the addition of emulsions, and the G′ increases were inversely related to the emulsion droplet size. Furthermore, gels containing emulsified olive oil had a greater (P < 0.05) hardness than those containing emulsified peanut oil. Regardless of oil types, MP-coated oil droplets exhibited stronger reinforcement of MP gels than Tween 80-stablized oil droplets; the latter composite gels had considerable syneresis. Light microscopy with paraffin sectioning revealed a stable gel structure when filled with protein-coated oil droplets, compared to gels with Tween 80-treated emulsions that showed coalesced oil droplets. These results suggest that rheological characteristics, hardness, texture, and water-holding capacity of MP gels were influenced by type of oils, the nature of the interfacial membrane, and the size of emulsion droplets.     

PERCEPTION OF GRITTINESS IN AN OIL-IN-WATER EMULSION

Microcrystalline cellulose was dispersed as a gritty substance in an emulsion, and sensory evaluation was conducted to examine the effect of the presence of oil on grittiness felt in the mouth. Samples were prepared with three types of microcrystalline cellulose of average particle size 14, 38, and 76 μm and with a concentration in water of 0.03–2.7%, with three types of emulsion with an oil-volume fraction of 0.2–0.7, and with three rates of homogenization of 500–15,000 rpm. The flow behavior and loss modulus of each sample were measured and sensory evaluation was made of the perceived grittiness. A multiple regression analysis of the data shows that the proportion of people who could perceive grittiness was influenced by the following factors and in that order: concentration of microcrystalline cellulose, oil droplet size, loss modulus, and particle size of microcrystalline cellulose. The proportion of people who perceived grittiness also increased with increasing oil droplet size. This was conceivably caused by the uneven distribution of microcrystalline cellulose particles promoted by large oil droplets. An equation was developed relating the proportion of people perceiving grittiness to the physical properties of the sample. The result indicates that factors effecting grittiness perception are identical for emulsions, aqueous suspensions, viscous suspensions and gels, studied previously.     

The breakdown properties of heat-set whey protein emulsion gels in the human mouth

Differently structured whey protein emulsion gels were formed by heating at different concentrations of NaCl. The formation of gels was monitored by oscillatory rheometry. The large deformation properties relevant to breakdown properties in the human mouth were measured by a uniaxial compression test and fracture wedge set test using a texture analyzer. A panel of 8 subjects was used to examine the in-mouth behaviours of gels including mastication parameters, degree of fragmentation and oil droplet release. The results showed that in general the gel hardness increased with increasing NaCl concentration. The gels containing 10/25 and 100/200 mM NaCl were characterized as being soft and hard, respectively. These soft and hard gels had different breakdown patterns in the mouth. On the other hand, sensory experiments showed the gel with 10 mM NaCl needed a significantly lower number of chewing cycles (19.4 ± 2.1) compared with gels with higher NaCl. The values of median size of particles in masticated gels containing 10, 25, 100 and 200 mM NaCl were about 4.00, 2.85, 1.05 and 0.95 mm, respectively, which suggested that higher hardness led to greater fragmentation in the human mouth. The fragmentation of the gel was highly correlated with functions of the mechanical properties. There was no obvious coalescence of the oil droplets during oral processing and only very few oil droplets were released from protein matrix during mastication.     

Effect of processing on droplet cluster structure in emulsion gels

The fat droplet cluster structure in acidified and neutral emulsion gels is investigated after storage at fixed temperature or after temperature cycling. Amongst other techniques, the novel non-invasive Spin-echo Small-angle Neutron Scattering (SESANS) technique is applied to probe the structure of emulsion droplet aggregates up to a length scale of ∼10 μm.The SESANS data show that fat droplet clusters in non-cycled emulsions become smaller with increasing homogenisation pressure (next to the droplets themselves getting smaller as well), and that the emulsion gel becomes more homogeneous as a result. Upon temperature-cycling, it is found that the fat droplet clusters increase in size (next to the droplets themselves getting larger as well). The presence of these more lumpy aggregates is not the direct cause of the higher firmness of the emulsion gels, but the rearrangement process itself may promote the partial coalescence that causes an increase in firmness of these emulsion gels upon temperature-cycling.     

