Emulsifying properties of hydrolyzed sunflower lecithins by PLA2 of different sources

Abstract

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) lecithins are obtained by gum purification from raw oil by a degumming process, which is a step of the refining process of raw vegetable oils. Food industry uses lecithins because of their multifunctional ingredients. Modification processes of the original phospholipid composition of native lecithin, such as enzymatic hydrolysis, are appropriate for certain applications. The aim of this work was to evaluate the emulsifying properties of different modified sunflower lecithins in oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions. In this study, modified sunflower lecithins, which were obtained by enzymatic hydrolysis with phospholipase A2 from pancreatic porcine and microbial sources (hydrolyzed lecithin, SHLP and SHLM) were assessed using a deoiled lecithin (DSL) such as a control system. Modified lecithins were applied as emulsifying agent in O/W emulsions (30:70 wt/wt), ranging 0.1 2.0% (wt/wt). Stability of different emulsions was evaluated through the evolution of backscattering profiles (%BS), particle size distribution (in volume and surface), and mean particle diameters (D [4,3], D [3,2]). Hydrolyzed lecithins presented the best emulsifying properties against the main destabilization processes (creaming and coalescence) for the emulsions studied in comparison with DSL. These modified lecithins represent a good alternative for the production of new bioactive agents. Furthermore, the use of a microbial phospholipase gives the possibility to obtain a spectrum of sunflower lecithins which functionality as bioactive agents could be applied to the development of foods with kosher and halal certification.