Rheological properties of corn oil emulsions stabilized by commercial micellar casein and high pressure homogenization

The rheological behavior of corn oil emulsions prepared by high pressure homogenization (HPH) was investigated. Coarse emulsions of corn oil (10-30 g oil/100 g emulsion) in casein dispersions containing 0.5-3.5 g micellar casein/100 g casein dispersion in an oil-free basis were homogenized at 0-300 MPa. Flow behavior under continuous increasing (0-150 s^-1) or decreasing (150-0 s^-1) shear rate was tested. Emulsions that showed macroscopic change in consistency were tested for viscoelasticity (G′). Homogenization of emulsions with low oil concentration (10 g/100 g) resulted in Newtonian behavior for all treatment pressures. The rheological behavior of emulsions with higher oil concentration (30 g/100 g) was dependent on casein concentration in the aqueous phase and varied from Newtonian to shear thinning. Homogenization pressures between 20 and 100 MPa induced the formation of a gel-like structure possibly through pressure-induced interactions between caseins surrounding adjacent droplets.