Investigating the thermal stability and calcium resistance of O/W emulsions prepared with glycosylated whey protein hydrolysates modified by different saccharides.

The poor thermal stability and ion tolerance of whey protein hydrolysates (WPH) restrict its application in emulsions, while glycosylation shows potential benefits in improving WPH stability. However, the relationship between saccharides with different Mw and the glycosylation behavior of WPH rich in short peptides is unclear. In response, the effect of different saccharides on glycosylated WPH rich in short peptides and its emulsion stability were investigated. Grafted small Mw saccharides were more beneficial to the emulsion stability of WPH. Specifically, grafting xylose effectively inhibited 121 °C sterilization and 5 mM CaCl2-induced coalescence of WPH emulsion (687.50 nm) by comprehensively enhancing steric hindrance, conformational flexibility and electrostatic repulsion, and dissociating large aggregates into small aggregates. Conversely, grafting maltodextrin (30,590 Da) reduced thermal stability of WPH emulsion (4791.80 nm) by steric shielding and bridging flocculation. These findings provide new sights into glycosylation mechanism for WPH and achieving its application in nutritional emulsions.