Chitosan improves storage stability of wheat-embryo globulin

Wheat-embryo globulin (WEG) has been shown to confer health benefits, however, it often forms aggregates during industrial production, which decrease its quality and efficacy. In this study, electrostatic interaction between chitosan (CS) and the protein was used to stabilize WEG. Initially, it was observed that the solubility of WEG was lowest in the pH range of 4-5, and its isoelectric point was 4.70. Next, the optimal preparation conditions for CS-WEG complex were pH of 5.903, combination ratio of 1.05, and ionic strength of 77.070 mM. Finally, characterization of the zeta-potential, particle size, rheological properties and fluorescence microscopy of the composite, it was found that addition of CS significantly increased the zeta potential, reduced poly dispersity index, and reduced the particle size to a certain extent. Moreover, addition of CS caused shear thinning and increased viscosity of the complex, but decreased the dispersion stability over time. In summary, these results revealed that CS mainly increased the apparent viscosity and the electrostatic interaction of WEG to improve the dispersion stability when it slowly polymerized with WEG. This study provides important ideas for improving industrialized production of WEG.