THE INFLUENCE OF MINOR SURFACE-ACTIVE COMPONENTS OF OLIVE OIL ON EMULSIFICATION WITH BOVINE SERUM-ALBUMIN

Minor surface-active lipids occurring in virgin olive oil enhance the interfacial area per millilitre of oil created during the emulsification by bovine serum albumin (BSA). These components adsorb at the newly formed oil-water interface, bring about a marked decrease in the interfacial tension value and aid, together with adsorbed protein molecules, in the formation and stabilization of emulsion oil droplets. Minor surface-active lipids do not appear to affect the amount of protein adsorbed at the oil-water interface. This could mean that the penetration of the interface by protein molecules arriving at the interface is not inhibited by the presence of already adsorbed surface-active lipid molecules.