Conformation of beta-Lactoglobulin Studied by FTIR: Effect of pH, Temperature, and Adsorption to the Oil-Water Interface

Thermal-triggerd proteinquake leads to disassembly of DegP hexamer as an imperative activation step

The Escherichia coli DegP has been reported to function both as molecular chaperone and protease for the quality control of outer membrane protein biogenesis. Activation of the inactive DegP hexamers was believed to occur via their disassembly into trimeric units and subsequent reassembly into larger oligomers (12-mers and 24-mers). Here, we analyzed the thermal stability and the unfolding dynamics of the different secondary structure components of the DegP hexamers using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and temperature-jump nanosecond time-resolved IR difference absorbance spectroscopy. We found that the interfacial secondary structure components possess a degreed thermal stability, with the disassembly of the DegP hexamers follows a “proteinquake” manner, such that the fully exposed parts of the interfacial β-sheets serving as the temperature sensor and epicenter to drive the sequential unfolding/disassembly process that finishes within about 134 ns at room temperature.

Food proteins: a review on their emulsifying properties using a structure-function approach

Proteins are of great interest due to their amphiphilic nature, which allows them to reduce the interfacial tension at the oil-water interface. The incorporation of proteins at the oil-water interface has allowed scientists to utilise them to form emulsions (O/W or W/O), which may be used in food formulations, drug and nutrient delivery. The systematic study of the proteins at the interface and the factors that affect their stability (i.e., conformation, pH, solvent conditions, and thermal treatment) has allowed for a broader use of these emulsions tailored for various applications. In this review, the factors affecting the stability of emulsions using food proteins will be discussed. The use of polysaccharides to complex with proteins will also be explored in relation to enhancing emulsion stability.

Effect of thermal behavior of β-lactoglobulin on the oxidative stability of menhaden oil-in-water emulsions

This study reports how emulsion oxidative stability was affected by the interfacial structure of β-lactoglobulin due to different heat treatments. Four percent (v/v) menhaden oil-in-water emulsions, stabilized by 1% (w/v) β-lactoglobulin at pH 7, were prepared by homogenization under different thermal conditions. Oxidative stability was monitored by the ferric thiocyanate peroxide value assay. Higher oxidative stability was attained by β-lactoglobulin in the molten globule state than in the native or denatured state. From atomic force microscopy of β-lactoglobulin adsorbed onto highly ordered pyrolytic graphite in buffer, native β-lactoglobulin formed a relatively smooth interfacial layer of 1.2 GPa in Young's modulus, whereas additional aggregates of similar stiffness were found when β-lactoglobulin was preheated to the molten globule state. For denatured β-lactoglobulin, although aggregates were also observed, they were larger and softer (Young's modulus = 0.45 GPa), suggesting increased porosity and thus an offset in the advantage of increased layer coverage on oxidative stability.

Oil-in-water emulsions as a delivery system for n-3 fatty acids in meat products

The oxidative and physical stabilities of oil-in-water emulsions containing n-3 fatty acids (25 wt.% oil, 2.5 wt.% whey protein, pH 3.0 or pH 6.0), and their subsequent incorporation into meat products were investigated. The physical stability of fish oil emulsions was excellent and neither coalescence nor aggregation occurred during storage. Oxidative stability was better at pH 6.0 compared to pH 3.0 likely due to antioxidative continuous phase proteins. Incorporation of fish oil emulsions into pork sausages led to an increase in oxidation compared to sausages without the added fish oil emulsion. Confocal microscopy of pork sausages with fish oil emulsions revealed that droplets had coalesced in the meat matrix over time which may have contributed to the decreased oxidative stability. Results demonstrate that although interfacial engineering of n-3 fatty acids containing oil-in-water emulsions provides physical and oxidative stability of the base-emulsion, their incorporation into complex meat matrices is a non-trivial undertaking and products may incur changes in quality over time.

