Functional properties of safflower protein isolates: Water absorption, whipping and emulsifying characteristics

Safflower meal defatted at the laboratory (SML) and safflower cake provided by an industrial plant (SMI) were used for protein isolation. Isolates were obtained by micellisation (MP) and isoelectric precipitation (IP) techniques. The functional properties studied with these isolates were water and fat absorption, foam expansion and stability, and emulsion activity and stability. Within the experimental conditions of this research, it was observed that the various treatments received previously by the safflower meal, for oil extraction, seemed to have comparatively minor effects on the functional performance of the protein isolates. Only in the case of SML, did the MP isolates have a higher water and fat absorption, and foam expansion than IP samples. For both SML and SMI, the emulsion stability of MP was higher than that of IP.