Influence of carboxymethylcellulose on the interaction between ovalbumin and tannic acid via noncovalent bonds and its effects on emulsifying properties

Abstract Ovalbumin (OVA) is widely used in the food industry due to its good emulsifying properties. However, polyphenols and polysaccharides in food may influence the interfacial properties of OVA. In our work, carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and tannic acid (TA) were mixed with OVA at pH 4.0 and 7.0. The results indicated that there was noncovalent binding among OVA, CMC and TA, which affected the spatial structures of OVA. The emulsifying ability of OVA stabilized emulsions decreased after binding with CMC and/or TA, due to the reduction in interfacial activities. Additionally, TA reduced the emulsion stability. However, the stability of the emulsions with and without TA could be improved by CMC, especially at pH 4.0. CMC reduced the binding affinity of OVA and TA and increased the electrostatic repulsion of the continuous phase, resulting in increased stability against creaming. Our study was conducted to provide a reference for OVA use in the food industry.