Lipid composition and emulsifying properties of Camelina sativa seed lecithin

•Camelina lecithin was obtained by water and enzymatic degumming.•Major phospholipid in camelina lecithin was phosphatidylinositol.•Enzyme-degummed camelina lecithin contained more lysophospholipids.•Enzyme-degummed camelina lecithin generated more stable emulsions.•Camelina seed is a promising alternative emulsifier source. There is no information on the chemical composition of camelina seed lecithin; therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the chemical composition and emulsifying properties of lecithin recovered from camelina seed oil by water (WDCL) and enzymatic degumming (EDCL) using phospholipase A1 (PLA1). The lecithin obtained by both WDLC and EDLC was rich in phosphatidylinositol (PI), and contents were 37.8 and 25.2wt%, respectively. Lecithin recovered by enzymatic degumming contained more lysophospholipids compared to water degumming. The saturated fatty acid content of the EDCL was significantly higher than that of the WDCL. Emulsions stabilized using EDCL resulted in the highest stability when deionized water was used as the aqueous phase (original pH); however, at pH=7.5, emulsions stabilized using EDCL and WDCL were less stable compared to the emulsion stabilized with soy lecithin. Results showed that camelina seed lecithin is a promising alternative PI-rich emulsifier for various food applications.