Biosurfactant-protein mixtures: Quillaja Bark Saponin at water/air and water/oil interfaces in presence of β-lactoglobulin

The adsorption kinetics of mixtures of a biosurfactant Quillaja Bark Saponin (QBS) with a globular protein, β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) at the water/air and water/tetradecane interfaces was investigated by measuring dynamic interfacial tension with axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) and maximum bubble pressure (MBP) techniques. With bulk concentration of β-LG fixed at 10(-7) M, the most pronounced synergistic effects in the rate of the QBS adsorption at both interfaces were observed at low biosurfactant concentrations (5 × 10(-7)-1 × 10(-5) M). The synergistic effect due to a protein-biosurfactant complex formation is clearly noticeable, yet less pronounced than, e.g., previously studied QBS/lysozyme mixtures. The surface pressures attained at water/oil interface are higher than in the water/air system, although, at high biosurfactant/protein ratios, the presence of β-LG decelerates adsorption of the QBS/β-LG complex onto the water/tetradecane interface. In analogy to mixtures of synthetic surfactants with proteins, the adsorbed layer gets dominated by QBS at higher biosurfactant concentrations, although the presence of β-LG affects the surface pressures attained even at QBS/β-LG ratios as high as 10(4). The synergistic effects are much less noticeable in foamability and emulsion formation/stability, as probed by the modified Bikerman's and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques, respectively.

Conformational changes of α-lactalbumin adsorbed at oil-water interfaces: interplay between protein structure and emulsion stability

The conformation and structural dimensions of α-lactalbumin (α-La) both in solution and adsorbed at oil-water interfaces of emulsions were investigated using synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectroscopy, front-face tryptophan fluorescence (FFTF) spectroscopy, and dual polarization interferometry (DPI). The near-UV SRCD and the FFTF results demonstrated that the hydrophobic environment of the aromatic residues located in the hydrophobic core of native α-La was significantly altered upon adsorption, indicating the unfolding of the hydrophobic core of α-La upon adsorption. The far-UV SRCD results showed that adsorption of α-La at oil-water interfaces created a new non-native secondary structure that was more stable to thermally induced conformational changes. Specifically, the α-helical conformation increased from 29.9% in solution to 45.8% at the tricaprylin-water interface and to 58.5% at the hexadecane-water interface. However, the β-sheet structure decreased from 18.0% in solution to less than 10% at both oil-water interfaces. The DPI study showed that adsorption of α-La to a hydrophobic C18-water surface caused a change in the dimensions of α-La from the native globule-like shape (2.5-3.7 nm) to a compact/dense layer approximately 1.1 nm thick. Analysis of the colloidal stability of α-La stabilized emulsions showed that these emulsions were physically stable against droplet flocculation at elevated temperatures both in the absence and in the presence of 120 mM NaCl. In the absence of salt, the thermal stability of emulsions was due to the strong electrostatic repulsion provided by the adsorbed α-La layer, which was formed after the adsorption and structural rearrangement. In the presence of salt, although the electrostatic repulsion was reduced via electrostatic screening, heating did not induce strong and permanent droplet flocculation. The thermal stability of α-La stabilized emulsions in the presence of salt is a combined effect of the electrostatic repulsion and the lack of covalent disulfide interchange reactions. This study reports new information on the secondary and tertiary structural changes of α-La upon adsorption to oil-water interfaces. It also presents new results on the physical stability of α-La stabilized emulsions during heating and at moderate ionic strength (120 mM NaCl). The results broaden our understanding of the factors controlling protein structural change at emulsion interfaces and how this affects emulsion stability.

Structural rearrangement of β-lactoglobulin at different oil-water interfaces and its effect on emulsion stability

Understanding the factors that control protein structure and stability at the oil-water interface continues to be a major focus to optimize the formulation of protein-stabilized emulsions. In this study, a combination of synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectroscopy, front-face fluorescence spectroscopy, and dual polarization interferometry (DPI) was used to characterize the conformation and geometric structure of β-lactoglobulin (β-Lg) upon adsorption to two oil-water interfaces: a hexadecane-water interface and a tricaprylin-water interface. The results show that, upon adsorption to both oil-water interfaces, β-Lg went through a β-sheet to α-helix transition with a corresponding loss of its globular tertiary structure. The degree of conformational change was also a function of the oil phase polarity. The hexadecane oil induced a much higher degree of non-native α-helix compared to the tricaprylin oil. In contrast to the β-Lg conformation in solution, the non-native α-helical-rich conformation of β-Lg at the interface was resistant to further conformational change upon heating. DPI measurements suggest that β-Lg formed a thin dense layer at emulsion droplet surfaces. The effects of high temperature and the presence of salt on these β-Lg emulsions were then investigated by monitoring changes in the ζ-potential and particle size. In the absence of salt, high electrostatic repulsion meant β-Lg-stabilized emulsions were resistant to heating to 90 °C. Adding salt (120 mM NaCl) before or after heating led to emulsion flocculation due to the screening of the electrostatic repulsion between colloidal particles. This study has provided insight into the structural properties of proteins adsorbed at the oil-water interface and has implications in the formulation and production of emulsions stabilized by globular proteins.

