Phase behaviour of oat β-glucan/sodium caseinate mixtures varying in molecular weight

Effect of sodium alginate on the yogurt stability was dependent on the thickening effect and interaction between casein micelles and sodium alginate

The effect of sodium alginate (SA) on the yogurt stability and the related mechanisms were investigated. It was found that low-concentration SA (≤0.2 %) increased the yogurt stability, while high-concentration SA (≥0.3 %) decreased the yogurt stability. Sodium alginate increased the viscosity and viscoelasticity of yogurt and this effect was positively correlated with its concentration, suggesting that SA worked as the thickening agent in yogurt. However, addition of ≥0.3 % SA damaged the yogurt gel. These results suggested that interaction between milk protein and SA might play an important role in the yogurt stability besides the thickening effect. Addition of ≤0.2 % SA did not change the particle size of casein micelles. However, addition of ≥0.3 % SA induced aggregation of casein micelles and increased the size. And the aggregated casein micelles precipitated after 3 h storage. Isothermal titration calorimetry analysis showed that casein micelles and SA were thermodynamically incompatible. These results suggested that the interaction between casein micelles and SA induced aggregation and precipitation of casein micelles, which was critical in the destabilization of yogurt. In conclusion, the effect of SA on the yogurt stability was dependent on the thickening effect and the interaction between casein micelles and SA.

Interfacial rheology of sodium caseinate/high acyl gellan gum complexes: Stabilizing oil-in-water emulsions

In this work, the effects of pH and high acyl gellan gum concentration on the adsorption kinetics and interfacial dilatational rheology of sodium caseinate/high acyl gellan gum (CN/HG) complexes were investigated using a pendant drop tensiometer. In addition, stability related properties including interfacial protein concentration, droplet charge, size, microstructure and creaming index of emulsions were studied at different HG concentration (0–0.2 wt%) and pH values (4, 5.5 and 7). The results showed that HG adsorbed onto the CN mainly through electrostatic interactions which could lead to increase the interfacial pressure (π), rates of protein diffusion (k_diff), and molecular penetration (k_p). The CN/HG complexes formed thick adsorption layers around the oil droplets which significantly increased the surface dilatational modulus with the increasing HG concentration. The CN/HG complexes appeared to form more elastic interfacial films after a long-term adsorption time compared with CN alone, which could reduce the droplet coalescence and thus prevented the growth of emulsion droplets. All four phosphorylated proteins of CN (α_s1-, α_s2-, β-, and κ-casein) were adsorbed at the oil-water (O/W) interface as confirmed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and surface protein coverage increased progressively with increasing HG concentration at pH 5.5, but decreased at pH 7. The CN/HG stabilized emulsions at pH 5.5 revealed the higher net charges and smaller z-average diameters than those at pH 4 and pH 7. This study provides valuable information on the use of CN/HG complexes to improve the stability and texture of food emulsions.

•Interactions between sodium caseinate (CN) and high acyl gellan gum (HG) studied.

•At pH 5.5, CN/HG interaction was mainly driven by electrostatic attractions.

•CN/HG complex improved the adsorption of CN at the oil-water interface.

•CN/HG complex could form stronger interfacial films than protein alone.

•Cooperative adsorption onto oil-water interface improved emulsion stability.

Recent advances of cereal β-glucan on immunity with gut microbiota regulation functions and its intelligent gelling application

β-glucan from cereals such as wheat, barley, oats and rye are a water-soluble dietary fiber, which are composed of repeating (1→4)-β-bond β-D-glucopyranosyl units and a single (1→3)-β-D-bond separated unit. β-glucan has a series of physicochemical properties (such as viscosity, gelling properties, solubility, etc.), which can be used as a food gel and fat substitute. Its structure endows the healthy functions, including anti-oxidative stress, lowering blood glucose and serum cholesterol, regulating metabolic syndrome and exerting gut immunity via gut microbiota. Due to their unique structural properties and efficacy, cereal β-glucan are not only applied in food substrates in the food industry, but also in food coatings and packaging. This article reviewed the applications of cereal β-glucan in hydrogels, aerogels, intelligent packaging systems and targeted delivery carriers in recent years. Cereal β-glucan in edible film and gel packaging applications are becoming more diversified and intelligent in recent years. Those advances provide a potential solution based on cereal β-glucan as biodegradable substances for immune regulation delivery system and intelligent gelling material in the biomedicine field.

Unveiling the structure of the primary caseinate particle using small-angle X-ray scattering and simulation methodologies

The low-resolution structure of casein (CN) clusters in sodium caseinate (NaCas) solution and its conformational dynamics were obtained by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC), analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The results of sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and native PAGE revealed that the casein clusters consisted predominantly of α- and β-CN complexes, and a trace amount of κ-CN. The AUC analysis indicated that the casein clusters were composed of 34.6% of casein monomers, 19.2%, 20.4%, and 25.8% of complexes with molar weight (M_w) of ~50.3, ~70.6, and ~133 kDa, respectively. The volume fractions of components in casein clusters were quantified as 64.3% of α_s1-β-α_s2-CN, 22.3% of α_s1-CN, 8.5% of α_s2-CN, and 4.4% of α_s1-α_s2-CN, respectively. The ensemble optimization method (EOM) gave a fitting result where α_s1-β-α_s2-CN species coexisted in ~35.3% under compact conformation and ~64.7% in elongated conformation in solution. The three-dimensional structures of α_s1-β-α_s2-CN from EOM showed a good overlay on the casein clusters ab initio model obtained from DAMMIN and DAMMIX program. MD simulations revealed that α_s1-β-α_s2-CN underwent a conformational change from the elongated state into the compact state within the initial 200 ns of simulations. The addition of nonionic surfactants affected little the backbone-to-backbone interactions in the formation of the casein clusters. We propose that α_s1-CN, β-CN, α_s2-CN, and κ-CN associated in consecutive steps into casein clusters, and a trace of κ-CN may be located at the surface of the assemblies limiting the growth of casein aggregates.

Correlating in vitro digestion viscosities and bioaccessible nutrients of milks containing enhanced protein concentration and normal or modified protein ratio to human trials

In vitro digestion of cereal with high protein milks reflects the appearance of in vivo biomarkers of starch and protein digestion.