The current study compares the emulsifying properties of Persian gum (PG) and gum Arabic (GA) in emulsions. The effects of concentration (0.5-3% w/v PG, 2.5-15% w/v PG), pH (2-7), ionic strength [NaCl, CaCl 2 (0-300 mM)], and temperature (40-90°C) were investigated. The surface-volume mean diameter (D 32 ) of the emulsions showed that the minimum values were 9.89 ± 0.68 and 4.52 ± 0.03 µm for emulsions containing 1.5% w/v PG and 15% w/v GA, respectively. In addition, the zeta potential of PG and GA emulsion changed from −23.5 to −39.5 and −30.5 to −46.0 mV, respectively. The interfacial tensions of PG and GA emulsions were varied in the ranges of 34.0-15.0 and 29.0-9.0 mN/m, respectively. Changes in the D 32 value of GA emulsions showed were not significantly different (p > 0.05) with respect to the effects of pH, NaCl, CaCl 2, and temperature. The NaCl concentration had no significant effect on D 32 ; but its value decreased from 13.11 to 5.70 µm as the CaCl 2 concentration increased. The interfacial tension of PG significantly increased with decreasing pH 7-2 and increasing 0-300 mM salts. After heating (25-90°C), the D 32 values of PG and GA emulsions changed to 11.04-14.54 and 4.21-4.21 μm, respectively. The results of this study can be useful for the application of PG as an emulsifier in beverage emulsions.
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