Effect of emulsion formulation on characteristics of pea protein-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions

The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of emulsion formulation on characteristics of oil-in-water emulsions. Varying concentrations of biopolymers including maltodextrin, gum arabic and pea protein were used in the formulation of emulsions created according to an extreme vertices design. Mean droplet size of oil-in-water emulsions changed between 0.9-2.5 µm and decreased with increasing pea protein concentration. Creaming stability ranged between 9-100% and increased as the concentration of pea protein increased. The results of this research suggest that pea protein can be utilized as an emulsifier for oil-in-water emulsions with low oil concentration as it has the ability to decrease the mean droplet size and increase creaming stability of the emulsions.