Ovalbumin–gum arabic interactions: Effect of pH, temperature, salt, biopolymers ratio and total concentration

•The novel study is using a complex mixture of ovalbumin–gum arabic.•Ovalbumin–ovalbumin aggregates do not influence complex formation.•The mechanisms underlying associative phase behavior become more clarity.•A large range of total biopolymer concentration is summarized (0.05–3%, w/w). The formation of soluble and insoluble complexes between ovalbumin (OVA) and gum arabic (GA) polysaccharide was investigated under specific conditions (pH 1.0–7.0; temperature 4–55°C; NaCl concentration 0–60mM; total biopolymer concentration 0.05–3.0wt%) by turbidimetric analysis. For the 2:1 OVA:GA ratio and in the absence of NaCl, soluble and insoluble complexes were observed at pH 4.61 (pHφ1) and 4.18 (pHφ2), respectively, with optimal biopolymer interactions occurring at pH 3.79 (pHopt). Under the same conditions, OVA alone gave only a weak turbidity intensity (turbidity