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High-amylose maize starch (HAS) was used to produce a fibrous 3D network nanosystem aiming at providing an efficient and stable emulsion stabilizer characterized by being robust against storage, freeze-thawing, high temperatures and mechanical shearing. This approach is principally different from the usually applied stabili-zation systems based on surfactants or small solid particles. Here, we utilized a sodium hydroxide-based low -temperature, chemical gelatinization protocol to minimize molecular degradation, and ethanol nanoprecipitation to reassociate the polysaccharides nanoparticles (NPs) to form a 3D nanosystem. Octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) substitution was used for modulation of the amphipathic properties of the nanosystem to enhance the emulsfying capacity. With increased OSA substitution, light transmittance of the NPs solutions increased and the size distribution of the NPs decreased down to 100 nm. The obtained emulsions were characterized by being water in oil (W/O) systems, and the NPs were distributed in the oil phase. OSA substitution and NPs concen-tration contributed combinedly to the emulsification capacity. The nanosystem, at 5% concentration with 20% OSA modification, had droplets of approximately 1 mu m in diameter, and could withstand a 60-day-long storage, five-cycle freeze-thaw and thermal stability tests. In addition, it also displayed higher mechanical stabilities to shear-thinning.

High-amylose maize starch (HAS) was used to produce a fibrous 3D network nanosystem aiming at providing an efficient and stable emulsion stabilizer characterized by being robust against storage, freeze-thawing, high temperatures and mechanical shearing. This approach is principally different from the usually applied stabili-zation systems based on surfactants or small solid particles. Here, we utilized a sodium hydroxide-based low -temperature, chemical gelatinization protocol to minimize molecular degradation, and ethanol nanoprecipitation to reassociate the polysaccharides nanoparticles (NPs) to form a 3D nanosystem. Octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA) substitution was used for modulation of the amphipathic properties of the nanosystem to enhance the emulsfying capacity. With increased OSA substitution, light transmittance of the NPs solutions increased and the size distribution of the NPs decreased down to 100 nm. The obtained emulsions were characterized by being water in oil (W/O) systems, and the NPs were distributed in the oil phase. OSA substitution and NPs concen-tration contributed combinedly to the emulsification capacity. The nanosystem, at 5% concentration with 20% OSA modification, had droplets of approximately 1 mu m in diameter, and could withstand a 60-day-long storage, five-cycle freeze-thaw and thermal stability tests. In addition, it also displayed higher mechanical stabilities to shear-thinning.

Water-in-oil-in-water (W1/O/W2 ) emulsions are complex delivery systems for polyphe-nols amongst other bio-actives. To stabilize the oil–water interphase, dairy proteins are commonly employed, which are ideally replaced by other, more sustainable sources, such as insect proteins. In this study, lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus) protein concentrate (LMPC) is assessed and compared to whey protein (WPI) and pea protein (PPI), to stabilize W1/O/W2 emulsions and encapsulate a commercial polyphenol. The results show that LMPC is able to stabilize W1/O/W2 emulsions comparably to whey protein and pea protein when using a low-energy membrane emulsification system. The final droplet size (d4,3) is 7.4 µm and encapsulation efficiency is between 72 and 74%, regardless of the protein used. Under acidic conditions, the LMPC shows a similar performance to whey protein and outperforms pea protein. Under alkaline conditions, the three proteins perform similarly, while the LMPC-stabilized emulsions are less able to withstand osmotic pressure differences. The LMPC stabilized emulsions are also more prone to droplet coalescence after a freeze–thaw cycle than the WPI-stabilized ones, but they are the most stable when exposed to the highest temperatures tested (90?C). The results show LMPC’s ability to stabilize multiple emulsions and encapsulate a polyphenol, which opens the door for application in foods. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Freeze-thaw (FT) stability is often used to assess the ability of a gel to support the damage induced byfreezing; selected parameters such as drip loss, damage to structure etc can be used to assess the freezetolerance of a gel. Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a very specific hydrocolloid able to trap 100 timesits weight in water; it has not been studied so far as an improver to enhance FT stability. The aim of the study was to show that the presence of a small quantity of konjac glucomannan (KGM)in potato starch suspension increased the stability of carvacrol antioxidant trapping. FT cycles wereused to accelerate the ageing of the product and to assess its stability. In addition to drip lossesdetermination, the stability of carvacrol trapping was evaluated by the quantification of carvacrol inthe syneresis liquid. Microscopic and macroscopic scales were considered with microscopy. Themoment of the addition of carvacrol and the presence of KGM both had an effect on the stability ofcarvacrol trapping and of the structure of the gel. KGM promoted amylose retrogradation but sloweddown amylopectin retrogradation. The stability of potato starch gels can be improved by the addition of a small quantity of KGM, which showed a "cryoprotectant" behaviour. New method to characterizethe micro and macrostructure from SEM images processing has also been proposed. The processing ofmicroscopy images was done using Generalized Fourier Descriptors and allowed the characterization of each sample. The carvacrol addition lowered the physical stability of the gel with larger pores and increased syneresis. On the contrary, the KGM addition increased the size of the pores but preventedthe formation of very large pores and reduced syneresis. The most stable system was obtained by theaddition of carvacrol at the end of heating, in a konjac glucomannane potato starch gel. © 2018 International Institute of Refrigeration. All rights reserved.