Changes in beta-lactoglobulin conformation at the oil/water interface of emulsions studied by synchrotron radiation circular dichroism spectroscopy

The structure of proteins at interfaces is a key factor determining the stability as well as organoleptic properties of food emulsions. While it is widely believed that proteins undergo conformational changes at interfaces, the measurement of these structural changes remains a significant challenge. In this study, the conformational changes of beta-lactoglobulin (beta-Lg) upon adsorption to the interface of hexadecane oil-in-water emulsions were investigated using synchrotron radiation circular dichroism (SRCD) spectroscopy. Far-UV SRCD spectra showed that adsorption of beta-Lg to the O/W interface caused a significant increase in non-native alpha-helix structure, accompanied by a concomitant loss of beta-sheet structure. Near-UV SRCD spectra revealed that a considerable disruption of beta-Lg tertiary structure occurred upon adsorption. Moreover, heat-induced changes to the non-native beta-Lg conformation at the oil/water interface were very small compared to the dramatic loss of beta-Lg secondary structure that occurred during heating in solution, suggesting that the interface has a stabilizing effect on the structure of non-native beta-Lg. Overall, our findings provide insight into the conformational behavior of proteins at oil/water interfaces and demonstrate the applicability of SRCD spectroscopy for measuring the conformation of adsorbed proteins in optically turbid emulsions.

Effect of gastric conditions on β-lactoglobulin interfacial networks: influence of the oil phase on protein structure

Understanding the effects of digestion conditions on the structure of interfacial protein networks is important in order to rationally design food emulsions which can moderate lipid digestion. This study compares the effect of gastric conditions (pH, temperature, and ionic strength) on β-lactoglobulin films at different fluid interfaces: air-water, tetradecane-water, and olive oil-water. The experiments have been designed to simulate the passage into the stomach media. Hence, preformed interfacial protein (β-lactoglobulin) networks have been exposed to gastric conditions in order to establish generic aspects of the digestion process. The results show that the presence of an oil phase affects both the unfolding of the protein at the interface on adsorption and the subsequent interprotein associations responsible for network formation at the interface. Furthermore, the effects of the physiological conditions characteristic of the stomach also altered differently the preformed protein layer at different fluid interfaces. Initially, the effects of temperature, acid pH, and ionic strength on the dilatational modulus of β-lactoglobulin adsorbed layers at tetradecane-water and olive oil-water interfaces were studied in isolation. The presence of salt was found to have a major effect on the dilatational response at the oil-water interface in contrast to the observations at the air-water interface: it enhanced intermolecular association, hence increasing the packing at the interface causing it to become more elastic. Exposure to acid pH (2.5) also increased the elasticity of the interface, possibly due to the fact that strong electrostatic interactions acting at the interface compensated for the reduced level of intermolecular association. However, the increase in dilatational modulus at the oil-water interface was less noticeable upon exposure to combined changes in acid pH and ionic strength, as would occur in the stomach. This is consistent with previously reported observations at the air-water interface. The quantitative differences in the response of the protein networks to gastric media at different fluid interfaces are discussed in terms of the conformation of β-lactoglobulin within the networks formed at each interface based on detailed theoretical modeling of adsorption data.

The effect of physiological conditions on the surface structure of proteins: setting the scene for human digestion of emulsions

Understanding and manipulating the interfacial mechanisms that control human digestion of food emulsions is a crucial step towards improved control of dietary intake. This article reports initial studies on the effects of the physiological conditions within the stomach on the properties of the film formed by the milk protein (β-lactoglobulin) at the air-water interface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), surface tension and surface rheology techniques were used to visualize and examine the effect of gastric conditions on the network structure. The effects of changes in temperature, pH and ionic strength on a preformed interfacial structure were characterized in order to simulate the actual digestion process. Changes in ionic strength had little effect on the surface properties. In isolation, acidification reduced both the dilatational and the surface shear modulus, mainly due to strong repulsive electrostatic interactions within the surface layer and raising the temperature to body temperature accelerated the rearrangements within the surface layer, resulting in a decrease of the dilatational response and an increase of surface pressure. Together pH and temperature display an unexpected synergism, independent of the ionic strength. Thus, exposure of a pre-formed interfacial β-lactoglobulin film to simulated gastric conditions reduced the surface dilatational modulus and surface shear moduli. This is attributed to a weakening of the surface network in which the surface rearrangements of the protein prior to exposure to gastric conditions might play a crucial role.