花生蛋白-果胶复合乳液凝胶的流变学特性和微观结构

研究不同油相及其添加量对转谷氨酰胺酶诱导制备的花生蛋白-果胶复合乳液凝胶质地特性的影响规律,同时通过流变学和微观结构特性研究探索乳液凝胶的形成机理。结果表明：花生蛋白-果胶复合乳液凝胶的凝胶强度显著高于水凝胶。凝胶外观和储能模量（G’）结果表明油滴与蛋白-果胶组成的凝胶基质相互作用,从而影响乳液凝胶的质地和凝胶强度。油相添加量的增加可以使乳液凝胶的力学性能增强,网络结构更稳定。花生蛋白-果胶复合乳液凝胶的G’值和硬度随油相添加量的增加而增大,说明分散的油滴作为活性填料与凝胶基质相互作用。花生蛋白-果胶复合乳液凝胶的微观结构结果表明,油相添加量60%(V/V)时24度棕榈油为油相的乳液凝胶网络结构更致密。研究结果为花生蛋白-果胶复合乳液凝胶在食品领域的开发利用提供思路。     

VISCOELASTIC PROPERTIES OF HEAT-SET WHEY PROTEIN EMULSION GELS

The viscoelastic properties of heat-set whey protein gels and whey protein-stabilized emulsion gels have been studied using the dynamic oscillatory rheometry technique. The storage modulus was monitored and analysed for pure protein gels and emulsion gels over a wide range of protein concentrations. The dependence of storage modulus on protein concentration is different for gels of low and high modulus. At low protein concentrations, the increase of storage modulus is much more sensitive to the increase of protein concentration. The protein-coated oil droplets behave as active filler particles and dramatically enhance the gel strength. The effect of the oil volume fraction on the rheology has been investigated for emulsion gels containing 11 vol. %, 20 vol. % and 45 vol. % Trisun oil. The formula of van der Poel fails to describe the experimental results. This is attributed to the strongly flocculated state of the emulsion system.     

Inhomogeneous distribution of fat enhances the perception of fat-related sensory attributes in gelled foods

This study investigated the effect of the spatial distribution of fat on the perception of fat-related sensory attributes using a model system that consisted of layered agar/gelatin gels containing oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion droplets dispersed in the gel matrix. Four layers of gel varying in the amount of emulsion droplets were combined to prepare samples with homogeneous and inhomogeneous distributions of fat (emulsion droplets). The composition of the gels was optimized to obtain samples with comparable mechanical properties.     

羟丙基甲基纤维素和黄原胶浓度对初榨椰子油乳液及其模板油凝胶构建的影响

本实验采用乳液模板法制备了不同羟丙基甲基纤维素(HPMC)和黄原胶(XG)浓度的初榨椰子油凝胶,对所得乳状液和油凝胶进行了粒径分析、微观结构观察、流变测定、油损失和X-射线衍射(XRD)分析,探讨HPMC和XG浓度对初榨椰子油凝胶形成和物理性能的影响.微观结构和粒径分析结果表明:高浓度HPMC具有较好的乳化性能,获得油...     

