Ultrasonic preparation of olive oil pickering emulsion stabilized by modified starch [pdf]

Background. In order to obtain a stable emulsion system for food products fortified by bioactive compounds, it is necessary to add an emulsifier and stabilizer. Because food has a close relationship with health, it would be better if the emulsifier and stabilizer came from natural ingredients. One natural compound which acts as a stabilizer is polysaccharides. This research involved an investigation of the stabilization of oil in water emulsion using modified polysaccharides and its complex with a surfactant. Materials and methods. Food grade extra virgin olive oil was used as the oil phase. Pickering emulsion was prepared by adding starch particles as an emulsion stabilizer. Corn starch was used as the starch source and modified using gelatinization methods without any addition of chemicals. As for the polysaccharide-surfactant complex, the modified starch was combined with a food-grade nonionic surfactant – Tween-80. Results. The results show that the addition of the stabilizer did not have any specific impact on the density or viscosity of the emulsion product. However, it somehow helped to stabilise the emulsion, as proven by the turbidity profile and the microscopic morphology investigation. Conclusion. Stable olive oil Pickering emulsions were successfully prepared with the assistance of an ultrasonic homogenizer and a modified corn starch-Tween 80 combination as a stabilizer.