• Doctoral student : Christine BOURGEOIS
• Funding: NSERC thesis from the Canadian government

Issues

Polyunsaturated fatty acids have important properties for the prevention of the development of certain pathologies. However, their sensitivity to oxidation requires the development of a food matrix that ensures their stabilisation and protection against environmental storage conditions. In addition, the desire of consumers to buy products with a "clean label" encourages the research and development of foods using natural ingredients and additives. It is therefore important to diversify the main natural emulsifiers used (soy or egg lecithin and milk proteins). Rapeseed is an interesting alternative to conventional natural surfactants because of its high content of lecithin and protein surfactants. Moreover, unlike soy, eggs and milk proteins, rapeseed has a low allergenic risk. Therefore, the study of lecithin-protein couples from meal canola as natural surfactants for the stabilisation of colloidal systems and the oxidative protection of oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids is important for the development of new food products with health value.
The challenge is therefore to prepare emulsions solely from rapeseed that can be incorporated into both liquid and semi-solid foods without changing their textural properties.