Secondary structure of food proteins by Fourier transform spectroscopy in the mid-infrared region

Fourier transform spectroscopy in the mid-infrared (400-5,000 cm(-1)) (FT-IR) is being recognized as a powerful tool for analyzing chemical composition of food, with special concern to molecular architecture of food proteins. Unlike other spectroscopic techniques, it provides high-quality spectra with very small amount of protein, in various environments irrespective of the molecular mass. The fraction of peptide bonds in alpha-helical, beta-pleated sheet, turns and aperiodic conformations can be accurately estimated by analysis of the amide I band (1,600-1,700 cm(-1)) in the mid-IR region. In addition, FT-IR measurement of secondary structure highlights the mechanism of protein aggregation and stability, making this technique of strategic importance in the food proteomic field. Examples of applications of FT-IR spectroscopy in the study of structural features of food proteins critical of nutritional and technological performance are discussed.

Adsorption and structural change of beta-lactoglobulin at the diacylglycerol-water interface

Diacylglycerol (DAG)/water and triacylglycerol (TAG)/water emulsions were prepared using beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG) as an emulsifier. The oil phase (20% in emulsion) was mixed with beta-LG solution (1% beta-LG in water, pH 7) to prepare the emulsions. A fine oil-in-water emulsion was produced from both DAG and TAG oils. The interfacial protein concentration of the TAG emulsion was higher than that of the DAG emulsion. The zeta potential of the DAG oil droplet was higher than that of the TAG oil droplet. The front-surface fluorescence spectroscopy results revealed that tryptophan residues in beta-LG moved to the more hydrophobic environment during the adsorption of protein on the oil droplet surfaces. Changes in secondary structure of beta-LG during the adsorption were determined by FT-IR spectroscopy. Decreases in the beta-sheet content concomitant with increases in the alpha-helix content were observed during the adsorption to the oil droplets, and the degree of structural change was greater for beta-LG in the TAG emulsion than in the DAG emulsion, indicating the increased unfolding of adsorbed beta-LG on the TAG oil droplet surface. Results of interfacial tension measurement supported this speculation, that is, the increased unfolding of the protein at the TAG-water interface. Trypsin- and proteinase K-catalyzed proteolysis was used to probe the topography of the adsorbed beta-LG on the oil droplet surface. SDS-PAGE analyses of liberated peptides after the proteolysis indicated the higher susceptibility of beta-LG adsorbed on the DAG oil droplet surface than on the TAG oil droplet surface. On the basis of all the results, we discussed the conformation of the adsorbed beta-LG on the two oil droplet surfaces.

Effect of interfacial protein cross-linking on the in vitro digestibility of emulsified corn oil by pancreatic lipase

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of globular protein interfacial cross-linking on the in vitro digestibility of emulsified lipids by pancreatic lipase. 3% (wt/wt) corn oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by either lecithin or beta-lactoglobulin were prepared (pH 7). A portion of the beta-lactoglobulin stabilized emulsions was subjected to a heat treatment known to cross-link the adsorbed globular proteins (85 degrees C, 20 min). Pancreatic lipase and bile extract were then added to each emulsion at 37 degrees C (pH 7) and the evolution of the particle charge, particle size, appearance and free fatty acids released were measured over a period of 2 h. The rate and extent of lipid digestion did not differ greatly between lecithin and beta-lactoglobulin stabilized emulsions, nor did it differ greatly for unheated (BLG-U) or heated (BLG-H) beta-lactoglobulin stabilized emulsions. For example, the initial rate of lipid digestion was found to be 3.1, 3.4, and 2.3 mM fatty acids s(-1) m(-2) of lipid surface for droplets stabilized by BLG-U, BLG-H, and lecithin, respectively. Pancreatic lipase was able to adsorb to the droplet surfaces and access the emulsified lipids, regardless of the initial interfacial composition and the fact that some of the original emulsifier appeared to remain at the oil-water interface during digestion. These results help to explain why the human body is so efficient at digesting dietary triacylglycerols.

