Emulsion stabilisation using polysaccharide–protein complexes

There is a great deal of interest in the Food Industry in the use of polysaccharides and proteins to stabilise oil-in-water emulsions and there is a particular interest nowadays in the use of polysaccharide–protein complexes. There are three classes of complexes namely; (a) naturally-occurring complexes in which protein residues are covalently attached to the polysaccharide chains as is the case, for example, with gum Arabic; (b) Maillard conjugates, which are formed by interaction of the reducing end of a polysaccharide with an amine group on a protein forming a covalent bond; and (c) electrostatic complexes formed between a polysaccharide and a protein with opposite net charge. This review sets out our current understanding of the nature of these different polysaccharide–protein complexes and their ability to stabilise oil-in-water emulsions.