The role of membrane components on the oleosome lubrication properties.

HYPOTHESIS: Oleosomes are natural oil droplets with a unique phospholipid/protein membrane, abundant in plant seeds, from which they can be extracted and used in emulsion-based materials, such as foods, cosmetics and pharmaceutics. The lubrication properties of such materials are essential, on one hand, due to the importance of the in-mouth creaminess for the consumed products or the importance of spreading the topical creams. Therefore, here, we will evaluate the lubrication properties of oleosomes, and how these properties are affected by the components at the oleosome membrane. EXPERIMENT: Oleosomes were extracted, and their oral lubricating properties were evaluated using tribology. To understand the influence of the oil droplet membrane composition, reconstituted oleosomes were also studied, with membranes that differed in protein/lecithin ratio. Additionally, whey protein- and lecithin-stabilised emulsions were used as reference samples. Confocal laser scattering microscopy was used to study the samples visually before and after tribological analysis. FINDINGS: Oleosomes followed a ball-bearing mechanism, which was probably related to their high physical stability due to the presence of membrane proteins. When the membrane protein concentration at the surface was reduced, the droplet stability weakened, leading to plating-out lubrication. Following our results, we elucidated the oleosome lubrication mechanism and showed their possible control by changing the membrane composition.

Effect of different molecular characteristics on the lubrication behavior of polysaccharide solutions.

Polysaccharides strongly affect the sensorial properties of foods, which is partly related to the lubrication they provide. We investigated the lubrication performance of polysaccharides with different characteristics (i.e. molecular weight, conformation, stiffness, and charge density) to identify the most relevant structural features related to lubrication ability. The effect of viscosity was excluded using isoviscous systems. Conformation resulted to be a key factor in determining lubrication. Rigid rod-like polysaccharides (xanthan) showed higher lubricating capacity and better resistance to changes in pH and ionic strength compared to semi-flexible (pectin and carboxymethyl cellulose) and flexible polysaccharide (guar gum). The friction behavior of flexible polysaccharides was highly dependent on concentration and sliding speed, for which a model including parameters of friction, concentration, and speed was developed. The concentration-dependency of the lubrication was related to the shear-thinning behavior, and possible mechanisms to explain these differences in terms of molecular properties of the polysaccharides are proposed.

Sauce it up: influence of condiment properties on oral processing behavior, bolus formation and sensory perception of solid foods.

Condiments are rarely consumed on their own. Although addition of condiments to carrier foods is known to affect oral processing behavior and sensory perception, an understanding of how different condiment properties impact oral processing behavior and sensory perception of solid carrier foods is lacking. This study aimed to understand the role of condiments varying in composition and/or rheological properties in bolus formation facilitation, and how they influence oral processing behavior and sensory perception of solid carrier foods. Two carriers (bread, cooked potato) were combined with mayonnaises differing in fat content and viscosity. Addition of mayonnaises changed bolus properties of solid carrier foods considerably (i.e. decreased bread firmness, increased potato cohesiveness, increased lubrication of both bread and potato bolus) and, consequently, facilitated faster bolus formation. While addition of mayonnaises to bread and potatoes decreased the number of chewing cycles before swallowing, consumers did not change muscle activities or jaw movements per chew. No effect of mayonnaise fat content on oral processing behavior of composite foods was observed. Low viscosity mayonnaise resulted in faster bolus formation and swallowing compared to high viscosity mayonnaise. Low viscosity mayonnaise penetrated faster into bread boli leading to faster softening of bread boli. Also in the case of potato, low viscosity mayonnaise lead to faster bolus formation than for high viscosity mayonnaise. The low viscosity mayonnaise mixed more easily with potato bolus pieces, enhancing adhesion between pieces. Both mayonnaise fat content and viscosity influenced sensory perception of composite foods considerably, especially in terms of fattiness and creaminess. We conclude that oral processing behavior, bolus formation and sensory perception of solid carrier foods can be modified considerably by condiments. While composition and rheological properties of condiments have a large effect on bolus formation and sensory perception of solid carrier foods, these aspects have a limited effect on oral processing behavior of composite foods. Oral processing behavior is dominated by the properties of the solid carrier food. Tailoring condiment-carrier combinations could be an effective strategy to increase healthy eating, alter food intake for populations such as the elderly, and increase food appreciation.

Protein oleogels from heat-set whey protein aggregates.

In this research we use heat-set whey protein aggregates (diameter∼200nm) as novel building blocks for structure formation in liquid oil to form oleogels. To transfer the aggregates to the oil phase, a solvent exchange procedure to sunflower oil was applied using acetone as an intermediate solvent. We found that agglomeration of the aggregates was prevented and the particle size in oil did not change from that in the initial aqueous phase. The small protein aggregates assemble into a space-spanning network, thereby providing solid-like properties to liquid oil. From oscillatory rheology we conclude that the aggregates are highly effective in forming a network. Already at ∼3% we found that G'>G″ and G' scales with protein concentration as G'∼cp5.3. Applying a fractal gel network theory to the rheological data we deduce that the gels are in the strong link regime with a fractal dimension of 2.2. The results show that protein aggregates, besides their well-known functionality in aqueous solvents, are capable of forming a network in liquid oil. This provides a novel and promising way to design oleogels with tuneable rheological properties, applicable to e.g. foods, pharmaceuticals and/or cosmetics.