Comparison of emulsifying capacity of two hemicelluloses from moso bamboo in soy oil-in-water emulsions

Abstract

Oil-in-water food emulsions consisting of natural emulsifiers has been an active field of green scientific inquiry. Here, we extract two types of new hemicellulose-based emulsifiers (H_H and H_L) from holocellulose and dewaxed materials of bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens), as well as compare their emulsifying soy oil ability, respectively. The main content of H_H is arabinoxylan, while the primary composition in H_L is glucan. The emulsifying capacity of these two types of hemicellulose-based emulsifiers are evaluated by droplet size distribution, surface charge and optical microscopy. Since H_L possesses higher lignin and protein residual contents, the resultant emulsion exhibits smaller droplets and higher emulsion stability. In comparison, H_H emulsifier has almost no emulsifying capacity due to the lack of non-polar groups. This study provides insight into the choice of hemicelluloses-based emulsifiers for the formation of stable oil-in-water food emulsions.