The use of mucilage obtained from vegetable oil sources in the preparation of o/w emulsions

CAPITANI M.I.; NOLASCO S.M.; TOMÁS M.C.

Seed Oil: Biological Properties, Health Benefits and Commercial Applications

Nova Science Publishers, Inc

Año: 2014; p. 55 - 68

One of the factors that markedly affects the characteristics and stability of oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions is the presence of polysaccharides in the aqueous phase. O/W emulsions (20:80 wt/wt) were prepared with refined corn oil and dispersions with ≥0.75% mucilage (6.8 and 18.8% protein content) and 0.1% Tween 80, and they presented very good stability during storage for 120 days at 4±1ºC (backscattering value 78%). The emulsions prepared with mucilage with lower protein (6.8%) and lipid content (0.9%) were more stable. The stability of O/W emulsions (40:60 wt/wt) prepared with canola oil and dispersions of mucilage extracted from locust bean and flax seeds was higher when the mucilage concentration was increased from 0.5 to 1.5% in the aqueous phase of the emulsion, whereas the emulsions formulated with mucilage from fenugreek seeds exhibited high stability (100%) during all the storage time (90 days, 25±1ºC) and for all the mucilage concentrations tested (0.5-1.5%). It was also found that flax mucilage reduces the creaming phase in carrot juices, and helps to stabilize meat products by its interactions with the meat proteins. In general, polysaccharide dispersions increased the viscosity of the aqueous phase of the emulsions, limiting the mobility of the oil droplets in the dispersed phase to migrate, and therefore to flocculate or coalesce. Thus the physical stability of O/W emulsions against gravitational phase separation can be improved with the addition of chia mucilage, given its role as a thickening agent.