Oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by hollow particles of zein and whey protein: Particle integrity, interfacial structure and interfacial adsorption

IF 11 1区农林科学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, APPLIED

Food Hydrocolloids Pub Date : 2025-06-17 DOI:10.1016/j.foodhyd.2025.111665

Kaiwen Chen , Qianqian Shen , Bohua Zhang , Shuning Zhang , Qi Fan , Gong Chen , Li Liang

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Abstract

Protein-based assemblies have been extensively utilized to stabilize oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. Interfacial engineering presents opportunities for the development of multi-compartment emulsions. Hollow nanoparticles, characterized by low density, may serve as promising candidates for stabilizing O/W emulsions. This study investigates the potential of zein-whey protein isolate (WPI) hollow particles as innovative emulsifiers. Zein-WPI hollow particles (ZWHPs) were evaluated for their shear stability, wettability, interfacial structure, and interfacial adsorption behavior. Compared to zein hollow particles, ZWHPs demonstrate exceptional shear stability, maintaining structural integrity and homogeneous dispersity. The three-phase contact angle of ZWHPs with medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) was measured at 91.8°. ZWHPs remained intact on the surface of MCT droplets. However, ZWHPs-stabilized emulsions were prone to phase separation with large droplets in the upper layer and small droplets in the lower layer. Large oil droplets were stabilized by ZWHPs and their aggregates, forming firm viscoelastic layers due to unsaturated adsorption. Meanwhile, small oil droplets were stabilized by individual hollow particles, forming soft viscoelastic layers due to saturated adsorption. The size distributions of ZWHPs-stabilized emulsions around 10 and 20 μm were the smallest at a protein content of 1% and an oil content of 10%, while the thickness (3.95 mm) and mass (395 ng/cm²) of ZWHPs after desorption were the highest at a protein content of 0.08%. At supersaturated concentrations, a mixture of ZWHPs and their aggregates also formed on MCT-coated surface due to fast adsorption. Excess particles promoted adsorption but reduced the proportion of strongly bound particles at the MCT surface. Interfacial shear rheology revealed that low contents (0.04% – 0.08%) of ZWHPs form highly elastic, rigid interfacial films, while excessive concentrations (0.15% – 0.38%) reduced viscoelastic moduli due to protein aggregation and restricted structural rearrangement. These findings highlight the capacity of ZWHPs to create aqueous compartments at the oil-water interface, thereby enriching the model of interfacial structures in emulsions.

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由玉米蛋白和乳清蛋白中空颗粒稳定的水包油乳剂：颗粒完整性、界面结构和界面吸附

基于蛋白质的组件已广泛用于稳定水包油（O/W）乳状液。界面工程为开发多室乳剂提供了机会。中空纳米颗粒具有低密度的特点，是稳定油水乳状液的理想选择。本研究探讨了玉米乳清分离蛋白（WPI）中空颗粒作为新型乳化剂的潜力。对Zein-WPI中空颗粒（ZWHPs）的剪切稳定性、润湿性、界面结构和界面吸附行为进行了评价。与玉米蛋白空心颗粒相比，ZWHPs表现出优异的剪切稳定性，保持了结构完整性和均匀分散性。测定了ZWHPs与中链甘油三酯（MCT）的三相接触角为91.8°。MCT液滴表面的ZWHPs保持完整。然而，zwhps稳定的乳液容易发生相分离，上层液滴大，下层液滴小。大的油滴被ZWHPs及其团聚体稳定，由于不饱和吸附形成牢固的粘弹性层。同时，小油滴被单个中空颗粒稳定，由于饱和吸附形成柔软的粘弹性层。在蛋白质含量为1%和含油量为10%时，10 μm和20 μm左右的ZWHPs稳定乳液的尺寸分布最小，而在蛋白质含量为0.08%时，解吸后的ZWHPs的厚度（3.95 mm）和质量（395 ng/cm2）最大。在过饱和浓度下，由于mct涂层表面的快速吸附，ZWHPs及其聚集体也会形成混合物。过量的颗粒促进了吸附，但降低了MCT表面强结合颗粒的比例。界面剪切流变学表明，低含量（0.04% ~ 0.08%）的ZWHPs形成了高弹性、刚性的界面膜，而高含量（0.15% ~ 0.38%）的ZWHPs由于蛋白质聚集和限制结构重排而降低了粘弹性模量。这些发现强调了ZWHPs在油水界面形成水室的能力，从而丰富了乳状液界面结构模型。

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来源期刊

Food Hydrocolloids 工程技术-食品科技

CiteScore

19.90

自引率

14.00%

发文量

871

审稿时长

37 days

期刊介绍： Food Hydrocolloids publishes original and innovative research focused on the characterization, functional properties, and applications of hydrocolloid materials used in food products. These hydrocolloids, defined as polysaccharides and proteins of commercial importance, are added to control aspects such as texture, stability, rheology, and sensory properties. The research's primary emphasis should be on the hydrocolloids themselves, with thorough descriptions of their source, nature, and physicochemical characteristics. Manuscripts are expected to clearly outline specific aims and objectives, include a fundamental discussion of research findings at the molecular level, and address the significance of the results. Studies on hydrocolloids in complex formulations should concentrate on their overall properties and mechanisms of action, while simple formulation development studies may not be considered for publication. The main areas of interest are: -Chemical and physicochemical characterisation Thermal properties including glass transitions and conformational changes- Rheological properties including viscosity, viscoelastic properties and gelation behaviour- The influence on organoleptic properties- Interfacial properties including stabilisation of dispersions, emulsions and foams- Film forming properties with application to edible films and active packaging- Encapsulation and controlled release of active compounds- The influence on health including their role as dietary fibre- Manipulation of hydrocolloid structure and functionality through chemical, biochemical and physical processes- New hydrocolloids and hydrocolloid sources of commercial potential. The Journal also publishes Review articles that provide an overview of the latest developments in topics of specific interest to researchers in this field of activity.