Effect of Aqueous Phase Composition on Stability of Sodium Caseinate/Sunflower oil Emulsions

The aim of the present work was to investigate the effect of aqueous phase composition on the stability of emulsions formulated with 10 wt% sunflower oil as fat phase. Aqueous phase was formulated with 0.5, 2, or 5 wt% sodium caseinate, or sodium caseinate with the addition of two different hydrocolloids, xanthan gum or locust bean gum, both at 0.3 or 0.5 wt% level or sodium caseinate or with addition of 20 wt% sucrose. Emulsions were processed by Ultra-Turrax and then further homogenized by ultrasound. Creaming and flocculation kinetics were quantified by analyzing the samples with a Turbiscan MA 2000. Emulsions were also analyzed for particle size distribution, microstructure, viscosity, and dynamic surface properties. The most stable systems of all selected in the present work were the 0.3 or 0.5 wt% XG or 0.5 wt% LBG/0.5 wt% NaCas coarse emulsion and the 20 wt% sucrose/5 wt% NaCas fine emulsion. Surprisingly, coarse emulsions with the lower concentration of NaCas, which had greater D (4,3), were more stable than fine emulsions when the aqueous phase contained XG or LBG. In these conditions, the overall effect was less negative bulk interactions between hydrocolloids and sodium caseinate, which led to stability. Sugar interacted in a positive way, both in bulk and at the interface sites, producing more stable systems for small-droplet high-protein-concentration emulsions. This study shows the relevance of components interactions in microstructure and stability of caseinate emulsions.