This study aimed to construct artificial lipid droplets model and evaluate the thermal protective effects on DHA compared with natural DHA-enriched milk (NEM). The 10 g/L buttermilk powder emulsion (BPE) homogenized twice exhibited a particle size similar to NEM, along with a ζ-potential below −20 mV. Among the emulsions tested, 10 g/L BPE exhibited a lower equilibrium surface tension (close to 5 mN/m) and the highest dilatational modulus (21.95 mN/m). And after thermal treatment, both the lipid droplets of 10 g/L BPE and NEM displayed reduced flocculation and higher dispersion stability compared to other groups. Moreover, DHA content showed no significant changes in 10 g/L BPE or NEM following heating, and the peroxide value (POV) and malondialdehyde (MDA) increased significantly less than in the control group that no BP added, accompanied by a significantly lower abundance of undesirable volatile oxidation compounds. These findings suggest that 10 g/L provide thermal protection for DHA, offering a scientific basis for developing novel DHA-enriched dairy products. • Buttermilk powder emulsion (BPE) was prepared as an artificial lipid droplet model mimicking natural DHA-enriched milk (NEM). • Buttermilk powder served as wall material and anhydrous butter and DHA algal oil served as core. • BPE showed significant thermal protection for DHA similar to NEM. • Lipidomics revealed molecular differences in GL-DHA profiles between BPE and NEM. • Provided a basis for developing novel thermally stable DHA-enriched dairy products.
Tang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.