Composition, properties and potential food applications of natural emulsions and cream materials based on oil bodies

Oil bodies are micron- or submicron-sized organelles found mainly in parts of plants such as seeds, nuts or some fruits and their main role is to function as energy stores. Their structure is made up of a core of triglycerides covered by a protein–phospholipid layer which protects the oil bodies against external chemical/mechanical stresses. Following treatment with aqueous media of the rich-in-oil raw materials, an extract of oil bodies, dispersed in a solution of exogenous plant proteins, is obtained. Effective recovery of oil droplets from the initial extract, which is in effect a relatively dilute natural emulsion, leads to the preparation of either a more concentrated natural emulsion with a composition in terms of oil and protein close to that of animal milk or, alternatively, to a concentrated oil droplet-based “cream”. Both the natural emulsion and the “cream” can be exploited in the development of a number of novel food products by suitably substituting the oil/fat droplets of the traditionally-prepared food product with natural oil droplets.