Recent Innovations in Emulsion Science and Technology for Food Applications

Abstract

Emulsion technology has been used for decades in the food industry to create a diverse range of products, including homogenized milk, creams, dips, dressings, sauces, desserts, and toppings. Recently, however, there have been important advances in emulsion science that are leading to new approaches to improving food quality and functionality. This article provides an overview of a number of these advanced emulsion technologies, including Pickering emulsions, high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), nanoemulsions, and multiple emulsions. Pickering emulsions are stabilized by particle-based emulsifiers, which may be synthetic or natural, rather than conventional molecular emulsifiers. HIPEs are emulsions where the concentration of the disperse phase exceeds the close packing limit (usually >74%), which leads to novel textural properties and high resistance to gravitational separation. Nanoemulsions contain very small droplets (typically d < 200 nm), which leads to useful functional attributes, such as high optical clarity, resistance to gravitational separation and aggregation, rapid digestion, and high bioavailability. Multiple emulsions contain droplets that have smaller immiscible droplets inside them, which can be used for reduced-calorie, encapsulation, and delivery purposes. This new generation of advanced emulsions may lead to food and beverage products with improved quality, health, and sustainability.

Application of Pickering emulsions in probiotic encapsulation- A review

“…6 A) Schematic diagram showing the production of multiple emulsions (W1/O/W2) using the two-step emulsification procedure. Reproduced from ( Bai et al, 2021 ). B) Confocal laser scanning micrographs of LA encapsulated in PDE after 14 days' storage under bright and fluorescence fields (I-II); Images collected under high-magnification marked with an arrow (i-iii), the images showed the oil phase in red (stained with Nile red and excited at 549 nm) and LA in blue (stained with STYO-9 and excited at 483 nm).…”

“…E) Schematic showing (not to scale) the oil phase structure of HIPEs at different internal phase volume fractions. Reproduced from ( Bai et al, 2021 ). F) (I) Particle sizes and ζ-potentials of WPI and WPI-EGCG covalent conjugates.…”

Progress in the Application of Food-Grade Emulsions

“…The main factors affecting delivery carrier applications on the dispersed phase scale are the emulsion structure, droplet size, droplet interactions and compositions, dispersion conditions, volume fraction, and the structural properties of the dispersed phase. In addition, it has been reported that the type of dispersed phase and the selection and diversification of the appropriate load materials directly affect the functionality and potential applications of delivery systems [ 72 ]. Related research directions therefore include control over the structural morphology and size of the dispersed phase and the selection and diversification of both the dispersed phase and the loading material.…”

Highlights of the Fifth International Symposium on Lipid Science and Health

“…Recently, there have been important advances in emulsion science that are leading to new approaches to improve food quality and functionality. Bai et al 15 provide an overview of a number of advanced emulsion technologies, including Pickering emulsions, high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs), nanoemulsions, and multiple emulsions. The formulation, fabrication, stabilization, and potential food applications of each type of advanced emulsion technology were comprehensively summarized.…”