Emulsification Process Functions

Pertinent examples of the value of dimensional analysis have been reported in a series of papers by Maa and Hsu (19,37,63). In their first report, they successfully established the scale-up requirements for microspheres produced by an emulsification process in continuously stirred tank reactors (CSTRs) (63). Their initial assumption was that the diameter of the microspheres, <7ms, is a function of phase quantities, physical properties of the dispersion and dispersed phases, and processing equipment parameters ... 

Of the possible emulsifiers, most are what are considered true surfactants, in that they are effective at lowering significantly the interfacial tension between the two hquid phases. Other additives such as polymers and sols function primarily as stabihzers, rather than emulsifiers. Most polymers are not sufficiently effective at lowering interfacial tensions to act in that regard. In addition, because of their molecular size, the adsorption process for polymers is generally very slow relative to the timescale of the emulsification process. The same applies to stabilizing colloids, in which their action requires the wetting of the particles by the two hquid phases to facihtate their location at the interface. The primary function of polymers and sols in emulsions is in the retardation of droplet flocculation and coalescence. 

The mechanism of 0/W gel emulsion formation was determined " by studying the phase behaviour of gel emulsion-forming systems as a function of temperature and following the emulsification process conductimetrically, as for W/0 gel emulsions. The phase diagram of 0.1 m NaCl aqueous solution/Ci2E06/monolaurin/ -decane as a function of temperature and brine concentration is shown in Figure 11.17. Monolaurin was added to the system to increase the lateral interactions of the surfactant layer and consequently to enhance the stability of the gel emulsions. ... 

Oilseed proteins are used as food ingredients at concentrations of 1—2% to nearly 100%. At low concentrations, the proteins are added primarily for their functional properties, eg, emulsification, fat absorption, water absorption, texture, dough formation, adhesion, cohesion, elasticity, film formation, and aeration (86) (see Food processing). Because of high protein contents, textured flours and concentrates are used as the principal ingredients of some meat substitutes. 

Functional property tests were conducted in duplicate. AACC (21) methods were used for the determination of water hydration capacity (Method 88-04) and nitrogen solubility index (NSI) (Method 46-23). Oil absorption capacity was measured by the procedures of Lin et al. (22) and oil emulsification by a modification (22) of the Inklaar and Fortuin (23) method. Pasting characteristics of 12.0% (w/v, db) slurries of the flours and processed products were determined on a Brabender Visco/Amylograph (Method 22-10). The slurries were heated from 30 to 95°C before cooling to 50°C to obtain the cold paste viscosity value. Gelation experiments were conducted by heating 15% (w/v db) slurries in sealed stainless steel containers to 90°C for 45 min in a water bath C3). 

Whey protein concentrates (WPC), which are relatively new forms of milk protein products available for emulsification uses, have also been studied (4,28,29). WPC products prepared by gel filtration, ultrafiltration, metaphosphate precipitation and carboxymethyl cellulose precipitation all exhibited inferior emulsification properties compared to caseinate, both in model systems and in a simulated whipped topping formulation (2. However, additional work is proceeding on this topic and it is expected that WPC will be found to be capable of providing reasonable functionality in the emulsification area, especially if proper processing conditions are followed to minimize protein denaturation during their production. Such adverse effects on the functionality of WPC are undoubtedly due to their Irreversible interaction during heating processes which impair their ability to dissociate and unfold at the emulsion interface in order to function as an emulsifier (22). 

It is essential to consider the physico-chemical properties of each WPC and casein product in order to effectively evaluate their emulsification properties. Otherwise, results merely indicate the previous processing conditions rather than the inherent functional properties for these various products. Those processing treatments that promote protein denaturatlon, protein-protein Interaction via disulfide interchange, enzymatic modification and other basic alterations in the physico-chemical properties of the proteins will often result in protein products with unsatisfactory emulsification properties, since they would lack the ability to unfold at the emulsion interface and thus would be unable to function. It is recommended that those factors normally considered for production of protein products to be used in foam formation and foam stabilization be considered also, since both phenomena possess similar physico-chemical and functionality requirements (30,31). 

A peculiar advantage of membrane emulsification is that both droplet sizes and size distributions may be carefully and easily controlled by choosing suitable membranes and focusing on some fundamental process parameters reported below. Membrane emulsification is also an efficient process, since the energy-density requirement (energy input per cubic meter of emulsion produced, in the range of 104-106 J m-3) is low with respect to other conventional mechanical methods (106-108 J m-3), especially for emulsions with droplet diameters smaller than 1 (4m [1]. The lower energy density requirement also improves the quality and functionality... 

In the microfluid dynamics approaches the continuity and Navier-Stokes equation coupled with methodologies for tracking the disperse/continuous interface are used to describe the droplet formation in quiescent and crossflow continuous conditions. Ohta et al. [54] used a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach to analyze the single-droplet-formation process at an orifice under pressure pulse conditions (pulsed sieve-plate column). Abrahamse et al. [55] simulated the process of the droplet break-up in crossflow membrane emulsification using an equal computational fluid dynamics procedure. They calculated the minimum distance between two membrane pores as a function of crossflow velocity and pore size. This minimum distance is important to optimize the space between two pores on the membrane... 

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