Stabilization of gelatin and carboxymethylcellulose water-in-water emulsion by addition of whey protein

Abstract

Due to their aqueous nature and biocompatibility, water/water emulsions are particularly advantageous in the production of low calorie functional food and bioactive carrier microparticles. The aim of this study was to investigate the stability of water/water emulsions formed by gelatin and carboxymethycelullose through the Pickering effect, by addition of whey protein particles. The effect of phase composition and pH on emulsion stability over 3 days of storage was studied and the emulsion properties were characterized. Finally, the effect of the addition of different concentrations of whey protein particles on the emulsion stability was investigated. The added protein particles contributed to reduce the rate of phase separation and higher protein concentration showed this effect more clearly. The time of complete phase separation increased 12 h after addition of 15% (w/w) protein. Emulsions at pH 5.5 with protein particles, however, showed lower stability than those at pH 7.5 without particles.

Keywords:
biocompatibility; biopolymer; Pickering; phase separation