Emulsification Capacity of Microgels Assembled from β-Lactoglobulin and Pectin

Abstract

Microgels formed from beta-lactoglobulin were used to prepare oil-in-water emulsions in order to examine their emulsifying capacity. Corn oil emulsions prepared with microgels of pure beta-lactoglobulin at pH 5.8 were initially stable, but a fraction of the droplets quickly flocculated to form a creamed layer that could not be dispersed by shear, which was attributed to hydrophobic attractions between the microgels on adjoining droplets. Emulsions prepared from microgels of beta-lactoglobulin and pectin at pH 4.75 possessed greater droplet sizes at lower concentrations, yet all emulsions were relatively stable to irreversible flocculation. Increased stability of emulsions stabilized by BP-gels was attributed to the presence of pectin on the surface of microgels, which increased repulsions between adjoining droplets. Stable corn oil emulsions were still prepared from microgels that were previously dialyzed to remove non-aggregated protein, which verified that the microgels were responsible for stabilizing emulsion droplets. Equilibrium surface pressure of corn oil droplets was similar between microgels and the unheated beta-lactoglobulin and pectin, yet the dynamic surface pressure was reduced at intermediate times and indicated a slow relaxation and deformation of the microgels at the interface. Microgels formed with pectin stabilized emulsions containing 90 % limonene for up to 5 days of room temperature storage, demonstrating the capacity of such protein microgels to stabilize flavor oil emulsions.