Yield twice the result with half the effort: Effect of ionic strength on quality of myofibrillar protein micro-gel pickering emulsion mediated by (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate

Low salt pickering emulsion is a hot product in current research, but myofibrillar protein (MP) has many shortcomings when used as an emulsifier. In this study, the stability of reduced salt pickering emulsion was improved by preheating MP under different ionic strength (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1 M NaCl) and synergy with (−)-epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) to form MP micronized pickering emulsion. The prepared MP micro-gel pickering emulsion was monitored for emulsification performance by UV spectrophotometry. It can be concluded that the emulsifying activity and stability of the emulsion in the 0.6 M group are significantly stronger than those in the other groups, with values of 12.60 ± 0.99 m 2 /g and 83.93 ± 2.93%, respectively, which means that the emulsification performance is strongest at this time. Through the analysis of physicochemical properties, the thechco-functional characteristics are significantly improved due to the protection of its secondary and tertiary structures by EGCG. From the confocal microscope that the emulsion droplets are evenly dispersed and the particle size (average 32.7 nm) is smaller than that of other groups, and low or high ionic strength will cause emulsion aggregation and affect its stability. In summary, the combination of 0.6 M ion strength (reduced salt level) and EGCG is beneficial for the development of lower salt/reduced salt pickering emulsions. • EGCG can significantly improve the stability of the emulsion. • Too weak or strong ionic strength will cause the EGCG to function ineffectively. • The 0.6 M ionic strength improving the quality of MP micro gel Pickering emulsion.