Fabrication, Characterization, and Stability of Pickering Emulsions Stabilized by Lentil Protein Isolate–Gum Arabic Conjugate Microgel Particles

Abstract

A new kind of lentil protein isolate (LPI)–gum Arabic (GA) conjugate was fabricated by a wet-heating Maillard reaction. The LPI-GA conjugate gel was then induced by transglutaminase (TGase) and broken into microgel particles by high pressure homogenization to stabilize the Pickering emulsion. The LPI-GA conjugate had a rough and porous flake microstructure as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy, and the LPI-GA conjugate microgel particles (LGMs) were irregular fragments and possessed good colloidal stability. The surface hydrophobicity of LGMs was lower than that of the conjugate. The microstructure images showed that LGMs wrapped the oil droplets and formed a dense coating layer. Pickering emulsions (30% oil fraction) with small droplet sizes were gel-like at particle concentrations of 10%–20% (v/v). The Pickering emulsion with 15% (v/v) particle concentration was stable at ionic concentrations (0–50 mM) and temperatures (4–85 °C) but unstable to acidic pH (3–6). Moreover, the Pickering emulsion with a high LGMs concentration exhibited good storage stability at room temperature. Overall, our findings may provide some insights into the development of a novel food-grade particulate emulsifier for stabilizing Pickering emulsions.

Effects of Ultrasound-Assisted Electrolyzed Water Treatment on the Structural and Functional Properties of Rapeseed Protein Isolate

“…This involves exposing the protein to very high or low pH levels and then making adjustments to bring it back to neutral . The pH-shifting has been used to modify many proteins with sound effects, such as soy bean protein, ginkgo seed protein, pea protein, hemp protein, and whey protein. ,, The findings indicated that altering pH-shifting improved the performance of proteins by increasing solubility, water/oil absorption, emulsification, and foaming capabilities . However, this method, using a large number of strong acids or alkali to adjust the pH value, has a low protein extraction rate and high energy consumption and is not friendly to the environment.…”