Emulsifier

As we all know, oil and water do not mix directly, but they can form an emulsion system, and these are essential to the consistency of many foods. Nature is good at making emulsions. The classic example is milk, where a complex mixture of fat droplets is suspended in an aqueous solution.

Emulsifiers are chemicals that cause emulsification to occur. Nature uses protein and phospholipids, and many emulsifiers used in modern food production are based on these natural substances.

An emulsifier is a molecule in which one end likes to be in an oily environment and the other end likes to be in a water environment. To prepare oil-in-water emulsions, such as mayonnaise, the droplets of oil molecules are surrounded by the oily ends of the emulsifier molecules. This leaves the end of the love water outside the droplets, so they sit happily in the water and get a uniform liquid instead of an unattractive mixture of water and oily droplets. In mayonnaise, the emulsifiers are the phospholipids in the egg yolk-they are very successful emulsifiers that can disperse up to 80% of the oil in the water phase.

Ice cream is another food that is not used as an emulsifier. It is both foam and emulsion, and its texture comes from ice crystals and the unfrozen water it contains. However, emulsifiers are not only essential for milk fat products, emulsifiers can also enhance bread and other baked products (in which solid particles are dispersed in foamy foam).

Commercially used emulsifiers come from natural and synthetic sources. They include:

 (E322) is a mixture of phospholipids, such as phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, usually extracted from sources such as egg yolk and soybeans. The exact composition of phospholipids depends on the source. Uses include salad dressings, baked goods and chocolate.

Fatty acid monoglycerides (E472a-f) are made from natural fatty acids, glycerin and organic acids (such as acetic acid, citric acid, lactic acid or tartaric acid). Fatty acids are usually derived from plant sources, although animal fats can be used. Products that use them include ice cream, cakes and potato chips.

Fatty acid monoglycerides and diglycerides (E471) are semi-synthetic emulsifiers made from glycerin and natural fatty acids. Natural fatty acids can be derived from plants or animals. They are used in products such as bread, cakes and margarine.