Emulsifier: Sweet Potato

Proteins extracted from sweet potato showed good emulsifying ability and may offer formulators a clean label alternative, suggests new research. Scientists from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing report that protein concentrates from sweet potato could form stable emulsions at a concentration of about 1%, according to findings published in Food Hydrocolloids.

Emulsifiers work by stabilizing oil suspended in water, and this is achieved electrostatically. Part of the emulsifier is attracted to water, while another part is attracted to the oil. The isoelectric point (pI) is the pH at which the emulsifier has no electrical charge, and therefore in a food with a pH close to the pI the emulsifier can no longer stabilize the emulsion effectively.

The Beijing-based scientists examined the effects of sweet potato protein concentrates at levels ranging from 0.1 to 2% and with emulsions with oil values ranging from 5 to 45%. Results showed that the emulsifying properties of the sweet potato proteins depended on both variables, with protein levels over 1 per cent producing more stable emulsions, they said. Furthermore, oil levels below 35% were found to decrease the creaming rate of the emulsion.

Source:FoodNavigator.com