V-type granular starches derived from different starch varieties: an exploration of the relationships between structure, physicochemical properties, and emulsifiability

V-type starch possesses great potential as a multifunctional emulsifier. However, the relationship between the structure of V-type starch and its emulsifiability remain unclear. Herein, we choose four varieties of starch to prepare ethanol-induced V-type starch (EVS) and ethanol-induced V-type starch-lauric acid complexes (EVS-LA). The emulsions stabilized by EVS-LA exhibited smaller droplet sizes and improved storage stability. Pearson correlation coefficient analysis indicates that emulsifiability displayed a significant positive correlation with contact angle (r = 0.69) and a significant negative correlation with D(50) (starch granules) and D(50) (emulsion) (r = − 0.71 and − 0.75, respectively). Interestingly, the emulsions stabilized by EVRiS (3 d) and EVRiS-LA (60 d) have identical emulsion droplet sizes but exhibit different storage stabilities. This suggests that the granule size of V-type starch influences short-term emulsifiability, the wettability and granule size of V-type starch influence long-term emulsifiability. This study has enhanced our understanding of V-type starch as a multifunctional emulsifier.