Genipin crosslinked gum arabic: Synthesis, characterization, and emulsification properties.

Although recognized as a "gold standard" emulsifier in food industry, gum arabic (GA) is characterized by high dosage consumption and inconsistent emulsification performance. This work aimed to solve the above shortcomings by crosslinking GA with genipin. The resulting genipin-crosslinked GA (G-GA) had larger molecular weight (1596 kg/mol) and mean radius of gyration (64.9 nm) than the control GA (denoted as C-GA; 529 kg/mol and 19.2 nm), featuring a more compact conformation. More importantly, the proportion of the arabinogalactan protein (AGP) component of G-GA increased, endowing G-GA with enhanced emulsifying stability. The dosage required for emulsification were less for G-GA (7.5 %) than C-GA (15 %) in 20 % oil emulsion. The G-GA-stabilized emulsions sterilized (110 °C for 30 min) or treated at 60 °C for 10 d were more stable. Overall, this study demonstrates that genipin crosslinking is a suitable strategy providing GA with enhanced emulsification properties while saving the emulsifier dosage.