Abstract
Thylakoids membranes are sophisticated, dynamic structures found in plant leaves, composed of protein complexes in a dynamic lipid matrix. The interfacial absorption dynamics and viscoelasticity of thylakoid membranes fragments were measured to assess the properties of the interfacial layer and to elucidate an emulsifying mechanism that includes the role of thylakoid's composition and 3D structure. Thylakoid membranes were extracted from sugar beet leaves by a series of buffer washing, filtration and centrifugation. The extract containing the intact thylakoid membranes was suspended in water through high-pressure homogenisation, which disrupted the structure into membrane fragments. Thylakoid fragments showed surface and interfacial behaviour similar to soft particles or Pickering stabilizers with slow adsorption kinetics. After adsorption, an elastic and stable thin film was formed, indicating formation of new interactions between adjacent thylakoid fragments. In an emulsion, thylakoid fragments stabilised oil droplets against coalescence, despite droplet aggregation occurring already during emulsification. Droplet aggregation occurred by steric and electrostatic bridging, which in turn forms a 3D network where the oil droplets are immobilised, preventing further droplet coalescence or aggregation. It was concluded that both composition and structure of thylakoid fragments determine their emulsifying properties, conferring potential for encapsulation systems, where the search for natural materials is gaining more attention.
Highlights
Plant leaves are rich in thylakoids; membrane structures that are responsible for the photosynthetic reactions
The thylakoid fragments as expected to consist of membrane proteins covered by lipids, which can provide a stable conformation to the protein/lipid complexes and render a soft particle that adsorbs to the interface
In this work we have studied the interfacial behaviour of thylakoid membranes to discern the adsorption mechanism and the ability to stabilise oil–water interfaces
Summary
Plant leaves are rich in thylakoids; membrane structures that are responsible for the photosynthetic reactions. According to the size distribution analysis of the homogenized thylakoid dispersion (Fig. 4b), the resulting thylakoid fragments include membrane domains and protein clusters surrounded by lipids (Fig. 4c). These lipids can surround the proteins and cover the hydrophobic domains,[28] producing stable thylakoid fragments that behave like soft particles at the air–water interface.
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