Effects and mechanisms of different metastable systems on the interfacial stability and physicochemical properties of ovalbumin emulsion gels.

In this study, λ-carrageenan, xanthan gum, and high-acyl gellan gum (HG) were introduced as metastable systems to construct a "droplet-interfacial layer-metastable system-gel network" framework. The weak gel network formed by HG provided effective spatial confinement around oil droplets, improving droplet dispersion and interfacial stability, with the emulsion stability index increasing from 30.05 to 70.10%. The metastable systems also enhanced the physicochemical properties of emulsion gels, as reflected by the increase in hardness from 50.96 g to 576.33 g, higher water holding capacity, and a denser three-dimensional network. Molecular interaction analysis revealed that the stabilizing systems promoted protein conformational unfolding and enhanced hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonding, and disulfide cross-linking within the gel network, thereby facilitating the formation of a denser composite network. This study provides new design strategies and theoretical basis for the development of emulsion gels with high stability and excellent physicochemical properties.