Changes and roles of secondary structures of whey protein for the formation of protein membrane at soy oil/water interface under high-pressure homogenization

The conformational changes of whey proteins upon adsorption at the soy oil/water interface were investigated using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Significant changes were observed in the bands assigned to beta-sheets and alpha-helix structures following the adsorption of proteins at the oil/water interface. The remaining interfacial proteins after Tween 20 desorption revealed small changes in beta-sheet and alpha-helical structures, whereas in the desorbed whey proteins the unordered structures largely increased, and beta-sheet structures almost disappeared. These FT-IR results provide important knowledge about the conformational modifications in whey proteins occurring upon adsorption at the oil/water interface. Finally, specific conformational changes are necessary to stabilize emulsions: adsorption-induced unfolding, increase in alpha-helical structures to establish interactions with the oil phase, and aggregation between adsorbed whey proteins to form protein membranes. Moreover, the structural changes in whey protein adsorbed at the oil/water interface under high-pressure homogenization are irreversible.

Characterization of the emulsification properties of 2S albumins from sunflower seed

The ability of 2S albumins from sunflower seeds to stabilize oil-in-water emulsions has been investigated, demonstrating that one of the proteins (SFA8) effectively stabilizes emulsions, while another (SF-LTP) does not stabilize emulsions. The surface tension and surface dilation viscosity of these two proteins were measured, rationalizing the emulsifying ability of SFA8 in terms of its ability to form a strongly elastic monolayer at interfaces. The secondary structure changes that occur upon adsorption of SFA8 to the oil/water interface have also been studied by fluorescence, circular dichroism (CD), and Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. It was found that the beta-sheet content of the protein increased upon adsorption at the expense of alpha-helix and random structure. Moreover, FT-IR measurements indicate the presence of intermolecular beta-sheet formation upon adsorption. Fluorescence studies with an oil-soluble fluorescence quencher indicate that the single tryptophan residue present in SFA8 may become located in the oil-phase of the emulsion. This residue is thought to be partially buried in the native protein, and these data suggest that changes in the polypeptide region flanking this residue may play an important role in the molecular rearrangement that occur on or following adsorption to the oil/water interface.

Spectroscopic analysis on the effect of temperature on Kunitz domain 1 of human tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2

The conformation of Kunitz domain 1 of human tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (hTFPI-2/KD1) has been studied by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism, and Raman spectroscopy. It was found that hTFPI-2/KD1 contained approximately 17% alpha-helices, 24% beta-strands, 46% random coils, 13% beta-turns, and two kinds of disulfide bonds(ggg and tgt) at 25 degrees C. The detailed conformational changes of the heated protein observed by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, circular dichroism and Raman spectroscopy revealed that hTFPI-2/KD1 was thermally stable. However, KD1 could form an intermediate form at high temperature, then return to its normal conformation when the temperature was lowered. Activity assays also showed that hTFPI-2/KD1 was able to keep its inhibitory activity on plasmin after being heated to 80 degrees C for 5 min.

Coalescence stability of emulsions containing globular milk proteins

This review summarizes a large set of related experimental results about protein adsorption and drop coalescence in emulsions, stabilized by globular milk proteins, beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) or whey protein concentrate (WPC). First, we consider the effect of drop coalescence on the mean drop size, d32, during emulsification. Two regimes of emulsification, surfactant-rich (negligible drop coalescence) and surfactant-poor (significant drop coalescence) are observed in all systems studied. In the surfactant-rich regime, d32 does not depend on emulsifier concentration and is determined mainly by the interfacial tension and the power dissipation density in the emulsification chamber, epsilon. In the surfactant-poor regime and suppressed electrostatic repulsion, d32 is a linear function of the inverse initial emulsifier concentration, 1/C(INI), which allows one to determine the threshold emulsifier adsorption needed to stabilize the oil drops during emulsification, Gamma* (the latter depends neither on oil volume fraction nor on epsilon). Second, we study how the BLG adsorption on drop surface changes while varying the protein and electrolyte concentrations, and pH of the aqueous phase. At low electrolyte concentrations, the protein adsorbs in a monolayer. If the pH is away from the isoelectric point (IEP), the electrostatic repulsion keeps the adsorbed BLG molecules separated from each other, which precludes the formation of strong intermolecular bonds during shelf-storage as well as after heating of the emulsion. At higher electrolyte concentration, the adsorption Gamma increases, as a result of suppressed electrostatic repulsion between the protein molecules; monolayer or multilayer is formed, depending on protein concentration and pH. The adsorption passes through a maximum (around the protein IEP) as a function of pH. Third, the effect of various factors on the coalescence stability of "fresh" emulsions (up to several hours after preparation) was studied. Important conclusion from this part of the study is the establishment of three different cases of emulsion stabilization: (1) electrostatically-stabilized emulsions with monolayer adsorption, whose stability is described by the DLVO theory; (2) emulsions stabilized by steric repulsion, created by protein adsorption multilayers - a simple model was adapted to describe the stability of these emulsions; and (3) emulsions stabilized by steric repulsion, created by adsorption monolayers. Fourth, we studied how the emulsion stability changes with storage time and after heating. At high electrolyte concentrations, we find a significant decrease of the coalescence stability of BLG-emulsions after one day of shelf-storage (aging effect). The results suggest that aging is related to conformational changes in the protein adsorption layer, which lead to formation of extensive lateral non-covalent bonds (H-bonds and hydrophobic interactions) between the adsorbed molecules. The heating of BLG emulsions at high electrolyte concentration leads to strong increase of emulsion stability and to disappearance of the aging effect, which is explained by the formation of disulfide bonds between the adsorbed molecules. The emulsion heating at low electrolyte concentration does not affect emulsion stability - this result is explained with the electrostatic repulsion between the adsorbed molecules, which keeps them separated so that no intermolecular disulfide bonds are formed. Parallel experiments with WPC-stabilized emulsions show that these emulsions are less sensitive to variations of pH and thermal treatment; no aging effect is detected up to 30 days of storage. The observed differences between BLG and WPC are explained with the different procedures of preparation of these protein samples (freeze-drying and thermally enhanced spray-drying, respectively). Our data for emulsion coalescence stability are compared with literature results about the flocculation stability of BLG emulsions, and the observed similarities/differences are explained by considering the structure of the protein adsorption layers.

