Effect of sucrose ester concentration on the interfacial characteristics and physical properties of sodium caseinate-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions

Investigating the effects of oil type, emulsifier type, and emulsion particle size on textured fibril soy protein emulsion-filled gels and soybean protein isolate emulsion-filled gels

The effects of oil type, emulsifier type, and emulsion particle size on the texture, gel strength, and rheological properties of SPI emulsion-filled gel (SPI-FG) and TFSP emulsion-filled gel (TFSP-FG) were investigated. Using soybean protein isolate or sodium caseinate as emulsifiers, emulsions with cocoa butter replacer (CBR), palm oil (PO), virgin coconut oil (VCO), and canola oil (CO) as oil phases were prepared. These emulsions were filled into SPI and TFSP gel substrates to prepare emulsion-filled gels. Results that the hardness and gel strength of both gels increased with increasing emulsion content when CBR was used as the emulsion oil phase. However, when the other three liquid oils were used as the oil phase, the hardness and gel strength of TFSP-FG decreased with the increasing of emulsion content, but those of SPI-FG increased when SPI was used as emulsifier. Additionally, the hardness and gel strength of both TFSP-FG and SPI-FG increased with the decreasing of mean particle size of emulsions. Rheological measurements were consistent with textural measurements and found that compared with SC, TFSP-FG, and SPI-FG showed higher G' values when SPI was used as emulsifier. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) observation showed that the distribution and stability of emulsion droplets in TFSP-FG and SPI-FG were influenced by the oil type, emulsifier type and emulsion particle size. SPI-stabilized emulsion behaved as active fillers in SPI-FG reinforcing the gel matrix; however, the gel matrix of TFSP-FG still had many void pores when SPI-stabilized emulsion was involved. In conclusion, compared to SPI-FG, the emulsion filler effect that could reinforce gel networks became weaker in TFSP-FG.

Emulsion Properties during Microencapsulation of Cannabis Oil Based on Protein and Sucrose Esters as Emulsifiers: Stability and Rheological Behavior

The effects of different emulsifiers, such as soy protein isolate-sucrose ester (SPI-SE) and whey protein isolate-sucrose ester (WPI-SE), on the properties of the emulsion during the microencapsulation of cannabis oil were studied. The influence of SE concentration on the emulsion properties of the two emulsifying systems was analyzed. The results of the adsorption kinetics show that SE can decrease the interfacial tension, particle size and zeta potential of the emulsions. The results of the interfacial protein concentration show that SE could competitively replace the protein at the oil-water interface and change the strength of the interfacial film. The results of the viscoelastic properties show that the emulsion structure of the two emulsion systems results in the maximum value when the concentration of SE is 0.75% (w/v), and the elastic modulus (G') of the emulsion prepared with SPI-SE is high. The viscosity results show that all emulsions show shear-thinning behavior and the curve fits well with the Ostwald-Dewaele model. The addition of SE in the emulsions of the two emulsion systems can effectively stabilize the emulsion and change the composition and strength of the oil-water interface of the emulsion. The cannabis oil microcapsules prepared with protein-SE as an emulsion system exhibit high quality.

Thoroughly review the recent progresses in improving O/W interfacial properties of proteins through various strategies

Along with the future food market developing world widely, the personalized nutrition and rational function food design are found to be urgently attracted. Oil in a water (O/W) emulsion system has an excellent ability to maintain nutraceuticals and thus plays a promising role in producing future functional foods. Understanding the interfacial related mechanisms involved are essential for improving the quality of food products. Protein can effectively reduce interfacial tension and stable immiscible phases. The interfacial properties of proteins directly affect the emulsion qualities, which have gradually become a prospective topic. This review will first briefly discuss the interfacial-related fundamental factors of proteins. Next, the paper thoroughly overviewed current physical and chemical strategies tailored to improving the interfacial and emulsion properties of proteins. To be summarized, a higher flexibility could allow protein to be more easily unfolded and adsorbed onto the interface but could also possibly form a softer interfacial film. Several physical strategies, such as thermal, ultrasound and especially high-pressure homogenization are well applied to improve the interfacial properties. The interfacial behavior is also altered by various green chemical strategies, such as pH adjustment, covalent modification, and low molecular weight (LMW) surfactant addition. These strategies upgraded emulsion properties by increasing adsorption load, accelerating diffusion and adsorption rate, associated with lowering interfacial tension, and promoting interfacial protein interactions. Future researches targeted at elucidating interfacial-bulk protein interactions, unraveling interfacial behavior through in silico tools, exploring connection between interfacial-industrial processing properties, and clarifying the interfacial-sensory-digestive relationships of O/W emulsions is needed to develop emulsion applications.

