Biosurfactant-protein mixtures: Quillaja Bark Saponin at water/air and water/oil interfaces in presence of β-lactoglobulin

J Phys Chem B. 2012 Apr 26;116(16):4843-50. doi: 10.1021/jp301174d. Epub 2012 Apr 15.

Abstract

The adsorption kinetics of mixtures of a biosurfactant Quillaja Bark Saponin (QBS) with a globular protein, β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) at the water/air and water/tetradecane interfaces was investigated by measuring dynamic interfacial tension with axisymmetric drop shape analysis (ADSA) and maximum bubble pressure (MBP) techniques. With bulk concentration of β-LG fixed at 10(-7) M, the most pronounced synergistic effects in the rate of the QBS adsorption at both interfaces were observed at low biosurfactant concentrations (5 × 10(-7)-1 × 10(-5) M). The synergistic effect due to a protein-biosurfactant complex formation is clearly noticeable, yet less pronounced than, e.g., previously studied QBS/lysozyme mixtures. The surface pressures attained at water/oil interface are higher than in the water/air system, although, at high biosurfactant/protein ratios, the presence of β-LG decelerates adsorption of the QBS/β-LG complex onto the water/tetradecane interface. In analogy to mixtures of synthetic surfactants with proteins, the adsorbed layer gets dominated by QBS at higher biosurfactant concentrations, although the presence of β-LG affects the surface pressures attained even at QBS/β-LG ratios as high as 10(4). The synergistic effects are much less noticeable in foamability and emulsion formation/stability, as probed by the modified Bikerman's and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques, respectively.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adsorption
  • Air
  • Alkanes / chemistry*
  • Lactoglobulins / chemistry*
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Conformation
  • Plant Bark / chemistry*
  • Quillaja / chemistry*
  • Saponins / chemistry*
  • Surface Properties
  • Surface-Active Agents / chemistry*
  • Water / chemistry

Substances

  • Alkanes
  • Lactoglobulins
  • Saponins
  • Surface-Active Agents
  • n-tetradecane
  • Water