Modulation of physicochemical properties of emulsified lipids by chitosan addition

Electrostatic interactions between polysaccharides and proteins at oil-water interfaces alter the physicochemical properties and stability of emulsions. In this research, we studied the influence of chitosan addition on the properties of oil-in-water emulsions containing whey protein-coated lipid droplets. Experiments were carried out under conditions where the protein and polysaccharide had similar charges (pH 3.0) or opposite charges (pH 6.5). At pH 3.0, chitosan addition (0-0.025%) had little influence on droplet charge, aggregation, creaming stability or shear viscosity of whey protein emulsions, which was attributed to the fact that the cationic chitosan molecules did not adsorb to the cationic droplet surfaces due to electrostatic repulsion. At pH 6.5, chitosan addition caused a decrease in particle negative charge, an increase in particle size, a decrease in creaming stability, and an increase in viscosity. These effects were attributed to droplet aggregation caused by charge neutralization and bridging resulting from attraction of cationic chitosan molecules to anionic patches on the protein-coated droplet surfaces. Addition of cationic polyelectrolytes to protein-stabilized emulsions may be utilized to control their physicochemical properties, stability and biological fate, which may be useful for developing commercial products with novel or improved functional properties. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.