Effect of high pressure-treated wheat starch as a fat replacer on the physical and rheological properties of reduced-fat O/W emulsions

In the current research, the impact of high hydrostatic pressure-treated wheat starch (HPWS) at different concentrations (10%, 15%, and 20% w/w), as a fat replacer, on the physical, textural and rheological characteristics and stability of model reduced-fat emulsions (25%, 50%, and 75% fat reduction) was examined. Replacing a higher concentration of HPWS augmented the magnitude of zeta potential and decreased the Z-average droplet size and PDI values of the prepared samples, but increasing the fat reduction level (FR) revealed a reverse trend. The rheological analysis showed that HPWS caused an increase in G′ value of the emulsions rather than the control ones, and G′ increased significantly with increasing HPWS concentration, and tan δ decreased evidently, which depicts more solid-like behavior of prepared emulsions. Given results indicated that HPWS by creating comparable spreadability, consistency, elasticity, and yield stress, as well as good stability of the reduced-fat emulsions, can be suggested as a promising fat replacer.