Rheological and Microstructural Properties of Porcine Myofibrillar Protein–Lipid Emulsion Composite Gels

ABSTRACT:  The objective of the study was to investigate the role of emulsified fat (lard) and oil (peanut oil) in the rheology and microstructure of porcine myofibrillar protein (MP) gels. Heat-induced composite gels were prepared from 2% MP with 0% to 15% pre-emulsified lipids at 0.6 M NaCl, pH 6.2. Dynamic rheological testing upon temperature sweeping (20 to 80 °C at 2 °C/min) showed substantial increases in G ' (an elastic modulus) of MP sols/gels with the addition of emulsions. Gel hardness was markedly enhanced ( P < 0.05) by incorporating ≥10% emulsions, and the composite gel with 15% lard was 33% more rigid ( P < 0.05) than that with 15% peanut oil. Incorporation of both emulsions at 10% or higher levels improved the water holding capacity of the gels by 28% to 44% ( P < 0.05). Light microscopy revealed a compact gel structure filled with protein-coated fat/oil globules that interacted with the protein matrix via disulfide bonds. The results indicated that both physical and chemical forces contributed to the enhancements in the rheology, moisture retention, and lipid stabilization in the MP–emulsion composite gels.     

Formation of Lipid Emulsions and Clear Gels by Liquid Crystal Emulsification

Recently developed emulsion technologies for the formation of fine emulsions, lipid emulsions and clear gels by liquid crystal emulsification were reviewed. As a basic information on liquid crystal emulsification, the structures and characteristic behaviours of lyotropic liquid crystals were summarized. Formation of a liquid crystalline phase was often seen in emulsions and biological systems. The significance of liquid crystal formation during emulsification was analysed by comparing the states and stabilities of emulsions prepared by different processes. Then uses of liquid crystals for formation of the characteristic emulsions and gels were also discussed. In liquid crystal emulsification, an oil phase is dispersed directly into the lamellar liquid‐crystalline phase composed of surfactant, glycerol and water to prepare a gel‐like oil‐in‐liquid crystal emulsion. This is followed by dilution with the remaining water to produce an emulsion. From the phase behaviour during emulsification and analysis of the local motion of the liquid crystal membrane by fluorometry, it was confirmed that the interaction between surfactant and a polyol molecule such as glycerol promotes hydrogen bonding and enhances the strength of the lamellar liquid crystal membranes, which results in the formation of oil‐in‐liquid crystal emulsions. The interaction between the liquid crystal and oil was analysed from the changes in molecular motion of the membrane at the oil‐liquid crystal interface using the spin label technique of electron spin resonance (ESR). The fluidity of the liquid crystal membrane did not change when oil was added, and therefore oil‐in‐liquid crystal emulsions of various oils were prepared by the identical process. This lack of dependence of the liquid crystal membrane on oil results in the unique properties of liquid crystal emulsification, which can be used for oils of various polarity and different molecular constituents. When a self‐organizing artificial stratum corneum lipid containing pseudo‐ceramide was used as a principal component of the oil, a multilamellar emulsion of concentric lamellar structure was formed. The multilamellar emulsion supplements the physiological function of stratum corneum by the identical mechanism as natural intercellular lipids. High‐pressure treatment of the lipid emulsion produced a gel‐like emulsion crystal, in which the homogeneous nanoemulsion droplets were arranged in a hexagonal array. This review paper was presented at the Conference of the Asian Societies of Cosmetic Scientists 2005 in Bangkok.     

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.     

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。     

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.     

Effects of different oils on the properties of soy protein isolate emulsions and gels

The emulsion properties, protein adsorption and visco-elastic properties of heat-treated soy protein isolate (SPI) emulsions containing sunflower oil, soy oil and palm stearin were studied at neutral pH. The rheological properties, textural profile and fat adsorption capacity of subsequently induced glucono-δ-lactone (GDL) gels were investigated. At neutral pH the palm stearin emulsions showed higher stability than the sunflower and soy oil emulsions. The former also showed higher protein adsorption, emulsifying activity index and visco-elastic properties than the latter, indicating a higher denaturation degree for SPI at the oil/water interface of palm stearin emulsions at neutral pH. Acidified SPI-palm stearin emulsion gels were significantly harder than the soy and sunflower oil versions as well as the control (SPI without oil), whereas gels containing the two liquid oils were softer than the control. SPI-palm stearin gels also had higher fat adsorption capacity than SPI-sunflower oil/soy oil emulsion gels.     

