Australian researchers published in LWT – Food Science and Technology, a study where canola protein albumin fraction, globulin fraction, and canola protein isolate (CPI) were compared to commercial soy protein isolate (SPI) in terms of their emulsifying properties at various pH values.
The globulin fraction had higher emulsifying capacity (EC), higher emulsifying activity index (EAI), and the droplet size of emulsions it stabilised was consistently smaller irrespective of pH compared to albumin fraction or CPI. In comparison to SPI, globulin fractions also had higher EC at all pH values tested, higher EAI at acidic pH, and smaller or comparable average emulsion droplet size at both pH 4 and 7.
The stability of canola protein based emulsions were comparable to those of SPI based emulsions at most pH values (except the emulsion stabilised by the CPI at pH 4), with no significant (p > 0.05) changes in droplet size during storage for up to 7 days at room temperature. These emulsions, however, experienced separation into the emulsion and serum phases after 24 h storage at room temperature with the exception of CPI- and SPI-stabilised emulsions at pH 9.
This study demonstrates the comparable emulsifying properties (forming or stabilising) of some canola proteins to commercially available SPI, suggesting the potential use of canola proteins in food applications.
