Dairy and plant proteins as natural food emulsifiers

Background: Due to perceived health benefits and increasing consumption trends, plant proteins in their entirety or as partial substitutes have been employed in various food formulations. With the demand for 'clean label', there is an increasing need to develop proteins from plant sources as natural food emulsifiers, with comparable properties to traditionally used dairy proteins. A comprehensive and systematic comparison between emulsifying properties of dairy and plant proteins is of interest to the food industry, with the shift towards reducing the usage of animal proteins in food manufacturing. Scope and approach: This review presents the comparison between dairy and plant proteins as natural food emulsifiers, underlining the mechanisms elicited from their structures and compositions. It covers the factors influencing the performance of mixed protein systems in emulsion, and the trends for food developers regarding potential applications. Key findings and conclusions: The emulsifying properties of food proteins are highly dependent on protein sources, structure, molecular weight, and adsorption behavior. Insights into the relationship between protein structure and emulsifying functionality of dairy and plant proteins under specific conditions, and the suitability of plant proteins as alternative to dairy proteins as natural food emulsifiers are provided.