Functional properties of dairy phospholipid gels

In this study dairy phospholipid (PL) gels were made using 3 different concentrations of PL (15%, 30%, and 45%) and soybean oil to determine the gel-forming ability and functional traits that dairy PL have. After 24 h of storage the visual stability, crystal morphology, solid fat content, melting behavior, viscosity, and oil binding capacity of the gels were evaluated. All samples showed visual stability, whereas polarized light microscopy showed that high concentrations of PL reduced PL mobility, preventing tubular micelles from forming at high concentrations of PL (45%). Solid fat content increased with an increase in PL concentration. The melting enthalpy increased as the concentration of PL increased. The viscosity was assessed at 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 1/s shear rates. A significant difference was observed between the 45% PL samples and the other samples at low and intermediate shear, but at high shear levels, a significant difference was only seen between the 15% PL sample and the other samples. The oil binding capacity showed a significant difference between the 45% PL sample and the other 2 samples. This study shows that dairy PL can be added to a vegetable oil to produce semi-solid material with appropriate functional properties.