Water-soluble biopolymers from heat-treated and high pressure homogenized vegetable purees: investigating their emulsion forming and stabilizing capacities

The emulsion forming and stabilizing capacities of water-soluble biopolymers originating from the aqueous (serum) phase of heat-treated and high pressure homogenized purees were investigated. The serum biopolymers were characterized and then utilized as emulsifier/stabilizer in simple oil-in-water emulsions. The resulting emulsions were stored at 4 & DEG;C and monitored for 2 weeks. Results revealed that carrot and tomato sera contained higher amounts of pectin and lower protein compared to broccoli. The serum pectic biopolymers exhibited distinct molecular structures, depending on the vegetable origin. Given these natural biopolymer composition and characteristics, emulsions with small droplet sizes were observed at pH 3.5. However, emulsions at pH 6.0 showed large mean droplet sizes, except for the emulsion formulated with carrot serum. Regardless of the pH, emulsions containing carrot serum biopolymers exhibited high capacity to form fine emulsions that were stable during the 2-week storage period at low temperature. This study clearly shows the capacity of natural water-soluble biopolymers isolated from the serum phase of vegetable purees to form fine emulsion droplets and maintain its stability during storage, especially in the case of carrot serum biopolymers.

Automated summary

This study investigated the emulsion forming and stabilizing capacities of water-soluble biopolymers isolated from the serum phase of vegetable purees. Carrot and tomato sera were found to contain higher amounts of pectin and lower protein compared to broccoli. The molecular structures of serum pectic biopolymers varied depending on the vegetable origin. The pH of the emulsions significantly affected their stability and droplet sizes, with carrot serum biopolymers showing the ability to form stable emulsions with small droplet sizes.