Biocompatible Polyelectrolyte Complex Nanoparticles for Lycopene Encapsulation Attenuate Oxidative Stress-Induced Cell Damage

In this study, lycopene was successfully encapsulated in polyelectrolyte complex nanoparticles (PEC NPs) fabricated with a negatively charged polysaccharide, TLH-3, and a positively charged sodium caseinate (SC) via electrostatic interactions. Results showed that the lycopene-loaded PEC NPs were spherical in shape, have a particle size of 241 nm, have a zeta potential of −23.6 mV, and have encapsulation efficiency of 93.6%. Thus, lycopene-loaded PEC NPs could serve as effective lycopene carriers which affected the physicochemical characteristics of the encapsulated lycopene and improved its water dispersibility, storage stability, antioxidant capacity, and sustained release ability in aqueous environments when compared with the free lycopene. Moreover, encapsulated lycopene could enhance the cells' viability, prevent cell apoptosis, and protect cells from oxidative damage through the Nrf2/HO-1/AKT signalling pathway, via upregulation of antioxidase activities and downregulation of MDA and ROS levels. Therefore, the biocompatible lycopene-loaded PEC NPs have considerable potential use for the encapsulation of hydrophobic nutraceuticals in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

Effects of Glucose and Corn Syrup on the Physical Characteristics and Whipping Properties of Vegetable-Fat Based Whipped Creams

The aim of this work is to evaluate the effects of glucose and corn syrup on the physical characteristics and whipping properties of whipped creams. The interfacial protein concentration and apparent viscosity of emulsions increased with an increasing sugar concentration. In whipped creams, a shorter optimum whipping time (top), higher fat coalescence degree, higher firmness and higher stability were detected as sugar concentration increased. The partial coalescence degree, overrun and firmness of whipped cream with 30 wt% glucose reached 76.49%, 306% and 3.82 N, respectively, significantly (p < 0.05) higher than those (67.15%, 235% and 3.19 N) with 30 wt% corn syrup. Compared with glucose at the same sugar concentration, higher interfacial protein concentration and less-shaped aggregates and coalescences were observed for the emulsions upon the addition of corn syrup, which caused a lower degree of fat coalescence and a lower firmness of whipped cream. The differences could be explained by the presence of maltodextrin (MDX) in corn syrup, which protects absorbed protein throughout freezing and retards the formation of a continuous network during whipping. As a result, the addition of sugars could well improve stability of emulsion, firmness and foam stability of whipped cream efficiently. With a 25−30 wt% sugar addition, even if there was a lower partial coalescence degree and firmness compared with glucose, whipped cream with corn syrup exhibited relatively good stability. These results suggest that MDX improves the stability of emulsion and, thus, has a potential use in low-sugar whipped cream.

Pickering emulsion stabilized by hydrolyzed starch: Effect of the molecular weight

HYPOTHESIS

The emulsifying ability of starch is influenced by its molecular weight. Reducing the molecular weight of starch is expected to influence interfacial adsorption and membrane elasticities, thereby affecting its emulsifying ability through Pickering effects. Hence, it should be possible to tailor the emulsifying ability of starch by adjusting its molecular weight.

EXPERIMENTS

Waxy corn starch (CS) and rice starch (RS) were hydrolyzed with pullulanase to obtain high (HM) and low molecular weight (LM) fractions. After the molecular weight was determined by size exclusion chromatography, the fractions were used to prepare model oil-in-water emulsions. The stability, microscopy, and particle size of the emulsions were characterized, and the underlying emulsification mechanism was subsequently studied through dynamic laser scattering, surface tension analysis, interfacial rheology, and Pearson's correlation calculations.

FINDINGS

In the molecular weight range obtained in this study, the smaller the molecular weight of starch, the stronger its emulsifying ability. The decrease in molecular weight resulted in considerable different adsorption and interfacial elasticities with smaller fractions occupying less area on the interface and forming interfaces with higher elasticities, resulting in higher stabilities through Pickering effects. Results thus suggest that the emulsifying ability of starch may be tailored by adjusting its molecular weight.

Co-delivery of paclitaxel and anti-VEGF siRNA by tripeptide lipid nanoparticle to enhance the anti-tumor activity for lung cancer therapy

The combination of chemotherapeutic drug paclitaxel (PTX) and VEGF siRNA could inhibit cancer development with synergistic efficacy. However, efficient and safe delivery systems with high encapsulation efficiency of PTX and a long-time release of drugs are urgently needed. In this study, novel nanoparticles (PTX/siRNA/FALS) were constructed by using tripeptide lipid (L), sucrose laurate (S), and folate-PEG₂₀₀₀-DSPE (FA) to co-deliver PTX and siRNA. The cancer cell targeting nanoparticle carrier (PTX/siRNA/FALS) showed anticipated PTX encapsulation efficiency, siRNA retardation ability, improved cell uptake and sustained and controlled drug release. It led to significant anti-tumor activity in vitro and in vivo by efficient inhibition of VEGF expression and induction of cancer cell apoptosis. Importantly, the biocompatibility of the carriers and low dosage of PTX required for effective therapy greatly reduced the toxicity to mice. The targeting nanoparticles show potential as an effective co-delivery platform for RNAi and chemotherapy drugs, aiming to improve the efficacy of cancer therapy.

