Design principles of oil‐in‐water emulsions with functionalized interfaces: Mixed, multilayer, and covalent complex structures

Abstract

Proteins and polysaccharides are widely used as ingredients in food emulsions due to their high biocompatibility, good biodegradability, and a broad range of techno-functionalities. In particular, they are used as emulsifiers, texture modifiers, and stabilizers in many emulsion-based foods. Moreover, the functionality of these biopolymers can be extended by forming protein-polysaccharide complexes that can be used to modulate the characteristics of the oil-water interface, thereby altering the stability and performance of food emulsions. This review highlights a number of approaches to modulate the interfacial properties of oil-in-water emulsions based on the utilization of protein-polysaccharide complexes: direct mixing, layer-by-layer assembly, and conjugation. Besides, the impact of altering the interfacial properties on emulsion performance is highlighted, including their formation, stability, and functional attributes. Interfacial engineering approaches can be used to tailor the properties of food emulsions to particular applications. For instance, they can be used to create emulsionbased delivery systems for bioactive agents, such as vitamins, nutraceuticals, antimicrobials, colors, flavors, and antioxidants. Moreover, they can be used to create emulsion-based foods with lower calorie contents and enhanced satiety responses. Nevertheless, it is important to account for various factors when developing successful interfacial engineering technologies, including safety concerns, production costs, environmental impact, sustainability, government regulations, and labeling issues.

Application of Advanced Emulsion Technology in the Food Industry: A Review and Critical Evaluation

“…Nanoemulsions have also been utilized to incorporate active ingredients into edible coatings designed to extend the shelf life of foods. For example, fortification using edible films with either ginger oil or curcumin/cinnamon oil nanoemulsions has been shown to extend the shelf life of chicken breast fillets [15,16]. Similarly, edible films loaded with citrus oil nanoemulsions have been shown to inhibit the growth of microorganisms on fish (silvery pomfret) during refrigerated storage [17].…”

“…Similarly, chitosan-alginate multilayer emulsions have been shown to preserve the antioxidant capacity of curcumin during digestion better than conventional emulsions [23]. Moreover, it is possible to modulate the delivery of encapsulated substances by controlling the number, type, and sequence of polyelectrolytes in the multilayer emulsions, as well as the deposition conditions used [15]. For example, the bioaccessibility of β-carotene was 30.2% for lactoferrin-coated oil droplets, 35.3% for lactoferrin-alginate-coated ones, and 70.1% for lactoferrin-alginate-ε-poly-L-lysine-coated ones [59].…”

Recent progress in oil-in-water-in-oil (O/W/O) double emulsions

“…Different emulsifiers have been utilized to formulate O/W/O emulsions, including synthetic surfactants and biopolymers. Numerous reports have shown that the types of the emulsifiers directly affect the properties of the interfaces, further altering the stability of emulsions (Li, McClements, et al 2020;Zembyla, Murray, and Sarkar 2020). Therefore, the selection of interfacial stabilizers is crucial for the stability of the double emulsion.…”

From Sugar to Nutritional Products – Product Form Development

“…[52,56] Compared to other hydrocolloids such as gum Arabic lower amounts are required to stabilize emulsions. [53,57,58] In contrast to sugar beet-derived pectin, citrus-derived pectin has a higher molecular size, a lower degree of acetylation, and a lower protein content leading to a rather low surface activity. [52,59] Nevertheless, various sources for pectin derived from by-products are available on the market with each product aiming at different applications.…”