Role of proteins in oil-in-water emulsions on the stability of lipid hydroperoxides

The purpose of this research was to better understand the mechanisms by which proteins affect the rates of lipid oxidation in order to develop protein-stabilized emulsion delivery systems with maximal oxidative stability. This study evaluated the affect of pH and emulsifier concentration on the stability of cumene hydroperoxide in hexadecane-in-water emulsions stabilized by beta-lactoglobulin (beta-Lg). Emulsions prepared with 0.2 wt % beta-Lg (at pH 7.0) showed a 26.9% decrease in hydroperoxide concentrations 5 min after 0.25 mM ferrous ion was added to the emulsion. EDTA, but not continuous phase beta-Lg, could inhibit iron-promoted lipid hydroperoxide decomposition. Lipid hydroperoxides were more stable to iron-promoted degradation at pH values below the pI of beta-Lg, where the emulsion droplet would be cationic and thus able to repel iron away from the lipid hydroperoxides. Heating the beta-Lg-stabilized emulsions to produce a cohesive protein layer on the emulsion droplet surface did not alter the ability of iron to decompose lipid hydroperoxides. These results suggest that proteins at the interface of emulsion droplets primarily stabilize lipid hydroperoxides by electrostatically inhibiting iron-hydroperoxide interactions.

Irreversible thermal denaturation of beta-lactoglobulin retards adsorption of carrageenan onto beta-lactoglobulin-coated droplets

The influence of isothermal heat treatments on the adsorption of anionic carrageenan molecules to the surfaces of anionic beta-lactoglobulin-coated droplets has been investigated. The zeta-potential, mean particle diameter, microstructure, and creaming stability of emulsions containing beta-lactoglobulin-coated droplets and/or carrageenan molecules that had previously been heat treated at temperatures ranging from 30 to 90 degrees C for 20 min were measured (pH 6.0, 150 mM NaCl). Three different heat treatments were used to establish the physicochemical origin of the influence of thermal history on the adsorption of carrageenan molecules to the protein coated droplets: (i) droplets and carrageenan were mixed at room temperature, then heated together; (ii) droplets were heated, cooled to room temperature, then mixed with carrageenan; (iii) carrageenan was heated, cooled to room temperature, then mixed with droplets. For treatments i and ii appreciably more carrageenan adsorbed to the protein-coated droplet surfaces at temperatures < or = 60 degrees C than at higher temperatures. For treatment iii, carrageenan adsorbed to the droplet surfaces across the whole temperature range. These results suggest that an irreversible thermal denaturation of the adsorbed beta-lactoglobulin molecules inhibited the adsorption of carrageenan molecules to the droplet surfaces. We postulate that there is a patch of positive charge on the surface of the native globular protein molecules which becomes more diffuse upon thermal denaturation. We found that the carrageenan molecules were unable to protect the beta-lactoglobulin-coated droplets at high temperatures (T > 60 degrees C) because they desorbed from the droplet surfaces. Nevertheless, adsorption of iota-carrageenan was capable of protecting the droplets against flocculation caused by surface denaturation of the adsorbed proteins at lower temperatures (T < or = 50 degrees C).