Abstract: In this paper, changes in the stability and rheological properties of sterilized coconut milk emulsion systems with different maize additives (maize grains, ordinary starch and waxy starch) after 50 days of storage under cold (4 ℃) and hot (40 ℃) conditions were studied. The results showed that the coconut milk emulsions with maize additives had better stability at lower storage temperature. At 4 ℃, the emulsion particles were evenly distributed; the average particle size D[4,3] decreased and the absolute value of ζ potential increased compared with those at 40 ℃. Moreover, in sensory evaluation, the coconut milk emulsion with maize grains scored higher after storage at 4 ℃ than at 40 ℃. The apparent viscocity of the coconut milk emulsion with maize starch was lower after storage at 40 ℃ than at 4 ℃. The number of coliforms and the total number of colonies did not increase after storage in each coconut emulsion system. This study provides a theoretical basis for the development and storage quality improvement of cereal-supplemented coconut milk beverage.

Key words: coconut milk, maize, starch, emulsion, stability