Facile fabrication of stable O/W high internal phase emulsions with egg yolk fractions and hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate

High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) can be used as suitable alternatives for saturated fatty acids. However, conventional approach for HIPEs preparation requires high energy-intensive production (e. g., ultrasonic, high-pressure homogenization) and tedious process. Herein, we report a facile approach to create stable O/W HIPEs using egg yolk (EY) fractions-hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate (HPDSP) complexes via one-step emulsification (500 rpm, 5 min). The addition of HPDSP could destroy the aggregated structure of EY, plasma (EYP) and granules (EYG). These disrupted EY, EYP and EYG partially absorb on the surface of HPDSP to form complexes via electrostatic and hydrophobic interactions. The initial interfacial tensions changed from 15.99 to 11.84 mN/m, from 14.98 to 10.98 mN/m, from 21.79 to 14.52 mN/m for EY, EYP and EYG because of the HPDSP addition, respectively. The addition of HPDSP increased the α-helix content and reduced the intermolecular β-sheet content of EYP/EYG. The presence of the EY/EYP/EYG-HPDSP complexes facilitated the formation of HIPEs with a solid-like structure and satisfactory storage/centrifugal stability. The HIPEs stabilized by EYP-HPDSP complexes showed smaller droplet sizes and viscoelasticity than those stabilized by EYG-HPDSP complexes. Conversely, EYP-HPDSP complexes stabilized HIPEs showed lower heat stability than EYG-HPDSP complexes stabilized HIPEs.