Characterization of Emulsion Stabilization Properties of Gum Tragacanth, Xanthan Gum and Sucrose Monopalmitate: A Comparative Study

Emulsification effect of gum tragacanth (GT) obtained from Astragalus species is gaining particular interest in recent years. In this study, stabilization effect of GT, xanthan gum (XG), and sucrose monopalmitate (SMP) was investigated by keeping their concentration constant (0.5% w/v) for the oil-in-water emulsions containing 20% (v/v) sun flower oil and 2% (w/v) whey protein isolate. Emulsification was achieved by using high shear homogenization. Particle size and T₂ (spin-spin relaxation time) measurements were performed for the characterization and repeated over the course of 28 days. Emulsion stability index (ESI [%]) was measured and rheological characterization was also performed. The lowest particle size was found for the XG emulsions and this was attributed to the pseudoplastic behavior of xanthan compared to GT (n_Xanthan = 0.188 ≪ n_GT = 0.721). Xanthan emulsions thinned out dramatically when sheared during homogenization, and consequently, floccules formed could have been disrupted more resulting in smaller particle size. Result of rheological experiments showed that SMP emulsions were fit to Newtonian model, while XG and GT showed shear thinning behavior and fit to a power law model. Apparent viscosity of XG emulsions was found significantly higher than the GT ones. The most stable emulsions were the ones prepared by XG and they remained stable during 28 days. Although GT emulsions could not protect their stability during 28 days, ESI (%) results were found similar with XG indicating promising emulsification effect of GT. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Gum tragacanth, xanthan gum, and sucrose monopalmitate have been used to formulate oil-in-water emulsions. The final formulated products can be used in emulsion-based food products to increase their stability and shelf life.

Effect of sucrose ester and carboxymethyl cellulose on physical properties of coconut milk

The influence of sucrose ester (SE) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) on the physical properties of coconut milk was determined using response surface methodology based on central composite design. The R 2 of all response variables was more than 0.80 which indicated a high proportion of variability was explained by the model and showed that increasing the amount of SE decreased the droplet size of coconut milk. The viscosity and creaming index were dependent on the SE and CMC concentration. Increasing the SE and CMC concentration increased viscosity but creaming index was decreased. The results suggested that suitable amount of SE and CMC should be specified in order to obtain a high quality of coconut milk products.

Effect of Homogenization Pressure and Supplementation with Sucrose Fatty Acid Ester on the Physical Properties of Dairy Cream-based Emulsions

In this study, the droplet size distribution, rheological properties, and stability of dairy cream-based emulsions homogenized with different sucrose fatty acid ester (SFAE, a non-ionic small-molecule emulsifier) concentrations (0.08%, 0.16%, and 0.24% w/w) at different homogenization pressures (10 MPa and 20 MPa) were examined. Homogenization at a high pressure resulted in a smaller droplet size and narrower droplet size distribution. The D[4,3] (volume-weighted mean) and D[3,2] (surface-weighted mean) values of the emulsions decreased with an increase in the SFAE concentration. The flow properties of the emulsions homogenized with SFAE showed shear-thinning (n=0.21-0.46) behavior. The apparent viscosity (ηa,10) and consistency index (K) of the homogenized emulsions were lower than those of the control sample that is non-homogenized and without SFAE, and decreased with an increase in SFAE concentration. The storage modulus (G') and loss modulus (G") of all emulsions homogenized with SFAE were also lower than those of the control sample. The stability of all emulsions with SFAE did not show any significant change for 30 d at 5°C. However, the emulsions stored at 40°C were unstable over the storage period. Therefore, the addition of SFAE enhanced the stability of dairy cream emulsions during storage at refrigeration temperature (5°C).

Effects of propylene glycol alginate and sucrose esters on the physicochemical properties of modified starch-stabilized beverage emulsions

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of main emulsion components namely, modified starch, propylene glycol alginate (PGA), sucrose laurate and sucrose stearate on creaming index, cloudiness, average droplet size and conductivity of soursop beverage emulsions. Generally, the use of different emulsifiers or a mixture of emulsifiers has a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the response variables studied. The addition of PGA had a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the creaming index at 55 °C, while PGA-stabilized (PGA1) emulsions showed low creaming stability at both 25 °C and 55 °C. Conversely, the utilization of PGA either as a mixture or sole emulsifier, showed significantly (p < 0.05) higher cloudiness, as larger average droplet size will affect the refractive index of the oil and aqueous phases. Additionally, the cloudiness was directly proportional to the mean droplet size of the dispersed phase. The inclusion of PGA into the formulation could have disrupted the properties of the interfacial film, thus resulting in larger droplet size. While unadsorbed ionized PGA could have contributed to higher conductivity of emulsions prepared at low pH. Generally, emulsions prepared using sucrose monoesters or as a mixture with modified starch emulsions have significantly (p < 0.05) lower creaming index and conductivity values, but higher cloudiness and average droplet size.