Impact of Whey Protein Emulsifiers on the Oxidative Stability of Salmon Oil-in-Water Emulsions

Abstract

To obtain a better understanding of how the interfacial region of emulsion droplets influences lipid oxidation, the oxidative stability of salmon oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by whey protein isolate (WPI), sweet whey (SW), beta-lactoglobulin (beta-Lg), or alpha-lactalbumin (alpha-La) was evaluated. Studies on the influence of pH on lipid oxidation in WPI-stabilized emulsions showed that formation of lipid hydroperoxides and headspace propanal was much lower at pH values below the protein's isoelectric point (pI), at which the emulsion droplets were positively charged, compared to that at pH values above the pI, at which the emulsion droplets were negatively charged. This effect was likely due to the ability of positively charged emulsion droplets to repel cationic iron. In a comparison of lipid oxidation rates of WPI-, SW-, beta-Lg-, and alpha-La-stabilized emulsions at pH 3, the oxidative stability was in the order of beta-Lg > or = SW > alpha-La > or = WPI. The result indicated that it was possible to engineer emulsions with greater oxidative stability by using proteins as emulsifier, thereby reducing or eliminating the need for exogenous food antioxidants.