Emulsification is the most important process in the manufacturing of many formulated foods. Food emulsions are classified as macroemulsions with droplet size of 0.2 to 50 f..lm. Emulsion represents a heterogeneous mixture of fat globules. Food emulsions can be of the oil in water (OfW) or water in oil (W/0) type. The difference between OfW and W/0 emulsions is that an OfW emulsion commonly exhibits a creamy texture, while a W/0 system has greasy textural properties.Protein emulsifying activity is the ability of the protein to participate in emulsion formation and to stabilize the newly created emulsion. The emulsifying capacity is the ability of the protein solution or suspension to emulsify oil. Emulsifying properties are useful functional characteristics which play an important role in the development of new sources of plant protein products for uses as foods. Proteins are the components that dominate in most food emulsions. A significant number of foods are emulsions, dispersions, and foams, and in these systems, proteins, in combination with lipids and carbohydrates, are important stabilizers. The review of Halling [1] on the use of food proteins as stabilizers of emulsions and foams, provides extensive references to earlier reviews and reports. Walstra [2] presented the physical and colloidal aspects of emulsification and whipping for milk and milk products.Required functional properties of proteins are affected by product utilization, for example in dairy foods, emulsifying properties are important, and milk substitutes should possess proper emulsifying capacity (EC), color, mouthfeel, flavor and solubility characteristics. In comminuted and other meats, limiting functional properties are: water holding capacity, emulsifying capacity, and emulsion stability (ES), fat binding and resistance of the functional properties to heat treatment. Comparative studies of the emulsifying properties of different proteins are difficult until all factors influencing protein emulsifying properties and methods of testing are standardized.The characteristics used to describe emulsifying properties of proteins are EC, ES, and emulsifying activity (EA). They are used to describe the emulsifying properties of proteins in food emulsion systems. EC is presented as the amount of J. F. Zayas, Functionality of Proteins in Food © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 1997 1. Diffusion of proteins to the interface, 2. Protein adsorption at the interface, 3. Changes of protein conformation resulted from unfolding and reorientation of protein molecules.
140The first step in surface film formation is protein diffusion to the interface.During emulsification the soluble protein diffuses and concentrates at the interface. The diffusion is influenced by protein concentration, molecular size, temperature, pH, ionic strength, and solubility. Soy proteins diffuse slowly to the interface when compared to other food proteins (whey proteins and caseinates). The difference in diffusion rate is probably related to the large size of soy protein particles...