What are emulsifiers?

If oil is added to water, the two liquids will never mix, unless an emulsifier is added. Emulsifiers are molecules with one end related to water (hydrophilic) and the other end related to oil (hydrophobic). They make it possible for water and oil to disperse almost completely in each other, creating a stable, homogeneous, and fluid emulsion.

Ancient Greeks already used the emulsifying power of beeswax in cosmetic products, and egg yolk was probably the first emulsifier to be used in "food production" in the early 19th century. Due to the relatively short stability of the egg yolk, manufacturers switched to lecithins derived from soybeans, which have been an important food product since the 1920s. However, the most important advance in the field of emulsifiers occurred ten years later, when some derivatives of fatty acids (mono- and diglycerides) began to be used. In 1936 its use for the production of ice cream was patented. Today emulsifying food additives play an important role in the manufacture of food products such as margarine, mayonnaise, cream sauces, candies, many processed and packaged foods, sweets, and a whole range of bakery products.