Dairy and plant proteins as natural food emulsifiers

• Published in: Trends in food science & technology Vol. 105; pp. 261 - 272
• Main Authors: Kim, Woojeong, Wang, Yong, Selomulya, Cordelia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2020; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Dairy products; Dairy protein; Emulsifier; Emulsifiers; Food; Food industry; Food plants; Food processing industry; Food sources; Molecular structure; Molecular weight; Natural & organic foods; Plant protein; Properties (attributes); Protein adsorption; Protein functionality; Protein sources; Protein structure; Proteins; Trends; Plant protein; Emulsifier; Protein functionality; Protein structure; Protein adsorption; Dairy protein
• ISSN: 0924-2244; 1879-3053
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tifs.2020.09.012

Due to perceived health benefits and increasing consumption trends, plant proteins in their entirety or as partial substitutes have been employed in various food formulations. With the demand for ‘clean label’, there is an increasing need to develop proteins from plant sources as natural food emulsifiers, with comparable properties to traditionally used dairy proteins. A comprehensive and systematic comparison between emulsifying properties of dairy and plant proteins is of interest to the food industry, with the shift towards reducing the usage of animal proteins in food manufacturing. This review presents the comparison between dairy and plant proteins as natural food emulsifiers, underlining the mechanisms elicited from their structures and compositions. It covers the factors influencing the performance of mixed protein systems in emulsion, and the trends for food developers regarding potential applications. The emulsifying properties of food proteins are highly dependent on protein sources, structure, molecular weight, and adsorption behavior. Insights into the relationship between protein structure and emulsifying functionality of dairy and plant proteins under specific conditions, and the suitability of plant proteins as alternative to dairy proteins as natural food emulsifiers are provided. •Protein composition and structure influence adsorption behavior at oil/water interfaces.•Dairy proteins are predominant natural emulsifiers in food and beverage formulations.•Particle based Pickering stabilizer from plant sources have potential as alternative options from dairy proteins.•Emulsifying properties can be improved by utilizing mixed dairy and plant protein emulsifiers.