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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Lipid-Protein Membrane Structure-Function Characterization using Droplet Interface Bilayers
Published on: June 12, 2026
Structural characteristics of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine and hydrolysates from sunflower protein isolate mixed
José Miñones Conde1, José Miñones Trillo, Juan M Rodríguez Patino
1Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Facultad de Química, Universidad de Sevilla, C/. Prof. García Gonzalez, 1. 41012-Sevilla, Spain.
Abstract:
In this work, surface film balance and Brewster angle microscopy techniques have been used to analyze the structural characteristics (structure, topography, reflectivity, thickness, miscibility, and interactions) of hydrolysates from sunflower protein isolate (SPI) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) mixed monolayers spread on the air-water interface. The degree of hydrolysis (DH) of SPI, low (5.62%), medium (23.5%), and high (46.3%), and the protein/DPPC mass fraction were analyzed as variables. The structural characteristics of the mixed monolayers deduced from the surface pressure (pi)-area (A) isotherms depend on the interfacial composition and degree of hydrolysis. At surface pressures lower than the equilibrium surface pressure of SPI hydrolysate (pi(e)(SPI hydrolysate)), both DPPC and protein are present in the mixed monolayer. At higher surface pressures (at pi > pi(e)(SPI hydrolysate)), collapsed protein residues may be displaced from the interface by DPPC molecules. The differences observed between pure SPI hydrolysates and DPPC in reflectivity (I) and monolayer thickness during monolayer compression have been used to analyze the topographical characteristics of SPI hydrolysates and DPPC mixed monolayers at the air-water interface. The topography, reflectivity, and thickness of mixed monolayers confirm at microscopic and nanoscopic levels the structural characteristics deduced from the pi-A isotherms.
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