Physical and emulsion stabilizing properties of maltodextrin fatty acid polymers produced by lipase-catalyzed reactions in ethanol

Functionalization Methods of Starch and Its Derivatives: From Old Limitations to New Possibilities

It has long been known that starch as a raw material is of strategic importance for meeting primarily the nutritional needs of people around the world. Year by year, the demand not only for traditional but also for functional food based on starch and its derivatives is growing. Problems with the availability of petrochemical raw materials, as well as environmental problems with the recycling of post-production waste, make non-food industries also increasingly interested in this biopolymer. Its supporters will point out countless advantages such as wide availability, renewability, and biodegradability. Opponents, in turn, will argue that they will not balance the problems with its processing and storage and poor functional properties. Hence, the race to find new methods to improve starch properties towards multifunctionality is still ongoing. For these reasons, in the presented review, referring to the structure and physicochemical properties of starch, attempts were made to highlight not only the current limitations in its processing but also new possibilities. Attention was paid to progress in the non-selective and selective functionalization of starch to obtain materials with the greatest application potential in the food (resistant starch, dextrins, and maltodextrins) and/or in the non-food industries (hydrophobic and oxidized starch).

Physicochemical Characterization and Evaluation of Emulsions Containing Chemically Modified Fats and Different Hydrocolloids

The study aims to investigate the physicochemical properties and stability of the dispersion systems containing structured fats as a fatty base. In this work, calf tallow and pumpkin seed oil blends were chemically interesterified at various ratios (9:1, 3:1, 3:2, 3:3, 2:3, and 1:3) to produce structured lipids. Fatty acids composition, polar and nonpolar fraction content, and acid value were determined for the raw fats and interesterified blends. Afterwards, selected blends were applied in emulsion systems. Stability, microstructure, color and texture of emulsions were evaluated. The chemical interesterification had an effect on the modified blends properties, and caused an increase in polar fraction content and acid value, and a decrease in nonpolar fraction content. No effect on the fatty acids composition has been found. The evaluation of the prepared emulsions results allowed us to select two of the most stable and favorable samples—both containing chemically interesterified calf tallow and a pumpkin seed oil blend in a ratio of 1:3 as a fatty base, and xanthan gum or carboxymethylcellulose as a thickener. The obtained dispersions, containing fatty bases with improved physicochemical properties and desirable functionality, can be applied as food, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical emulsions.