Effect of plant protein emulsifiers and carriers on the physicochemical, structural, and oxidative stability of spray-dried pomegranate seed oil emulsions.

This study compared apricot, walnut, and hazelnut kernel proteins (AKP, WKP, HKP) to whey protein concentrate (WPC) for stabilizing pomegranate seed oil-in-water emulsions before and after spray-drying. AKP demonstrated the most favorable emulsification properties, yielding an emulsion with a particle size of 262 nm, a PDI of 0.43, and a zeta potential of - 25 mV. Oil-in-water emulsions stabilized with AKP and WPC exhibited the highest solubility (62-66%), emulsifying activity (74-85 m2/g), emulsion stability (71-76%), foaming capacity (88-108%) and foaming stability (59-66%). The type of protein carrier significantly influenced the spray-dried emulsion's production yield, physicochemical properties, techno-functional characteristics, flowability, hygroscopicity, color, and particle size. The highest (60-62%) and lowest (41-44%) production yields were obtained for the samples produced with WPC/AKP and HKP/WKP, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency followed the order: WPC (85.9%) > AKP (82.2%) > HKP (75.4%) > WKP (70.0%). Peroxide values of spray-dried emulsions increased with storage temperature from 4 to 25 °C, with WKP and WPC exhibiting the highest and lowest oxidation, respectively. FT-IR analysis confirmed oil encapsulation within the carrier matrix. AKP shows promise as a plant-based alternative to WPC for emulsion stabilization and encapsulation of lipophilic bioactive compounds.