Emulsions stabilized by heat-treated collagen fibers

Abstract

The emulsifying properties of collagen fiber were modified by heat treatment at temperatures ranging from 50 to 85 °C for 20 or 60 min. In addition to heat treatment, the influence of pH (3.5 and 9.2) and the emulsifying process (rotor–stator device and high-pressure homogenizer) were evaluated on oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by collagen fiber through visual analysis (stability), microstructure and rheological measurements. Emulsions homogenized using solely the rotor–stator device showed phase separation and a larger mean droplet size ( d 32), except for the emulsion composed by non-heated collagen fiber. The alkaline emulsions showed lower kinetic stability, since collagen fibers have a lower net charge (zeta potential) at higher pH values, decreasing the electrostatic stability process. Heat treatment slightly decreased the protein charge and significantly reduced the insoluble protein content, suggesting a decrease in the emulsifying properties of the collagen fiber. The use of high-pressure homogenization (20–100 MPa) made it possible to produce acid emulsions with a reduced droplet size and distribution. At 20 MPa, the emulsions showed a higher d 32 value (between 3.17 and 1.18 μm), while at 60 and 100 MPa the emulsions presented lower d 32 values (between 0.74 and 0.94 μm) without any significant variation between the different heat-treated collagen fibers, but showing a noticeable decrease in emulsion viscosity and elasticity with increases in the homogenization pressure and heat treatment.