Towards an improved understanding of spray-dried emulsions: Impact of the emulsifying constituent combination on characteristics and storage stability

In spray-dried emulsions a wide range of emulsifying constituents including proteins and low molecular weight emulsifiers are used. Due to their different behaviour, combinations of different emulsifying constituents are common, whereupon their interactions may also adversely affect powder properties and stability. Therefore, the impact of whey protein isolate alone or in combination with lecithin, mono-/ diglyceride and citrem as low molecular weight emulsifiers on powder characteristics and storage stability were investigated. Temperature stresses were applied to induce instability phenomena. A specific combination of protein and low molecular weight emulsifiers resulted in a reduction in oil droplet size while maintaining encapsulation efficiency. Induction of crystallisation through low temperature stress induced oil release in samples, in which templating for heterogeneous nucleation took place. High temperature stress caused Maillard reaction, protein-fat complexation and phase transition of the matrix resulting in colour changes and reduction of extractable oil. (c) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.