Neutrons and Food 8 at MLZ

Plant-based milk analogues are increasingly developed to support sustainable food systems. However, protein adsorption and interfacial layer formation remain un-fully understood at the low concentrations and short time scales relevant to plant-based emulsification. To address this, microfluidic emulsification provides precise control over droplet formation conditions, enabling systematic investigation of interfacial stabilization mechanisms.
In this study, medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) oil-in-water emulsions were stabilized with either β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) or cruciferin at bulk protein concentrations of 0.25–0.75 wt%. Emulsions were generated in a microfluidic flow-focusing chip under fixed flow-rate ratios. Confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to monitor droplet morphology and coalescence over time. At identical concentrations, β-LG formed larger and less stable droplets, consistent with slower interfacial layer formation compared to cruciferin, which produced smaller and more stable droplets.
Small-angle X-ray scattering and confocal Raman microscopy will be employed to probe interfacial structure and molecular organization. By linking controlled microfluidic processing with interfacial nanostructure and macroscopic stability, this work provides mechanistic insight into protein-stabilized emulsions and advances our understanding of emulsion behavior in food systems.