Production and stabilization of a flaxseed oil multi-layer emulsion containing sodium caseinate and pectin

The purpose of this research is the evaluation of a flaxseed oil-in-water emulsion, stabilized by a multi-layer structure consisting of sodium caseinate (Na-caseinate) and pectin to provide a basis for the combination of these materials for future studies. In the first step, the o/w emulsion (10 g oil, 90 g aqueous phase, and a pH 6.8) with varying concentration of Na-caseinate was investigated. Second, the pectin solution (0.05–1.5 g/100 g solution) was added to the primary emulsions and the pH was adjusted to 3.0. The emulsions were characterized by mean particle size (dynamic light scattering and static light scattering techniques), ζ-potential, turbidity value, creaming index, and the visualization of the microstructure. A clear separation of the oil phase at low protein contents and destabilizing by depletion flocculation at high protein content were observed. Extensive droplet flocculation and coalescence were determined until the pectin concentration reached 0.5 g/100 g solution for the secondary emulsion. After 7 days of storage, a 1.5 g/100 g solution pectin content had good stability with a relatively small size distribution, high turbidity value, and no cream phase separation.