Effect of variation in basic emulsion structure and polysaccharide content on the physicochemical properties and structure of composite-based emulsion gels as cube fat mimetics

Oil-droplet anchors accelerate the gelation of regenerated silk fibroin-based emulsion gels

The oil fraction will affect the aggregation behavior and structural strength of emulsion gels. In this study, the effect of the camellia oil (CO) fraction on the properties of emulsion gels stabilized by regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) was studied. The results showed that CO was essential for gel formation, with oil droplets incorporated into the RSF matrix as anchors to achieve rapid gelation of RSF. The gel hardness significantly increased from 20.03 to 53.35 g as the fraction of CO increased from 5 % to 25 %. The oxidation stability of the emulsion gels was also improved, and the peroxide value (POV) decreased from 2419.3 to 839.9 μmol/kg. As the oil fraction rose from 5 % to 25 %, the percentage of released free fatty acids decreased from 73.24 % to 59.49 % due to forming a more compact gel structure. In addition, the rheological results revealed that all emulsion gels had a shear-thinning behavior and good temperature stability in the range of 5 to 90 °C. This study provided a theoretical basis for preparing RSF-based emulsion gels, helps in the recycling of silk protein resources, and promotes the development of emulsion gel applications in the food industry.

Engineering surfactant-free pickering double emulsions gels with different structures as low-calorie fat analogues: Tunable oral perception, inhibiting lipid digestion, and potent co-delivery for lycopene and epigallocatechin gallate

Structural design has been as a transformative strategy to create clean-label and well-nourished fat-based foods. Herin, surfactant-free, plant-based oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W/O) and water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) emulsions gels (EGs) were designed using protein microgels and fat crystals formed in situ, which achieved dual-interface Pickering stabilization. The suitability and difference of O/W/O and W/O/W EGs as fat analogues in maintaining fat texture, inhibiting lipid digestion, target release and bioactivity of co-loading epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and lycopene were examined. O/W/O and W/O/W EGs displayed own unique characteristics, and could be tailored to optimize their performance. O/W/O EGs provided smoother oral perception similar to butter. The multi-structure and interface modulation for double EGs achieved inhibiting lipid digestion, fat phase position mainly controlled the digestive process. Co-delivery systems exhibited synchronous release profiles, allowing a more obvious in-time sustained release of lycopene in O/W/O and EGCG in W/O/W EGs. Both co-delivery O/W/O and W/O/W showed anti-inflammatory bioactivity.

Fabrication of food polysaccharide, protein, and polysaccharide-protein composite gels via calcium ion inducement: Gelation mechanisms, conditional factors, and applications

Food gel is a kind of macromolecular biopolymer with viscoelasticity, which has good water retention and gelling ability, especially gels formed by protein and/or polysaccharide. The addition of calcium ions triggers gelation by interacting with the gel matrix, enhancing gels' textural and rheological properties like hardness, viscosity and elasticity. Thus calcium ions enrich the range of applications of food gels. This review focuses on forming a calcium-induced gel and improving the texture properties. It summarizes the mechanisms of gelation induced by calcium ions in polysaccharide, protein, and polysaccharide-protein systems and their gel properties. The effects of influencing factors in calcium ion concentration, types and mixing ratios of matrices, acid, and alkaline environments, as well as treatment methods on calcium-induced gel characteristics, are presented. Additionally, the current applications of calcium-induced gels in food industries and challenges are presented.

Emulsion gels prepared from Longzhua mushroom polysaccharides with self-gelling properties as β-carotene carriers: Stability and in vitro digestibility of β-carotene

β-Carotene is widely used in food systems because of its biological activity; however, β-carotene has poor chemical stability and low bioavailability. Thus, researchers use encapsulated delivery systems to overcome these disadvantages. In this study, we prepared emulsion gels to encapsulate β-carotene, using Longzhua mushroom polysaccharide (LMP), which can autonomously form weak gels. The LMP emulsion gel (LEG) exhibited a high water-holding capacity of up to 95.06 %. All samples showed adequate storage stability for 28 days. Increasing the polysaccharide content in the emulsion gel enhanced the encapsulation efficiency of β-carotene (96.76 %-98.27 %), the release of free fatty acids (68.21 %-81.44 %), and the photostability (80.65 %-91.27 %), thermal stability (73.84 %-97.08 %), and bioaccessibility (18.28 %-30.26 %) of β-carotene. In conclusion, LEG is a promising fat-soluble material that can be used for food-grade encapsulated delivery systems.

Investigation into the fabrication of plant-based simulant connective tissue utilizing algae polysaccharide-derived hydrogel

Connective tissue is an important component of meat products that provides support to animal muscles. Hydrogels are considered a promising alternative to connective tissues and simulate actual products by adjusting the gel texture and mouthfeel. This study used soybean protein isolate (SPI), corn starch (CS), konjac glucomannan (KGM), and seaweed powder (SP) as raw materials to examine the effect of different added SP and KGM concentrations on the gel texture. The G' of the gel increased five-fold when the SP and KGM concentration was increased from 1 % to 3 %. The results of mechanical property tests showed that with the addition of SP, the gel hardness increased from 316.00 g to 1827.23 g and the tensile strength increased from 0.027 MPa to 0.089 MPa. Sensory evaluation showed that the samples with 2 % SP and KGM presented the highest overall acceptability score and the most significant similarity to real connective tissue. The connective tissue simulants exhibited excellent water-holding capacity (>90 %), significantly increasing their juiciness. SEM indicated that 2 % KGM addition improved gel network structure stability. The results demonstrate the potential of seaweed polysaccharide-derived hydrogels as connective tissue mimics. This provides a new strategy for the preparation of high mechanical strength hydrogels and lays the foundation for structural diversification of plant-based meat.

Comparison on emulsifying and emulgelling properties of low methoxyl pectin with varied degree of methoxylation from different de-esterification methods

Low methoxyl pectin (LMP) with different degree of methoxylation (DM, 40-50 %, 20-30 % and 5-10 %) were prepared from commercially available citrus pectin using high hydrostatic pressure assisted enzymatic (HHP-pectin) and traditional alkaline (A-pectin) de-esterification method. The results showed that both de-esterification methods and DM exhibited LMPs with varied physicochemical, structural, and functional properties. As the DM decreased, LMP showed a decrease in molecular weight (Mw), while an increase in negative charges and rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) ratio, accompanied with better emulsion stability, emulsion gel strength and water-holding properties. Relative to A-pectin, HHP-pectin had higher Mw and lower RG-I side chain ratio, contributing to its better thermal stability, apparent viscosity, and emulgelling properties. HHP-pectin with lower DM (5-10 %) showed superior thickening, emulsifying and emulgelling properties, while that with higher DM (40-45 %) had superior thermal stability, which provided alternative for de-esterification and targeted structural modification of pectin.