Emulsifying and surface properties of wheat gluten under acidic conditions

The solubility of wheat gluten was greatly improved at pH 4 or lower where it showed good emulsifying activity. This might be due to its high surface activity in the acidic pH range and the formation of a stable protein film surrounding the oil droplets. Among the major gluten proteins, gliadins sho wed higher surface activity than glutenins, The content of glutenins in the adsorbed protein film was higher than that of gliadins, and glutenins are likely to have been adsorbed more tightly than gliadins. These results sugg est that gluten proteins exhibit complex behavior, such as adsorption/desor ption/displacement/rearrangement during the adsorption process in a gluten- stabilized emulsion.