Recovered Camellia oleifera lecithin by acid and enzymatic oil-degumming: chemical composition and emulsifying properties

In this study, the chemical composition and emulsifying properties of camellia lecithin recovered from crude camellia oil by both acid and enzymatic degumming were investigated. Camellia lecithin recovered from acid degumming (CLAD) mainly comprised phospholipids (PS, PI, PE and PA), whereas camellia lecithin recovered from enzymatic degumming (CLED) contained more lysophospholipids (LPI, LPE, LPA). The saturated fatty acids made up a large portion of total fatty acids in CLED compared to CLAD. CLED-stabilised emulsions tended to be more stable than CLAD-stabilised emulsions. Meanwhile, emulsions stabilised by CLED exhibited smaller particle size in agreement with their microstructures. Moreover, both CLED and CLAD-stabilised emulsions were sensitive to pH and ionic strength changes and provided smaller particle size and higher stability at pH = 7 and 1 mm NaCl concentration. These findings provide valuable information for potential applications of camellia lecithin with characteristic phospholipid composition as alternative o/w emulsifiers in food industry.