Evaluation of Antioxidant Activity of Rosemary Extracts,Carnosol and Carnosic Acid in Bulk Vegetable Oils and Fish Oil and Their Emulsions

The antioxidant effectiveness of two rosemary extracts, carnosol and carnosic acid, was significantly influenced by the type of system tested (bulk oils vs oil-in-water emulsions), by the oil substrates, the methods used to follow oxi-dation, and the concentrations of test compounds. The rosemary extracts and compounds effectively inhibited conjugated diene hydroperoxide formation in corn oil, soya bean oil, peanut oil and fish oil, when tested in bulk. Test compounds also inhibited hexanal formation in bulk vegetable oils, and propanal and pentenal formation in bulk fish oils. In contrast, these test compounds were either inactive or promoted oxidation in the corresponding vegetable oil-in-water emulsions. In fish oil emulsions, however, the rosemary compounds inhibited the formation of conjugated diene and pentenal but not that of propanal. Interfacial phenomena may explain why the hydrophilic rosemary antioxidants afford more protection in the bulk oil systems by being oriented in the air–oil interface, and less protection in the oil-in-water emulsion systems by partitioning into the water phase.     

Characterization of cold-set gels produced from heated emulsions stabilized by whey protein

This paper reports the cold gelation of preheated emulsions stabilized by whey protein, in contrast to, in previous reports, the cold gelation of emulsions formed with preheated whey protein polymers. Emulsions formed with different concentrations of whey protein isolate (WPI) and milk fat were heated at 90 °C for 30 min at low ionic strength and neutral pH. The stable preheated emulsions formed gels through acidification or the addition of CaCl₂ at room temperature. The storage modulus (G′) of the acid-induced gels increased with increasing preheat temperature, decreasing size of the emulsion droplets and increasing fat content. The adsorbed protein denatures and aggregates at the surface of the emulsion droplets during heat treatment, providing the initial step for subsequent formation of the cold-set emulsion gels, suggesting that these preheated emulsion droplets coated by whey protein constitute the structural units responsible for the three-dimensional gel network.     

花生油香精掺伪鉴别技术的研究

通过分析花生油和花生油香精的挥发性成分,鉴别出花生油和香精的特征成分,为花生油掺伪鉴别技术提供依据。运用静态顶空-气相色谱-飞行时间质谱联用技术,采集花生油和花生油香精的挥发性成分,由未知物分析软件对未知化合物进行解卷积处理,检索谱库,对化合物主要类别和含量进行了比较分析。花生油共鉴定出54种挥发性成分,种类较多,主要包括吡嗪类(35.37%),烃类、醇类、苯酚类、酯类和酮类含量均在5%~10%之间。花生油香精共鉴定出32种挥发性成分,吡嗪类占大多数(65.45%),其次是醛类(13.65%),吡啶占(6.87%),其他类别含量均少于5%,种类较少。通过分析得到花生油的特征化合物有丙基环丙烷、2-乙基-5-甲基吡嗪、吡咯-2-甲醛和2,3-二氢苯并呋喃,香精的特征化合物有2-乙酰基吡啶、乙酰吡嗪和2-苯氧基乙醇。通过上述特征化合物,可以有效的将花生油和香精区分,为鉴别花生油掺伪提供了可靠依据。     

酒精对酪蛋白酸钠溶液及O/W乳状液的影响

介绍了酒精对酪蛋白酸钠溶液及酪蛋白稳定的O/W乳状液性质的影响 .试验表明酒精在一定程度上可以降低酪蛋白酸钠的溶解度 .界面张力的测定则表明酒精的存在在很大程度上可以降低油—水界面和油—酪蛋白溶液界面的界面张力 .含酒精的乳状液体系的粘度会由于酒精的存在而提高 ,在酒精体积分数达 3 0 %时 ,乳状液体系的粘度会突然大幅度升高 .通过O/W乳状液的分层稳定性测定可发现 ,低浓度的酒精可以提高酪蛋白稳定的乳状液的分层稳定性 ,但酒精质体积分数超过 3 2 %时 ,乳状液的分层稳定性会受到破坏 .含酒精的O/W乳状液体系中油相含量的提高在一定范围内可以提高乳状液的稳定性 ,但高分散相浓度的含酒精的乳状液体系中由于连续相中酒精浓度的提高使乳状液体系稳定性下降 .     

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.     

Heat Gelation of Oil-in-Water Emulsions Stabilized by Whey Protein

The conditions under which a high volume fraction of oil can be trapped in whey protein gels were studied. Oil-in-water emulsions of whey protein and vegetable oil were subjected to heat treatment. Such emulsions, depending on their protein and oil content, on their pH and on the emulsification technique used, gelled or remained liquid. Homogenization was the major factor to achieve gelation and the firmness of heat-induced gels increased with increasing emulsion fineness and homogeneity. Emulsions with a high gelation capacity were characterized by a single droplet family of relatively narrow size distribution and a mean droplet diameter ranging from roughly 300–700 nanometers. The pH range suitable for gelation extended from 3.5–8.0.     

