Stability of Emulsions Using a New Natural Emulsifier: Sugar Beet Extract (Beta vulgaris L.)

• Published in: Food biophysics 2017-09, Vol.12 (3), p.269-278
• Main Authors: Ralla, Theo, Salminen, Hanna, Edelmann, Matthias, Dawid, Corinna, Hofmann, Thomas, Weiss, Jochen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analytical Chemistry; Beverage industry; Biological and Medical Physics; Biophysics; Calcium chloride; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Edible oils; Emulsifiers; Emulsion polymerization; Emulsions; Environmental stress; Extraction processes; Flowers & plants; Food industry; Food Science; Freeze-thawing; High temperature; Ionic strength; Melting; Original Article; Particle size; pH effects; Sodium chloride; Stability; Sugar; Sugar industry; Temperature effects; Thawing
• ISSN: 1557-1858; 1557-1866
• DOI: 10.1007/s11483-017-9482-7

This study describes the influence of environmental stresses on the stability of emulsions prepared by a natural sugar beet extract ( Beta vulgaris L.). The emulsion stabilizing performance was compared to that of Quillaja extract, which is widely used within the food and beverage industry as natural surfactant. We investigated the influence of pH, ionic strength, heating and freeze-thawing on the mean particle size, ζ-potential and microstructure of oil-in-water emulsions (10% w /w oil, 0.75% w /w emulsifier). The emulsions stabilized by the anionic sugar beet extract were stable at pH 5–8 and against thermal treatments up to 60 °C. However, the prepared emulsions were unstable at acidic (pH 2–4) and basic pH conditions (pH 9), at high temperature (>60 °C), and at salt additions (> 0.1 M NaCl / CaCl 2 ). Moreover, they also phase separated upon freeze-thawing. Our results show that sugar beet extract is capable of stabilizing emulsions and may therefore be suitable as natural emulsifier for selected applications in the food and beverage industry.