Phospholipids emulsifying properties

Soybean lecithins can be chemically altered to modify their emulsifying properties and improve their dispersibihty in aqueous systems. Phospholipids may be hydrolyzed by acid, base, or enzyme to achieve better hydrophilic and emulsification properties. Hydroxylation of lecithin improves its oil-in-water emulsification property and water dispersibihty. Acetylation creates improved fluidity and emulsification, water dispersion properties, and heat stability (200). 

As cottonseed lecithin contains only trace amounts of fatty acids with more than two double bonds (linolenic acid), it is more stable to oxidation and rancidity than soybean lecithin. Cottonseed phospholipids are relatively high in phosphatidylcholine, which could provide good emulsifying properties in foods (32, 37). 

Emulsifying properties. One of the major functions of commercial lecithins is to emulsify fats. In an oihwater system, the phosphohpid components concentrate at the oUrwater interface. The polar, hydrophilic parts of the molecules are directed toward the aqueous phase, and the nonpolar, hydrophobic (or lipophilic) parts are directed toward the oil phase. The concentration of phospholipids at the oihwater interface lowers the surface tension and makes it possible for emulsions to form. Once the emulsion is formed, the phosphohpid molecules at the surface of the oil or water droplets act as barriers that prevent the droplets from coalescing, thus stabilizing the emulsion (159). 

The range of surfactant emulsifiers used in pharmaceutical preparations is illustrated in Table 2. Surfactants are manufactured from a variety of natural and synthetic sources and consequently they show considerable batch-to-batch variations in their homologue compositions and in trace impurities from the starting material. For example, batch variations in the number of neutral phospholipids occur in lecithin surfactants and non-ionic polyethylene surfactants show variations in the number of moles of ethylene oxide. The mechanisms by which such batch variations lead to differences in emulsifying properties are now better understood. Although synthetic and semisynthetic surfactants form by far the largest group of emulsifiers studied in the scientific literature and many of them are available commercially, their use in pharmaceutical emulsions is limited by the fact that the majority are toxic (i.e., haemolytic) and irritant to the skin and mucous... 

Phospholipid Lecithin o/w oral, parenteral Emulsifying properties dependent on number of negative lipids... 

Egg yolk, which contains several components with emulsifying properties, notably lecithin, is often used in all-natural , premium or homemade ice creams. Egg yolk has the approximate composition (by weight) of 50% water, 16% protein, 9% lecithin, 23% other fat, 0.3% carbohydrate and 1.7% minerals. Lecithin consists of phosphatides and phospholipids. Egg yolk is usually supplied for use in ice cream manufacture either as pasteurized fresh egg yolk, frozen sugared pasteurized egg yolk (which has had about 10% sucrose added to protect it from damage during freezing) or as dehydrated egg yolk. Egg yolk solids are normally used at about 0.5-3%. High concentrations are only used for... 

Phospholipids are important for their emulsifying properties. In an oil-water system, the molecules concentrate at the interfaces and lower the sm face tension, thus enabling droplets to be formed. They act as a barrier at the interfaces and stabilise the emulsion. When heated with acids or bases. 

Glycerophospholipids are important components of biological membranes and are thus widely spread in nature. Partially purified products are used for a variety of applications, with soya lecithin as a typical example. Enzymes can be used to modify glycerophospholipids in various ways and in the surfactant area removal of one of the fatty acids to make lysophospholipids is the most important example. Sometimes this reaction is carried out only to make it easier to remove the phospholipids fraction from the neutral fat, such as in the processing of vegetable oils. This enzymatic de-gumming is an important industrial process [20]. In other applications, lysophospholipids are produced in order to improve the emulsifying properties of the lipids. One such example is in the preparation of mayonnaise, with improved emulsion stability [21]. In this application, phospholipase A2 is used selectively to remove the fatty acid in the sn-2 position. 

Modified lecithins have dedicated emulsifying properties due to the increased hydrophilicity. Modification options are (i) enzymatic and chemical adaptation of the phospholipid molecules, (ii) physical fractionation for separating oil from the phospholipids and (iii) fractionation of phospholipids. A compilation of all typical components in standard liquid soya lecithin, deoiled soya lecithin powder and an alcohol-soluble fraction is given in Table 10.4. Recently Unilever Research scientists have updated this knowledge with new experiments and analytical tools [9]. 

Fats and other lipids are poorly soluble in water. The larger the accessible surface is—i. e., the better the fat is emulsified—the easier it is for enzymes to hydrolyze it (see p. 270). Due to the special properties of milk, milk fats already reach the gastrointestinal tract in emulsified form. Digestion of them therefore already starts in the oral cavity and stomach, where lipases in the saliva and gastric juice are available. Lipids that are less accessible—e.g., from roast pork—are emulsified in the small intestine by bile salts and bile phospholipids. Only then are they capable of being attacked by pancreatic lipase [4] (see p. 270). 

In unhomogenized dairy cream the natural phospholipids contribute to the whipping properties of the cream. However, after homogenization the particle size of the fat globules decreases, and the total fat surface area increases. This means that the interfacial concentration of polar lipids decreases because milk serum proteins adsorb at the newly formed interfaces, and the whipping properties are lost. Consequently, additional polar lipids or emulsifiers are needed to obtain good whipping properties in most industrially manufactured products. 

Although whey protein concentrates possess excellent nutritional and organoleptic properties, they often exhibit only partial solubility and do not function as well as the caseinates for stabilizing aqueous foams and emulsions (19). A number of compositional and processing factors are involved which alter the ability of whey protein concentrates to function in such food formulations. These include pH, redox potential, Ca concentration, heat denaturation, enzymatic modification, residual polyphosphate or other polyvalent ion precipitating agents, residual milk lipids/phospholipids and chemical emulsifiers (22). 

The most common modifications of lecithin and the intended physical/functional alterations are shown in Table 20 (31). The range of physical/functional properties available in commercial lecithins is listed in Table 21 (31). These changes in lecithin allow for the basic lecithin obtained from soybean oil to be converted to various emulsifier products having a wide variety of food, feed, and industrial applications. Reviews describing chemical reactions for phospholipid modifications intended to obtain specific functionalities include those of Eichberg (89), Hawthorn and Kemp (90), Kuksis (91), Pryde (86), Snyder (92), Strickland (87), and Van Dee-nen and DeHaas (93). 

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