Construction of plant-based adipose tissue using high internal phase emulsions and emulsion gels

There is growing consumer demand for plant-based meat and seafood analogs due to ethical, environmental, and health concerns associated with the production of real meat and seafood. Meat and seafood analogs should mimic the desirable appearance, texture, and flavor of the real versions. In this study, we investigated the possibility of using advanced emulsion technologies to create plant-based adipose tissue. High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) were formulated that consisted of concentrated dispersions of soybean protein-coated soybean oil droplets. The HIPEs contained 75% soybean oil and 0.25 to 3% soybean protein. At higher protein contents, the HIPEs mimicked the appearance of beef adipose tissue but were too soft at ambient temperature and did not melt upon heating. These problems could be partly overcome by using emulsion gels that consisted of soybean protein-coated soybean oil droplets dispersed in an agar hydrogel. The final composition of these emulsion gels was 60% soybean oil, 2% soybean protein, and 0.25 to 2% agar. The incorporation of the agar increased the hardness of the emulsion gels at ambient temperature and led to melting behavior. Nevertheless, the emulsion gels were still somewhat softer that real beef adipose tissue at ambient temperature and they melted at a higher temperature. These results show that concentrated emulsion gels containing cold-setting polysaccharides may be useful for mimicking the desirable physicochemical attributes of animal adipose tissue but further research is required to more accurately simulate their properties.     

负载白藜芦醇的红花籽油乳液对金线鱼鱼糜凝胶品质的影响

研究负载白藜芦醇的红花籽油乳液（10 mL/100 g）对金线鱼鱼糜凝胶性能、微观结构和氧化稳定性的影响,比较不同添加量（0.1%～0.3%）的白藜芦醇对鱼糜凝胶品质的影响。结果表明,红花籽油乳液的添加使金线鱼鱼糜凝胶的白度、持水性和结合水含量增加,凝胶质构特性较好,蒸煮损失率较低（P＜0.05）,且凝胶三维网络结构孔径较小,但凝胶基质中油滴分布不均匀,其油滴的平均直径大于2.0 μm,油脂的氧化性随贮藏时间的延长而增加（P＜0.05）;添加负载白藜芦醇的红花籽油乳液后,金线鱼鱼糜凝胶的白度和持水性增加,蒸煮损失率下降（P＜0.05）,且凝胶的质构和油脂氧化性稳定性明显增强（P＜0.05）,白藜芦醇在鱼糜凝胶基质中仍具有强抗氧化性。白藜芦醇能进一步乳化红花籽油,使细小油滴在凝胶基质中均匀分布,且与鱼糜中蛋白质相互作用促进了凝胶网络结构的形成。当白藜芦醇添加量为0.3%时,油滴的平均直径小于1.5 μm,凝胶三维网络结构的孔径最小,具有均匀致密的空间层次感。因此,负载白藜芦醇的红花籽油乳液能改善金线鱼鱼糜的凝胶特性,增强凝胶的氧化稳定性,为新型鱼糜制品的开发提供参考。     

Deformation and fracture of emulsion-filled gels: Effect of oil content and deformation speed

The large deformation properties of gelatine, κ-carrageenan and whey protein isolate (WPI) gels filled with bound and unbound oil droplets were studied as a function of compression speed. The rheological properties of the gel matrices controlled the compression speed-dependency of the gels containing oil droplets. Polymer gels (gelatine and κ-carrageenan gels) showed a predominantly elastic behaviour. Their Young's modulus was not affected by the compression speed. The increase of fracture stress and strain observed with increasing compression speed was related to friction between the structural elements of the gels and, for gelatine, to the unzipping of physical bonds. Particle gels (WPI gels) showed a more viscoelastic behavior. Their Young's modulus and fracture stress increased with compression speed. This was attributed to the viscous flow of the matrix and friction phenomena between structural elements of the gel. The effect of an increase in the oil volume fraction (φ) on the Young's modulus was for all gels according to the Van der Poel theory. In addition, oil droplets embedded in the gel matrix acted as stress concentration nuclei and increased friction. The relative impact of these two effects was related to the viscoelastic properties of the gels and to droplet–matrix interaction. For polymer gels and gels with bound droplets, stress concentration phenomena played a relatively larger role. For particle gels and gels with unbound droplets, friction phenomena were relatively more important, increasing the viscoelastic character of the gels. As a result, an increase in φ resulted in a decrease of both fracture stress and fracture strain for polymer gels and in an increase of the fracture stress and a decrease of fracture strain for particle gels.