Enhancing the stability of zein pickering foams via hydrophilic reassembly with sugar alcohols and glycosides: A structural and molecular investigation

• Published in: Food hydrocolloids 2024-08, Vol.153, p.110028, Article 110028
• Main Authors: Qu, Zihan, Chen, Guiyun, Yang, Tongliang, Niu, Fushen, Bian, Yaqing, Yang, Cheng, Chen, Ye, Li, Shuhong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adsorption; animals; foams; Gibbs free energy; Glucoside; glycosides; hydrocolloids; hydrogen; Hydrophilic reassembly; hydrophilicity; hydrophobicity; liquid-air interface; maltitol; mannitol; micelles; molecular dynamics; Pickering foamed food; solubility; stevioside; sucralose; Sugar alcohol; van der Waals forces; Zein
• ISSN: 0268-005X; 1873-7137
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2024.110028

Sucralose (Suc), maltitol (Mal), mannitol (Man), and stevioside (Ste) — a group of alcohol-soluble sugar derivatives with different contents and molecular configurations of hydrophilic groups — were complexed with deaminated zein to significantly enhance the stability of zein-based Pickering foams and develop new composite coacervates to replace animal protein-based foams. Compared with Suc, Mal, and Man, Ste induced better hydrophilic reassembly in zein by forming stronger van der Waals forces and hydrogen bonds, leading to optimum foamability (+160.66%) and foam stability (+17.11%). Moreover, it increased the solubility (+0.07 mg/mL) and decreased the surface hydrophobicity index (−24.88) of zein. These enhancements could primarily be attributed to alterations in the aggregation conformation and hydrophobic interactions within Ste/ZN. Subsequently, SEM and CLSM confirmed that due to the amphiphilic structure of Ste, dispersed zein micelles could aggregate into complex stacking structures. The increase in random coils (+2.48%) and β-sheets (+2.93%) indicated the enhanced flexibility of the zein chain, thereby facilitating zein adsorption and unfolding at the air-water interface. Moreover, molecular simulation demonstrated that an average of 3.1 hydrogen bonds were formed between zein and Ste, and the average binding free energy was −14.20 kcal/mol. These findings provide novel evidence and theoretical guidance for the development of highly stable plant protein-based food foams. The enhancement of Pickering foam stability holds significant implications for the storage and development of high-performance food foams. [Display omitted] •The foam properties of zein were effectively improved following deamination and combination with mannitol and stevioside.•Sugar derivatives improved the flexibility and hydrophilic aggregation of zein, increasing its stability and solubility.•The optimum foamability of Ste/ZN was attributed to greater hydrogen bond formation and reduced hydrophobicity.•Ste/ZN is a promising sweetening agent for highly stable Pickering foamed foods.