Cross-linked biopolymers, related compositions and methods of use
AssigneeUniversity of Massachusetts
InventorsDavid Julian McClements, Eric Andrew Decker
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Abstract
The present invention provides stabilized oil-in-water emulsions with an extended range of chemical, thermal and/or mechanical stabilities, and method(s) for their preparation. Such preparations provide an environmentally-protective biopolymer component exhibiting improved adherence to the dispersed phase, reducing or eliminating dissociation therefrom under such conditions, for use in the context of a range of food, pharmaceutical, personal care, health care, cosmetic and other end-use applications.
Claims19
A biomimetic method of using a cross-linkable biopolymer to prepare a stabilized emulsion composition, said method comprising:
- encompassing each droplet of a hydrophobic component with an emulsifier component;
- the hydrophobic component being formed into droplets and being in an aqueous medium;
- and
- adsorbing a biopolymer component on said emulsifier component that encompasses each droplet of the hydrophobic component;
- the biopolymer component comprising an intra-component covalent cross-linkage, said cross-linkage the reaction product of two cross-linkable moieties and a cross-linking reagent;
- at least a portion of said emulsifier component comprising a net charge and at least a portion of said biopolymer component comprising another net charge opposite the net charge of said emulsifier component, said emulsifier component and said biopolymer component being electrostatically interactive.
A method for emulsion preparation, said method comprising:
- providing a lipid-protein emulsification product comprising a lipid component and a protein component;
- the lipid component being formed into a number of droplet;
- the protein component encompassing each droplet of the lipid component;
- and
- adsorbing a polysaccharide biopolymer component on the protein component that encompasses each droplet of the lipid component;
- the polysaccharide biopolymer component comprising an intra-component covalent cross-linkage, said cross-linkage the reaction product of two cross-linkable moieties and a cross-linking reagent.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.