Influence of pea protein on structural modulation of tapioca starch emulsion gels: Vitamin E release behavior and potential as a dysphagia-friendly food matrix.

This study investigated the influence of pea protein (PP) on the structural modulation and vitamin E (VE) release behavior of tapioca starch (TS)-based emulsion gels and evaluated their potential as a dysphagia-friendly food matrix. TS/PP-based emulsion gels were prepared with different PP concentrations. FE-SEM and CLSM suggested a more compact gel network and finer oil-phase dispersion at higher PP concentrations, and FT-IR and XRD indicated structural changes and possible TS-PP interactions, potentially involving hydrogen bonding. The encapsulation efficiency of VE increased from 80.0% to 99.6% as the PP concentration increased from 0% to 10%, respectively. In vitro release studies showed that increasing PP concentration progressively delayed VE release under simulated gastrointestinal conditions. According to the IDDSI test, emulsion gels containing 5.0% and 7.5% PP corresponded to level 4, and those containing 10% PP corresponded to level 5, indicating their potential as a dysphagia-friendly food matrix for VE delivery.