Krill oil is a unique source of omega-3 fatty acids since it is a mixture of phospholipids and triacylglycerols. Due to the presence of phospholipids, it can form oil-in-water emulsions without additional food additives. In this work, the physical stability of krill oil-in-water emulsions was determined at various pH values (3-7) and NaCl concentrations (50-1000 mM). The initial particle size ranged from 150 to 165 nm. The emulsions were the most stable at pH >= 5.0 and salt concentrations below 100 mM. Lipid oxidation was accelerated by iron and inhibited by Trolox and alpha-tocopherol. Trolox was a more effective antioxidant than alpha-tocopherol. alpha-Tocopherol had a better inhibitory effect when it was added after homogenization than when added to the lipid prior to homogenization. These results indicate that krill oil emulsions could represent a self-emulsifying, oxidatively stable source of omega-3 fatty acids that may be used in functional foods.
C1 [Wu, Qian; Wang, Chao; Li, Dongsheng] Hubei Univ Technol, Hubei Collaborat Innovat Ctr Ind Fermentat, Res Ctr Food Fermentat Engn & Technol Hubei, Wuhan 430068, Hubei, Peoples R China.
[Wu, Qian; Uluata, Sibel; Cui, Leqi; Mcclements, Julian; Decker, Eric A.] Univ Massachusetts, Dept Food Sci, Amherst, MA 01003 USA.
[Uluata, Sibel] Inonu Univ, Dept Food Technol, TR-44280 Malatya, Turkey.
[Cui, Leqi] Xi An Jiao Tong Univ, Fuli Sch Food Equipment Engn & Sci, Xian 710049, Shanxi, Peoples R China.
[Mcclements, Julian; Decker, Eric A.] King Abdulaziz Univ, Dept Biochem, Fac Sci, POB 80203, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.