ABSTRACT With the rising demand for plant‐based foods, this study formulated plant‐based salad dressings by emulsifying 50% v/v olive oil with 50% v/v lemon juice containing pea protein–alginate conjugates (2.0% w/v) and lecithin (1.0% w/v). The conjugates were prepared by reacting proteins with propylene glycol alginate at pH 11.0. Physical stability and sensory attributes of these salad dressings were compared to those prepared with propylene glycol alginate or gum arabic, two conventional emulsifiers. When stored at 4°C for 30 days, salad dressings emulsified with the conjugates exhibited a smooth and homogenous appearance, stable droplet diameter (16.69–20.06 µm), negative zeta‐potential (from −54.0 to −51.2 mV), and consistent L * (82.64–85.49), a * (−0.58 to 1.77), and b * (14.02–19.07) values. In contrast, salad dressings emulsified with 2% w/v propylene glycol alginate or gum arabic exhibited significant changes for all parameters except a * during storage. However, salad dressings emulsified with the conjugates exhibited significant variations in browning index and viscosity during storage at 4°C. Sensory evaluation indicated no distinctions in flavor, sour/tartness, sweetness, consistency, or overall acceptability among the different formulations. These findings show that pea protein–alginate conjugates are effective plant‐based emulsifiers for salad dressings. Practical Applications Pea protein–alginate conjugates are novel and sustainable biopolymeric surfactants that can be used in a wide variety of emulsion‐based food products. The conjugates enhance the physical stability of model salad dressings during 4°C storage by maintaining droplet diameter, zeta‐potential, color, and appearance and perform better than the conventional emulsifiers. Their potential use as novel emulsifiers for salad dressings is further supported by their sensory attributes being comparable to conventional emulsifiers.
Jain et al. (Sun,) studied this question.