| Abstract
| - A series of dextrans and β-lactoglobulin were covalently conjugated and screened for their ability tostabilize oil-in-water emulsions. Dextrans with the molecular mass of 19.6 kDa, 87 kDa, 150 kDa,500 kDa, and 2000 kDa were attached to β-lactoglobulin via the Maillard reaction. The conjugateswere then purfied and evaluated as emulsifiers under neutral conditions. The ability to stabilizeemulsions was determined by monitoring oil droplet size over time. Adsorption of the conjugates tothe droplet surface was characterized by determining the protein surface load. The results show thatincreasing polysaccharide size increases emulsion stability up to 150 kDa before leveling off.Conversely, surface protein density remains constant until 150 kDa before decreasing withpolysaccharide size. A model is presented to interpret the results. Keywords: β-Lactoglobulin; Maillard reaction; polysaccharide conjugate; emulsifier
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