Characterization and enhanced saltiness retention time of sodium chloride-containing high internal phase Pickering emulsions stabilized by OSA starch and gum Arabic

In recent years, high internal phase Pickering emulsions (HIPEs) have attracted significant research interest for their potential applications in food industry. HIPEs with high ionic strength was successfully fabricated based on OSA starch (OSA-S) and gum Arabic (GA) to improve storage stability and the salty taste perception. The influence of OSA-S and GA ratio on NaCl-containing HIPEs stability was estimated, and the underlying mechanism was explored from the interfacial properties. The GA incorporation improved the long-term stability of emulsion at high ionic strength (512 mmol/L). Furthermore, the transmittance of NaCl-containing HIPEs stabilized by OSA-GA complexes was significantly lower than that of emulsions stabilized by OSA-S alone. The OSA-GA complexes effectively anchored at the interface to reduce the interfacial tension and formed a viscosity dominated interfacial layer. The saltiness retention time was prolonged from 11.12 ± 0.64 s to 18.25 ± 1.59 s when the mass ratio of OSA-S to GA was 2:1. The tribological tests demonstrated that the incorporation of GA resulted in an elevated friction coefficient of the emulsion within the low sliding speed, thereby decelerating the rate of oil penetration out the emulsion and consequently prolonging the retention time of the saltiness. This study provided a new idea for designing semi-solid sauces based emulsion for salt reduction.