Exploring the potential of water-soluble cereal constituents for stabilizing air-in-water dispersions in food products

The stabilization of dispersions (foams, emulsions) is an important prerequisite for determining the structure of many food products. In many cases, such systems are (partly) stabilized by proteins of animal origin. However, a highly relevant topic in the global food system, now and in decades to come, is the shift from animal protein towards plant protein based foods. Cereals represent an interesting source material for proteins and those soluble in aqueous phases are of particular note in the context of foam and emulsion stabilization. Fundamental knowledge on the ability of aqueous phase soluble proteins to stabilize air-water and oil-water interfaces is lacking. Moreover, the complex interplay of proteins with other food constituents present in such aqueous extracts has not been extensively studied. Here, the potential of the aqueous phase soluble constituents of cereals flours to stabilize air-water interfaces will be investigated in-depth. This will generate new insights regarding the relationship between the chemical structure of cereal flour aqueous extract constituents and the chemical composition of these extracts on the one hand and their ability to stabilize air-in-water dispersions on the other hand.