Emulsifying Properties of Oat Protein/Casein Complex Prepared Using Atmospheric Cold Plasma with pH Shifting

An oat protein isolate is an ideal raw material for producing a wide range of plant-based products. However, oat protein exhibits weak functional properties, particularly in emulsification. Casein-based ingredients are commonly employed to enhance emulsifying properties as a general practice in the...

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Main Authors: Yang Teng, Mingjuan Ou, Jihuan Wu, Ting Jiang, Kaige Zheng, Yuxing Guo, Daodong Pan, Tao Zhang, Zhen Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-07-01
Series:Foods
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2702
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author Yang Teng
Mingjuan Ou
Jihuan Wu
Ting Jiang
Kaige Zheng
Yuxing Guo
Daodong Pan
Tao Zhang
Zhen Wu
author_facet Yang Teng
Mingjuan Ou
Jihuan Wu
Ting Jiang
Kaige Zheng
Yuxing Guo
Daodong Pan
Tao Zhang
Zhen Wu
author_sort Yang Teng
collection DOAJ
description An oat protein isolate is an ideal raw material for producing a wide range of plant-based products. However, oat protein exhibits weak functional properties, particularly in emulsification. Casein-based ingredients are commonly employed to enhance emulsifying properties as a general practice in the food industry. pH-shifting processing is a straightforward method to partially unfold protein structures. This study modified a mixture of an oat protein isolate (OPI) and casein by combining a pH adjustment (adjusting the pH of two solutions to 12, mixing them at a 3:7 ratio, and maintaining the pH at 12 for 2 h) with an atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) treatment to improve the emulsifying properties. The results demonstrated that the ACP treatment significantly enhanced the solubility of the OPI/casein mixtures, with a maximum solubility of 82.63 ± 0.33%, while the ζ-potential values were approximately −40 mV, indicating that all the samples were fairly stable. The plasma-induced increase in surface hydrophobicity supported greater protein adsorption and redistribution at the oil/water interface. After 3 min of treatment, the interfacial pressure peaked at 8.32 mN/m. Emulsions stabilized with the modified OPI/casein mixtures also exhibited a significant droplet size reduction upon extending the ACP treatment to 3 min, decreasing from 5.364 ± 0.034 μm to 3.075 ± 0.016 μm. The resulting enhanced uniformity in droplet size distribution signified the formation of a robust interfacial film. Moreover, the ACP treatment effectively enhanced the emulsifying activity of the OPI/casein mixtures, reaching (179.65 ± 1.96 m<sup>2</sup>/g). These findings highlight the potential application value of OPI/casein mixtures in liquid dairy products. In addition, dairy products based on oat protein are more conducive to sustainable development than traditional dairy products.
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publishDate 2025-07-01
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spelling doaj-art-b02a72279a3740a696e789b7db841ee52025-08-20T03:02:49ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582025-07-011415270210.3390/foods14152702Emulsifying Properties of Oat Protein/Casein Complex Prepared Using Atmospheric Cold Plasma with pH ShiftingYang Teng0Mingjuan Ou1Jihuan Wu2Ting Jiang3Kaige Zheng4Yuxing Guo5Daodong Pan6Tao Zhang7Zhen Wu8College of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaNingbo Enrich Life Bio-Tec Co., Ltd., Ningbo 321004, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaSchool of Food Science & Pharmaceutical Engineering, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing 210097, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaCollege of Food Science and Engineering, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, ChinaAn oat protein isolate is an ideal raw material for producing a wide range of plant-based products. However, oat protein exhibits weak functional properties, particularly in emulsification. Casein-based ingredients are commonly employed to enhance emulsifying properties as a general practice in the food industry. pH-shifting processing is a straightforward method to partially unfold protein structures. This study modified a mixture of an oat protein isolate (OPI) and casein by combining a pH adjustment (adjusting the pH of two solutions to 12, mixing them at a 3:7 ratio, and maintaining the pH at 12 for 2 h) with an atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) treatment to improve the emulsifying properties. The results demonstrated that the ACP treatment significantly enhanced the solubility of the OPI/casein mixtures, with a maximum solubility of 82.63 ± 0.33%, while the ζ-potential values were approximately −40 mV, indicating that all the samples were fairly stable. The plasma-induced increase in surface hydrophobicity supported greater protein adsorption and redistribution at the oil/water interface. After 3 min of treatment, the interfacial pressure peaked at 8.32 mN/m. Emulsions stabilized with the modified OPI/casein mixtures also exhibited a significant droplet size reduction upon extending the ACP treatment to 3 min, decreasing from 5.364 ± 0.034 μm to 3.075 ± 0.016 μm. The resulting enhanced uniformity in droplet size distribution signified the formation of a robust interfacial film. Moreover, the ACP treatment effectively enhanced the emulsifying activity of the OPI/casein mixtures, reaching (179.65 ± 1.96 m<sup>2</sup>/g). These findings highlight the potential application value of OPI/casein mixtures in liquid dairy products. In addition, dairy products based on oat protein are more conducive to sustainable development than traditional dairy products.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2702OPI/casein mixturesatmospheric cold plasmaemulsifying property
spellingShingle Yang Teng
Mingjuan Ou
Jihuan Wu
Ting Jiang
Kaige Zheng
Yuxing Guo
Daodong Pan
Tao Zhang
Zhen Wu
Emulsifying Properties of Oat Protein/Casein Complex Prepared Using Atmospheric Cold Plasma with pH Shifting
Foods
OPI/casein mixtures
atmospheric cold plasma
emulsifying property
title Emulsifying Properties of Oat Protein/Casein Complex Prepared Using Atmospheric Cold Plasma with pH Shifting
title_full Emulsifying Properties of Oat Protein/Casein Complex Prepared Using Atmospheric Cold Plasma with pH Shifting
title_fullStr Emulsifying Properties of Oat Protein/Casein Complex Prepared Using Atmospheric Cold Plasma with pH Shifting
title_full_unstemmed Emulsifying Properties of Oat Protein/Casein Complex Prepared Using Atmospheric Cold Plasma with pH Shifting
title_short Emulsifying Properties of Oat Protein/Casein Complex Prepared Using Atmospheric Cold Plasma with pH Shifting
title_sort emulsifying properties of oat protein casein complex prepared using atmospheric cold plasma with ph shifting
topic OPI/casein mixtures
atmospheric cold plasma
emulsifying property
url https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/14/15/2702
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