Freeze-thaw (FT) stability is often used to assess the ability of a gel to support the damage induced byfreezing; selected parameters such as drip loss, damage to structure etc can be used to assess the freezetolerance of a gel. Konjac glucomannan (KGM) is a very specific hydrocolloid able to trap 100 timesits weight in water; it has not been studied so far as an improver to enhance FT stability. The aim of the study was to show that the presence of a small quantity of konjac glucomannan (KGM)in potato starch suspension increased the stability of carvacrol antioxidant trapping. FT cycles wereused to accelerate the ageing of the product and to assess its stability. In addition to drip lossesdetermination, the stability of carvacrol trapping was evaluated by the quantification of carvacrol inthe syneresis liquid. Microscopic and macroscopic scales were considered with microscopy. Themoment of the addition of carvacrol and the presence of KGM both had an effect on the stability ofcarvacrol trapping and of the structure of the gel. KGM promoted amylose retrogradation but sloweddown amylopectin retrogradation. The stability of potato starch gels can be improved by the addition of a small quantity of KGM, which showed a "cryoprotectant" behaviour. New method to characterizethe micro and macrostructure from SEM images processing has also been proposed. The processing ofmicroscopy images was done using Generalized Fourier Descriptors and allowed the characterization of each sample. The carvacrol addition lowered the physical stability of the gel with larger pores and increased syneresis. On the contrary, the KGM addition increased the size of the pores but preventedthe formation of very large pores and reduced syneresis. The most stable system was obtained by theaddition of carvacrol at the end of heating, in a konjac glucomannane potato starch gel. © 2018 International Institute of Refrigeration. All rights reserved.

The emulsion stabilization functionality of surfactants and biopolymers can be replaced by solid particles adsorbed at the interface, where they create a category of emulsions known as Pickering emulsions. Recently, health and environmental concerns have led to new market demand for natural, biodegradable and renewable sources of ingredients. Starch granules meet these ingredient requirements and are also good candidates for stabilization of Pickering type emulsions due to their properties such as neutral color, taste, odor and being non-allergic. Starch granules are generally hydrophilic and in order to improve their emulsifying capacity they are modified with hydrophobic groups. The most widely used chemical modification is esterification with acid anhydride, such as octenyl succinic anhydride (OSA). Emulsions stabilized by OSA modified starch have shown to have high stability. Moreover, the application of a heat treatment can induce a partial gelatinization of the starch at the oil-water interface, which leads to changes in interfacial properties of the starch granule stabilized emulsions. This thesis focuses on the development and application of starch Pickering emulsions and has been carried out along three main lines of investigation where each line has its own section in the thesis. In the first section, the preparation and properties of oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by starch granules with small sizes, including quinoa, rice and amaranth, were investigated. In the second section, the process and encapsulation stabilities of the emulsions were evaluated in the context of simple oil-in-water and double water-in-oil-in-water emulsions, with or without heat treatment. In the third section, the physical and encapsulation stabilities of the emulsions during in vitro digestion were evaluated. Quinoa starch granules showed to have higher emulsifying efficiency both in the initial state and after accelerated stability testing. Moreover, the heat induced gelatiniz

Syneresis, the liquid separation from a food product, is one of the major challenges in the frozen food industry. It is often accelerated by unintentional temperature fluctuations, i.e. repeated freezing and thawing during distribution, transportation, storage, and consumption. It has been demonstrated that the combination of xanthan and curdlan is capable of reducing syneresis up to five freeze-thaw cycles (FTCs) with relatively stable rheological and textural properties. The present study aimed at developing an effective mixture of whey protein isolate (WPI) and xanthan-curdlan hydrogel complex (XCHC) to minimize moisture migration over multiple FTCs. The addition of XCHC to WPI solution significantly reduced the syneresis of heat-induced gels, increased the storage modulus (G') of the gels, reduced the minimum concentration of whey protein isolate required to form a gel, and minimized the discrepancies of G' in frequency sweep tests over 5 FTCs. By comparing the microstructure of mixed WPI-XCHC and pure WPI gels, it was found that XCHC served as a pore-forming agent, namely increasing the porosity, reducing the pore size, and consequently improving the gel's water retention over multiple FTCs. Results from dynamic rheological measurements showed that both G' and the gelation temperature of mixed WPI-XCHC complex were strongly pH-dependent. Moreover, the interactions between WPI and XCHC in aqueous solution were characterized. An edible coating solution containing the mixture of WPI, xanthan, and curdlan was tested on mushroom and green bell pepper. Fresh mushroom and green bell pepper samples treated with WPI-XCHC significantly prevented moisture migration after 10 days of frozen storage. The coating also decreased the changes of whiteness and greenness in mushroom and bell pepper, respectively, while significantly improved the firmness of bell peppers. Such information could provide useful guidelines when designing novel food products utilizing the unique proper