Characterization of coconut oil from cold plasma-treated coconut flakes and protein-dependent whipping behavior in plant-based cream systems.

This study investigated the effect of cold plasma (CP) treatment on the physicochemical properties, lipid composition, and volatile compounds of coconut oil, as well as the interfacial behavior of different plant proteins in whipped cream systems prepared with coconut oil extracted from CP-treated coconut flakes. CP treatment increased the extraction yield to 79.28% under optimized conditions (CP3 group). Although the oxidative induction period decreased after CP treatment, only mild changes were observed in fatty acid composition, lipid molecular profiles, and volatile compounds. Using coconut oil extracted from CP-treated coconut flakes as the oil phase, the interfacial behavior and whipping properties of different plant proteins (coconut, pea, mung bean, and soy) in plant-based whipped cream systems were further evaluated. The results showed that protein type markedly affected emulsion properties, including interfacial tension, particle size, rheological behavior, partial coalescence, and whipping performance. Among the tested proteins, the soy protein system exhibited higher storage modulus (G'), overrun, and piping stability. Overall, CP treatment was associated with mild changes in the lipid profile of the extracted coconut oil, which may be attributed to altered lipid extractability and, to a limited extent, possible lipid modification. In the whipped cream systems, protein structure appeared to play a major role in determining interfacial behavior and whipping performance. These findings provide useful information for selecting suitable plant proteins and for developing plant-based whipped cream systems containing coconut oil extracted from CP-treated coconut flakes.