Mathematical Models of Flavor Release from Liquid Emulsions

The penetration theory of interfacial mass transfer was used to model flavor release from liquid emulsions. The model was used to predict the rates of release and partitioning properties of two volatiles, one hydrophilic (diacetyl) and the other hydrophobic (heptan-2-one), as a function of the oil volume fraction. In general the initial rates of release were faster for emulsions of lower oil content, whereas the equilibrium concentrations depended on the nature of the flavor compound and the volume fraction of oil in the emulsion. Experimental in vitro results suggested that the rate limiting step for flavor release was the resistance to mass transport across the emulsion-gas interface.     

Characteristics of Sodium Caseinate- and Soy Protein Isolate-Stabilized Emulsion-Gels Formed by Microbial Transglutaminase

ABSTRACT:  Protein-stabilized emulsion gels were prepared via microbial transglutaminase (mTGase) catalysis, and their physicochemical characteristics were examined. Emulsion oil droplet size and interfacial protein load were measured. The sodium caseinate and soy protein isolate emulsion gels exhibited different microstructures and physical properties. The emulsion gels improved the storage stability of aroma compounds. Rheological measurements of the emulsion gels revealed interesting strength, gelation kinetics, and thermal sensitivity properties. The mTGase-induced emulsion gels comprised a fine network which led to less release of aroma compounds upon storage than did emulsions. These results suggest that emulsion gels may be used to improve the texture of food emulsions and to control release of food aromas.     

肉桂油对蛋清蛋白/可得然胶凝胶理化特性及释放肉桂醛性能的影响

卤制工艺中风味组分的控制释放有望对卤制品品质的工业标准化程度进行调控。以蛋清蛋白和可得然胶为基质材料,以肉桂油为风味组分代表,水油两相均质后通过热诱导法制备乳液凝胶,探究肉桂油添加对乳液凝胶特性及释放肉桂醛性能的影响。结果表明,与大豆油乳液凝胶相比,肉桂油乳液凝胶颜色偏黄,微观结构更加致密,持水率、硬度、储能模量和损耗模量等参数显著增加,且当肉桂油质量分数为5%时凝胶性能最强。随着肉桂油添加量的增加,凝胶转变时间缩短,同时乳液凝胶的黏弹性减弱,亮度增加、黄度降低。红外光谱证实了肉桂油中的肉桂醛与蛋清蛋白发生了席夫碱反应,从而促进乳液凝胶的形成及凝胶性能的提升。在模拟卤制品加工环境下,肉桂油乳液凝胶对所含肉桂醛具有良好的控释效果:水相中肉桂醛的释放率随肉桂油添加量的增加而减小,当肉桂油质量分数从5%增加至11%时,乳液凝胶在水中煮制1h后,肉桂醛的累积释放率降低35.44%;与在水中煮制相比,调味料氯化钠、醋酸与乙醇可促进水相中肉桂醛的释放,且在醋酸中的累积释放率增幅最大(15.95%);但模拟卤制基质中的蛋白质和多糖会抑制肉桂醛的释放,累积释放率降低9.58%以上。乳液凝胶在模拟食品加工过程中能维持原有块状形貌,但在酸性条件下质地变硬、体积缩小、损失率最大,且凝胶结构破坏程度最严重,促进了肉桂醛的释放。因此,蛋清蛋白/可得然胶乳液凝胶的质地与释放性能可通过肉桂油的活性填充进行调控。研究结果旨在为食品工业中风味控释技术的开发提供理论参考。     

Preparation,characterisation and selected functional properties of hydrolysed sodium caseinate–maltodextrin conjugate

Sodium caseinate was hydrolysed to a limited, moderate or extensive degree. The hydrolysates were conjugated with maltodextrin by a Maillard‐type reaction by dry‐heat treatment at 60 °C and 79% relative humidity for 2 or 4 days. Conjugates were characterised by SDS–PAGE and gel permeation chromatography. In comparison with the hydrolysates themselves, the conjugated hydrolysates had improved solubility, particularly around the isoelectric pH of the protein. The emulsifying properties of these conjugates were assessed in oil‐in‐water (o/w) emulsions; on emulsion formation, each conjugate‐stabilised emulsion had lower mean fat globule size than the corresponding hydrolysate‐stabilised emulsion. After storage for 7 days under accelerated shelf life testing conditions, the limited and moderate hydrolysate conjugate–stabilised emulsions had improved storage stability compared with hydrolysate‐stabilised emulsions; however, further research is required to optimise the hydrolysate fraction prior to conjugation for the production of novel low molecular weight emulsifiers.     

