我国是甘薯种植和生产大国，甘薯在保证国家粮食安全、促进经济发展中起着重要作用。甘薯蛋白具有成为良好乳化剂的潜质，甘薯根茎中的蛋白成分Sporamin是一类可溶性贮藏蛋白，占甘薯块茎总蛋白含量的80%。目前国际上鲜有关于Sporamin乳化性质的研究报道。申请人前期在Sporamin的提取、分离和纯化工艺上已建立了较为成熟的方法，并初步探讨了Sporamin的乳化性质。本研究拟在上述工作的基础上，首先运用蛋白吸附科学，界面化学，流变学的理论，结合电子显微镜观察的方法，通过探讨pH值、离子环境和多糖等环境因子对Sporamin乳化性质的影响，揭示其乳化稳定性的机制，其次利用加热与高压处理，通过改变Sporamin的三维构象的方法，探讨Sporamin的蛋白构象与其乳化性质的内在联系，最后利用酶解处理，通过对多肽产物乳化性质的研究，从Sporamin的一次构造出发揭示其乳化性质的发生机制。

China has a rich resource in cultivation and production of sweet potatoes, which play an important role in ensuring national food security and promoting economic development. Sweet potato protein has the potential of being a good emulsifier. Sporamin, a protein constituent in sweet potato roots, is a soluble storage protein, and accounts for 80% of total sweet potato protein. At present, few researches were reported on the emulsifying properties of Sporamin. Methods of extraction, separation and purification of Sporamin have been established by the applicant of this project, and emulsifying properties of Sporamin have been analyzed preliminarily. On the basis of the above work, firstly by combining electronic microscope method, the theories of protein adsorption science, interfacial chemistry, rheology will be used, and the mechanism of emulsion stability will be clarified by discussing the effects of environmental factors such as pH, ion environment and polysaccharide on emulsifying properties of Sporamin. Secondly, the inner link between protein conformation and emulsifying properties of Sporamin will be discussed by the method of changing 3D conformation of Sporamin with heat and high pressure treatments. At last, by investigating the emulsifying properties of polypeptide hydrolyzed by enzyme, the mechanism of emulsifying properties will be clarified starting from the primary structure of Sporamin.