Novel low-fat Pickering emulsion gels stabilized by β-cyclodextrin and κ-carrageenan

Animal cream, favored for its pleasant flavor, has consumption limitations due to its high anhydrous milk fat (AMF) content. In this study, a novel low-fat Pickering emulsion gel (LPEG) stabilized by β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) and κ-carrageenan (KC) was fabricated to simulate an animal cream. The particle size of LPEG containing 30 % AMF (12.77 ± 0.47 microm) was smaller than that of animal creams. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy indicated that hydrogen bonding interactions in LPEG enhanced with rising AMF content. X-ray diffraction spectroscopy revealed that LPEGs with higher content of AMF contained more β' crystalline structures at 21.1°. Rheological analysis demonstrated that LPEGs exhibited elastic properties and showed gentler viscosity changes with temperature variation compared to animal cream, indicating structural stability. The instability index of LPEG with 30 % AMF was 0.006 ± 0.001 and the syneresis after the fifth freeze-thaw cycle was 54.45 ± 0.37 %. It exhibited superior centrifugation and freeze-thaw stability compared to animal cream. AMF droplets stabilized by β-CD were confined within the KC network, which was evenly distributed throughout the LPEG. In summary, the investigation furnished a promising strategy for substituting low-fat animal cream with convenient processing compared to conventional cream.