Recent Advances in the Utilization of Natural Emulsifiers to Form and Stabilize Emulsions

Abstract

Consumer concern about human and environmental health is encouraging food manufacturers to use more natural and sustainable food ingredients. In particular, there is interest in replacing synthetic ingredients with natural ones, and in replacing animal-based ingredients with plant-based ones. This article provides a review of the various types of natural emulsifiers with potential application in the food industry, including phospholipids, biosurfactants, proteins, polysaccharides, and natural colloidal particles. Increased utilization of natural emulsifiers in food products may lead to a healthier and more sustainable food supply. However, more research is needed to identify, isolate, and characterize new sources of commercially viable natural emulsifiers suitable for food use.

Plant‐based Milks: A Review of the Science Underpinning Their Design, Fabrication, and Performance

“…After formation, plant‐based milks are usually thermally processed to increase their shelf life and safety by deactivating any enzymes or microbes that may be present. The emulsifier used to produce a product will influence its stability to thermal processing (McClements et al., ). Oil droplets coated by many types of plant‐based emulsifiers are susceptible to aggregation if they are heated to too high temperature or for too long.…”

“…Plant‐based emulsifiers can be isolated from various plant materials found in nature, and may come in numerous molecular forms, including proteins, polysaccharides, phospholipids, surfactants, or colloidal particles (McClements et al., ). The processing operations used to isolate and purify a particular emulsifier depend on its precise molecular and physicochemical characteristics, as well as on the nature of the plant material it is extracted from.…”

Formation and stability of emulsions stabilised by Yucca saponin extract

“…van der Waals interactions) become dominant and any colliding droplets start to immediately aggregate in the primary minimum, as explained by the DLVO theory (McClements, ). Low salt stability has also been observed for soy lecithin and whey protein‐stabilised emulsions, likely caused by a rather thin interfacial thickness, whereas polysaccharide‐stabilised emulsions remained stable even at higher ionic strength (McClements et al ., ).…”

“…b). In contrast, phospholipid‐ or Quillaja saponin‐stabilised emulsions typically become only unstable at acidic conditions (Yang et al ., ; McClements et al ., ), whereas other natural emulsifiers such as whey proteins typically exhibit instabilities around their isoelectric point (~pH 5) (Ozturk & McClements, ).…”

Delivery by Design (DbD): A Standardized Approach to the Development of Efficacious Nanoparticle‐ and Microparticle‐Based Delivery Systems

“…First, there may be marketing demands that favor the inclusion of some components and the exclusion of others. For example, the food industry often prefers the utilization of natural plant‐based ingredients because consumers perceive these to be “healthier” and more environmentally sustainable than synthetic or animal‐based ones (McClements and Gumus ; McClements and others ). For similar reasons, there is a push towards excluding synthetic surfactants or solvents from many commercial products.…”