Effects of different nut oils on the structures and properties of gel-like emulsions induced by ultrasound using soy protein as an emulsifier

Gel-like emulsions were produced by high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) emulsification using soy protein as an emulsifier. Sunflower (a seed kernel oil), peanut (a groundnut oil), hazelnut, walnut, almond and pine nut oils were chosen as oil phases. The kinds of nut oil significantly affect the structures and properties of gel-like emulsions. The particle size of sunflower oil gel-like emulsion was smallest. Moreover, the macrorheological and microrheological results indicated that the values of apparent viscosity, storage modulus (G′) and elasticity index (EI) of sunflower and almond oil gel-like emulsions were higher while those of the walnut and pine nut oil gel-like emulsions were lower. Moreover, the sunflower oil gel-like emulsion was more stable after 2-month storage. The current study illustrated that HIU was of great importance for the production of high-viscosity gel-like emulsions. Furthermore, the differences of nut oils resulted in diverse physicochemical properties of gel-like emulsions.     

Food emulsions as delivery systems for flavor compounds: A review

Food flavor is an important attribute of quality food, and it largely determines consumer food preference. Many food products exist as emulsions or experience emulsification during processing, and therefore, a good understanding of flavor release from emulsions is essential to design food with desirable flavor characteristics. Emulsions are biphasic systems, where flavor compounds are partitioning into different phases, and the releases can be modulated through different ways. Emulsion ingredients, such as oils, emulsifiers, thickening agents, can interact with flavor compounds, thus modifying the thermodynamic behavior of flavor compounds. Emulsion structures, including droplet size and size distribution, viscosity, interface thickness, etc., can influence flavor component partition and their diffusion in the emulsions, resulting in different release kinetics. When emulsions are consumed in the mouth, both emulsion ingredients and structures undergo significant changes, resulting in different flavor perception. Special design of emulsion structures in the water phase, oil phase, and interface provides emulsions with great potential as delivery systems to control flavor release in wider applications. This review provides an overview of the current understanding of flavor release from emulsions, and how emulsions can behave as delivery systems for flavor compounds to better design novel food products with enhanced sensorial and nutritional attributes.     

Preparation and stability of a protein stabilized orange oil-in-water emulsion

Flavours are an important category of additives which have been used extensively in many industries. Essential oils are highly concentrated flavors so they must be diluted before application in order to facilitate handling and to guarantee an equal distribution of flavor among the product. Most essential oils have low solubility in water due to their partial hydrophobic nature. The other alternative is to solubilize them in an organic solvent. These solvents are either expensive or prohibited for religion purposes. The most acceptable solution is to emulsify the essential oils in water, in the form of tiny particles to form essential oil-in-water emulsion. The present study was dedicated to apply a derivative of milk protein (sodium caseinate) to stabilize orange oil emulsions. The change in particle size and the rate of emulsion creaming was investigated at different caseinate concentrations and at different temperatures. The results obtained from this study revealed that sodium caseinate can be used, to a great extent, to stabilize orange oil emulsions. The average particle size of the emulsion was 0.29 μm and 0.40 μm as determined by the laser light diffraction instrument and the image analysis technique, respectively. The emulsion was stable for 100 days at 4°C for all caseinate concentrations (30%, 15% and 5% w/w on orange oil basis).     

热处理对乳液凝胶微结构的调控作用以及不同维生素贮藏稳定性的影响

采用葡萄糖酸-δ-内酯诱导的方法制备乳清分离蛋白乳液凝胶,用于包埋亲水性功能因子异抗坏血酸钠和疏水性功能因子VE,研究乳液凝胶微结构与被包埋物质稳定性之间的关联机制。实验利用热处理（85 ℃）控制蛋白质的变性程度,进而调控乳液凝胶的微结构和维生素的贮藏稳定性。结果表明：随着蛋白质溶液热处理时间的延长,乳液油滴粒径增大、Zeta电位减小,而乳液的表观黏度无明显变化。质构和流变分析显示,随热处理时间的延长,凝胶的储能模量和硬度增加,但弹性降低。不同温度下的贮藏实验发现,蛋白质热处理时间的延长有利于提高乳液凝胶中复合维生素的稳定性,且复合功能因子之间存在协同作用。结论：通过改变蛋白质热处理时间可以调控乳液凝胶的微结构,进而达到控制复合维生素贮藏稳定性的目的。