Effect of pH-shifting Process on Physicochemical Characters and Emulsifying Properties of Zanthoxylum Bungeanum Seed Protein

The effect of pH-shifting on the physicochemical characters and emulsifying properties of Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed protein (ZsP) were investigated in this study. The results show that pH-shifting process have altered the structure of ZsP and significantly promoted the emulsifying properties of ZsP. Additionally, alkali-treated ZsPs exhibits more significant improvement than acid-treated ones. On the whole, pH₁₂-treated sample exhibited the most prominent comprehensive performance. The solubility, particle size, Zeta potential, surface hydrophobicity, emulsifying activity index and emulsifying stability index of pH₁₂-treated samples were 85.31%±1.15%, 226.53±4.19 nm, −28.3±1.79 mV, 201.3±0.46 μg, 13.44±0.71 m²/g and 97.80±0.74 min, respectively, which were 5.43, 0.297, 1.55, 3.64, 2.01, 5.02 times of the untreated ZsP’s values. The results could provide a theoretical basis for the rational utilization of Zanthoxylum seed protein.