Influence of the presence of monoglyceride on the interfacial properties of soy protein isolate.

BACKGROUND: This study focused on the contribution of soy protein isolate (SPI), in the absence or presence of monostearin (ME), to surface and interfacial properties as a function of protein concentration and pH, which is relevant to the physical stability of a variety of food systems. RESULTS: An increase in protein content always yielded a rapid decrease in surface tension followed by an evolution towards an asymptotic value. Addition of ME gave rise to mixed SPI/ME films, although the interface became dominated by SPI above the concentration for interfacial saturation. The relative interfacial shear viscosity of SPI films showed a marked dependence on: aging time, which may be attributed to a reorganisation of protein species at the interface with some penetration of hydrophobic parts into the oil phase; shear forces, which may partially reverse this reorganisation, leading to shear-thickening behaviour; and pH, which is the key factor controlling which SPI species is predominant at the interface. The effect of adding ME also depends on pH, favouring a reinforcement of SPI/ME films only at low pH, at which 3S and 7S fractions are dominant. CONCLUSION: The results obtained indicate that SPI shows excellent potential to favour stabilisation of air/water and oil/water interfaces in food systems.

Effect of pectin, starch, and locust bean gum on the interfacial activity of monostearin and ß-lactoglobulin.

UNLABELLED: The behavior of some hydrocolloids widely used as stabilizers of low-oil-content water emulsions (starch, pectins, and a locust bean gum-pectin blend) at the air-water and model oil-water interface is analyzed. Their influence on the surface and interface activity of typical food emulsifiers, such as ß-lactoglobulin and monostearin, is also considered. It is demonstrated that the greatest interfacial activity is provided by one of the commercial pectins studied. It is capable of modifying the characteristics of monostearin and ß-lactoglobulin interfacial films in a different way depending on both the nature of the oil phase and the type of surfactant used. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This research may contribute not only to enhance the final-consumer life quality by optimizing low-oil-content food emulsion formulations which contain "natural" stabilizers, but also to increase the added value of by-products of some fruit juices as well as of sugar factories since pectin can be manufactured not only from citrus and apple peels but also from sugar beet pulps.

Influence of the presence of monoglyceride on the interfacial properties of wheat gluten.

BACKGROUND: The physical stability of several food systems depends strongly on their interfacial properties, which may be modified by adding proteins and low-molecular-weight surfactants to their formulation. This study deals with the possibility of using wheat gluten to alter the surface and interfacial properties of an aqueous system, considering the effects of protein concentration, pH and the presence of monostearin. RESULTS: It was generally found that the surface tension decreased as the protein concentration increased, reaching a minimum value at 0.5 g kg(-1). The influence of protein concentration on surface tension was much greater than the effect of pH owing to the low ionic character of wheat gluten protein. At acidic and alkaline pH values the interfacial viscosity of the protein system underwent a significant increase with time. The addition of monostearin either promoted the displacement of protein molecules at the interface or generated an interfacial mixed film with surface tension values lower than those of both single components, depending on the pH. CONCLUSION: The results obtained indicate that gluten can contribute to the stabilisation of air/water and oil/water interfaces in some food systems (emulsions, foams, etc.).

Surface tension and rheology of aqueous dispersed systems containing a new hydrophobically modified polymer and surfactants.

This article reports data supporting that the hydroxypropyl cellulose-methyl methacrylate (HCMMA) hydrophobically modified polymer studied is surface-active at the air-water interface due to its amphiphilic nature. Surface tension measurements of diluted solutions point to the formation of a complex between this copolymer and a polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether non-ionic surfactant of high HLB. Conversely, no indications of specific interactions were found either with a polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether non-ionic surfactant of intermediate HLB or with an anionic surfactant such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The physical stability of such dispersions depended on the surfactant used. The HCMMA/SDS systems studied showed phase separation shortly after preparation, while the dispersions with the non-ionic surfactant of higher HLB exhibited at least short-term stability and Newtonian behaviour. Foam-like dispersions of HCMMA-surfactant systems with intermediate HLB presented long-term stability, underlying the important role of hydrophobic interactions in these systems. One of the latter dispersions and the corresponding continuous phase were rheologically characterised by small amplitude oscillatory shear and flow curve experiments and exhibited a high Newtonian viscosity up to a critical shear stress followed by a shear thinning as well as weak-gel viscoelastic properties. The results obtained support that (a) the continuous phase presents a complex microstructure, which required the use of a serrated sensor system to avoid the occurrence of wall depletion phenomena, (b) it controls the rheology of the whole dispersion and (c) the latter showed both physical stability and rheological properties suitable for applications as controlled release systems in pharmacy or cosmetics.