The influence of protein/phospholipid ratio on the physicochemical and interfacial properties of biomimetic milk fat globules

The effect of protein/phospholipid ratio on the physicochemical and interfacial properties of biomimetic milk fat globules (BMFGs) was investigated. Butter milk phospholipid (BMP) vesicles prepared with ultrasonication were mixed with whey protein isolate (WPI) at different protein/phospholipid ratios (w/w). After emulsification, the Turbiscan stability index (TSI) was used to quantify the initial stability of BMFGs. At different pH values, visual observation and CLSM were performed to obtain the macro stability and microstructure of BMFGs. In addition, large amplitude oscillatory surface rheology was applied and analysed with Lissajous curves, to explore the oil/water interfacial properties of BMFGs in the nonlinear viscoelastic regime. The TSI indicated a faster creaming rate of BMP stabilized droplets compared to those stabilized by WPI. The macro stability of WPI/BMP co-stabilized BMFGs at different pH was dominated by WPI and BMFGs prepared at the WPI/BMP ratio of 20:80 phase separated from pH 3.0 to 5.0. At acidic pH, the WPI/BMP ratios strongly affected the coalescence and flocculation of BMFGs at the micro level. The surface elasticity indicated that WPI dominated the rheological properties of WPI/BMP co-stabilized oil/water interfaces. Besides, the significant dependence of surface elasticity on deformation amplitudes within the nonlinear regime of WPI stabilized oil/water interfaces indicated a clearly different structure from BMP stabilized interfaces. Conclusively, results of this study showed that the physicochemical and interfacial properties of BMFGs were significantly influenced by the protein/phospholipid ratio in the bulk, which needs to be considered in the design and application of biomimetic milk fat globules.