Emulsifying properties of wheat bran arabinoxylan modified with whey protein isolate using the Maillard reaction

A dry-state Maillard reaction was used to conjugate wheat bran arabinoxylan (WBAX) with whey protein isolate (WPI) to improve its emulsifying properties. This work aimed to investigate the effects of the mass ratio and combination mode between WBAX and WPI on the emulsifying properties of WBAX. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) and high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) confirmed that WPI was covalently linked to WBAX. The WBAX-WPI conjugates with a mass ratio of 2:1 showed optimal emulsion stability. The droplet sizes and zeta potentials showed that WBAX-WPI conjugates-stabilized emulsions were less susceptible to environmental stresses than emulsions stabilized emulsions by WBAX or WPI alone. The WBAX-WPI conjugates have potential applications as novel emulsifiers in the food industry.