Technofunctionality of β-Lg and β-Lg Nanosized Particles at Air/Water and Oil/Water Interfaces as a Function of Structural and Surface Characteristics

Abstract

Different perspectives exist on how particle properties and continuous and dispersed phase characteristics affect the formation and stabilization of foams and emulsions. Therefore, β-Lg particles of varying size or surface hydrophobicity were produced and analyzed for their interfacial behavior, foaming, and emulsifying properties using different types of oil (medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) and sunflower (SF) oil). At a fixed particle size, an increased surface hydrophobicity resulted in a decreased initial activity at both air/water and oil/water interfaces as well as in lower foam and emulsion stabilities. This indicates that the distribution of the hydrophobic patches is more decisive than the absolute surface hydrophobicity. At a fixed surface hydrophobicity, the initial foam bubble size increased with increasing particle size, while, unexpectedly, foam stability also increased. In the case of emulsions, the oil type did not affect emulsion stability despite a higher interfacial activity at the MCT/water compared to that at the SF/water interface.